The verb means to stir up, agitate, or set in motion—whether literally stirring a mixture or metaphorically provoking emotions and crowds. It can describe sympathetic emotion or hostile agitation. When Stephen preached in Jerusalem, his opponents 'stirred up the people, elders, and scribes,' agitating them to violent action against him. The verb captures the deliberate incitement that transformed theological disagreement into mob violence. The compound suggests thorough or collective agitation—mobilizing the entire community. Stephen's stoning followed this systematic stirring up of popular and official opposition.