Journal: Journal of Dispensational Theology
Volume: JODT 26:72 (Spring 2022)
Article: A Survey Of Mobs And Riots In Scripture
Author: Steven R. Cook

JODT 26:72 (Spring 2022) p. 53

A Survey Of Mobs And Riots In Scripture

Steven R. Cook

* Steven R. Cook, M.Div., D.Min., is a Christian educator

Mobs and riots have been part of the human sociological landscape for millennia. They are certainly a part of the human experience in America.1 The purpose of this article is to review the history of mobs and riots throughout Scripture and to make observations about how they were handled.

A mob is “a large or disorderly crowd especially one bent on riotous or destructive action.”2 A riot is a form of civil unrest in which a group causes a public disturbance by destroying property and/or harming innocent people. A mob, though bent on destruction, may be hindered or neutralized by psychological dissuasion or the legitimate use of physical force. Both mobs and riots are found throughout Scripture. In the Old Testament, the verb קָהַל (qahal) means “to assemble . . . to call together, meet together.”3 Though commonly used of an assembly of people (Exod 35:1; 1 Kgs 12:21; 1 Chron 13:5; 15:3), it is used in Jeremiah 26:9 to describe a mob who demanded Jeremiah’s death (Jer 26:11).

Also, ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia), which in most instances denotes an “assembly . . . community, [or] congregation”4 is used in Acts 19:32, 41 to describe a mob. The word ὄχλος (ochlos) refers to a crowd, but denotes riotous behavior in Acts 14:19; 17:8; 21:34–35. The compound word ὀχλοποιέω (ochlopoieō), is translated “form a mob”5 in Acts 17:5. The noun

JODT 26:72 (Spring 2022) p. 54

θόρυβος (thorubos) is used to describe a riot in Matthew 26:5, 27:24, and You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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