ἀγέλ-η G0034
A herd of animals, especially swine; a group of livestock feeding or moving together.
Refers to a herd or drove of animals, derived from the verb 'to drive' or 'to lead.' In classical Greek it could denote herds of horses, cattle, or even shoals of fish, but every New Testament occurrence involves the famous herd of swine in the Gadarene demoniac episode (Matt 8:30–32; Mark 5:11–13; Luke 8:32–33). The convergence across languages is total: Spanish 'manada,' French 'troupeau,' German 'Herde' — all meaning simply 'herd.' The word appears nowhere else in the NT, making it effectively a technical term for the Gadarene swine narrative.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A herd or flock of animals grazing or moving as a group. Every NT occurrence refers to the herd of pigs in the Gadarene demoniac accounts. Spanish 'manada,' French 'troupeau,' and German 'Herde' all converge on a single meaning without variation. The classical sense of organized bands of youths (as in Sparta) or shoals of fish never surfaces in biblical usage. In Matt 8:30 and Mark 5:11 the herd is feeding on the hillside; in Matt 8:32 and Mark 5:13 it rushes headlong into the sea — the same herd throughout, confirming one unified sense. 7×
AR["القَطيعُ", "قَطيعٌ", "قَطيعُ", "قَطيعِ"]·ben["পাল", "পালটি", "পালে"]·DE["Herde", "ἀγέλη"]·EN["a-herd", "herd"]·FR["troupeau"]·heb["עֵדֶר"]·HI["झुण्ड", "झुण्ड-में", "सुअरों-का"]·ID["itu", "kawanan", "sekawanan"]·IT["gregge"]·jav["babi-ombèn", "grombolan", "pepanthan"]·KO["떼", "떼-가", "떼가"]·PT["manada"]·RU["стадо"]·ES["manada"]·SW["kundi"]·TR["sürü", "sürüsü", "sürüye"]·urd["ریوڑ", "گلّہ", "گلّے", "گلہ"]
Related Senses
H6629 1. flock, sheep/goats (small livestock) (274×)H1241 1. cattle, herd (bovine livestock) (183×)H0352a 1. ram (male sheep) (156×)H6499 1. young bull, bullock (130×)H3532 1. lamb, young male sheep (105×)H2543 1. donkey (male ass) (96×)H7794 1. ox, bull (79×)H7462b 1. shepherd (agent noun) (76×)H5795 1. she-goat(s), female goat(s) (68×)H7462b 2. to shepherd, tend, pasture (60×)H1581 1. camel (domestic animal) (54×)H0738b 1. lion (46×)G4263 1. sheep (39×)H5739 1. flock or herd of livestock (38×)H5695 1. calf, young bull (35×)H0738a 1. lion (large predatory feline) (34×)H0860 1. female donkey (34×)H3611 1. dog (animal) (32×)H3715a 1. young lion, lion cub (31×)G0721 1. Lamb (29×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀγέλ-η, ἡ, (ἄγω) herd, of horses, Refs 8th c.BC+ always of oxen and kine, Refs 8th c.BC+—also, any herd or company, συῶν ἀ. Refs 8th c.BC+; shoal of fish, Refs 5th c.BC+ __II in Crete and at Sparta, bands in which boys were trained, Refs 4th c.BC+ __III ={ἀστρικαὶ σφαῖραι} Refs