Word Study for G3738 (ὀρχέομαι)

orchéomai /or-kheh'-om-ahee/ Ask about this word

Meaningmiddle voice from (a row or ring); to dance (from the ranklike or regular motion)

KJV usagedance.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of orchéomai — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word orchéomai, represented by G3738, means to dance. According to its base definition, it describes a ranklike or regular motion. This specific term appears 6 times across 4 unique verses in the Bible, making its appearances notable and contextually significant.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, G3738 is used in two primary contexts. First, it describes a performance at a royal birthday feast, where the daughter of Herodias danced and pleased G700 Herod (Matthew 14:6, Mark 6:22). This act of dancing was so effective that it moved the king to make a great promise to her. Second, it appears in a parable-like saying about children in the marketplace who complain, "We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept" (Luke 7:32, Matthew 11:17). In this context, dancing is the expected joyful response that was inappropriately withheld.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help frame the meaning of G3738 by providing context for either its cause or its opposite:

G832 auléō (to play the flute): This word describes the action, "piping," which is presented as the direct call for the response of dancing Matthew 11:17.
G700 aréskō (to be agreeable... to seek to be so): This term is explicitly linked to the outcome of dancing in the court of Herod, where the performance successfully pleased the king Mark 6:22.
G2354 thrēnéō (to bewail): This action is set up as the direct contrast to the celebratory context of dancing. The children's saying contrasts piping and dancing with mourning and lamenting Luke 7:32.

Theological Significance

The narrative weight of G3738 is found in its specific, illustrative uses.

Expected Response: Dancing is framed as the proper response to a joyful stimulus (piping). The failure to dance in the marketplace parable illustrates a generation's refusal to respond appropriately to the calls they were given Matthew 11:17.
Performance and Influence: The term is used to describe a performance with a clear purpose. In the story of Herodias's daughter, the dance is a tool used to gain favor and influence, successfully pleasing Herod and his guests Matthew 14:6.
Contrast between Joy and Grief: The word is always placed in opposition to sorrow. The parallel structure "piped/danced" versus "mourned/lamented" Matthew 11:17 establishes dancing as a key expression of celebration, distinct from acts of grief like bewailing G2354 and weeping G2799.

Summary

In summary, G3738 is more than a general term for movement; it is a specific word for dance used to make sharp narrative and theological points. It appears in contexts of both royal performance and parabolic teaching. Through its usage, it defines a proper response to joy, stands as a stark counterpart to mourning, and demonstrates how a physical act can be used as a powerful tool of influence.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 4 occurrences, inflected in 3 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Aorist Middle Deponent Indicative 2nd Plural 2×
Aorist Middle Deponent Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
Aorist Middle Deponent Participle Genitive Singular Feminine 1×

Genitive: Possession or source — often "of".
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Feminine: Feminine grammatical gender.
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Middle: The subject acts on or for itself.
Middle Deponent: Middle in form but active in meaning.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 4 verses across 3 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Matthew (2 verses); never once in the other 24.

Matthew

Mark

Luke

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.