5612. óruomai

Lexical Summary

óruomai: To dig, to delve

Original Word: ὀρύομαι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: óruomai
Pronunciation: o-roo'-om-ahee
Phonetic Spelling: (o-roo'-om-ahee)
KJV: roar
NASB: roaring
Word Origin: [middle voice of an apparently primary verb]

1. to "roar"

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

roar.

Middle voice of an apparently primary verb; to "roar" -- roar.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
onomatop., a prim. verb
Definition
to roar, howl
NASB Translation
roaring (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 5612: ὠρύομαι

ὠρύομαι; deponent middle; the Sept. for שָׁאַג; to roar, to howl, (of a lion, wolf, dog, and other beasts): 1 Peter 5:8 (Judges 14:5; Psalm 21:14 (); Jeremiah 2:15; Wis. 17:18; Theocritus, Plato, others); of men, to raise a loud and inarticulate cry: either of grief, Herodotus 3, 117; or of joy, id. 4, 75; to sing with a loud voice, Pindar Ol. 9, 163.

Topical Lexicon

Definition and Imagery

ὠρυόμενος is the present-middle participial form of a verb that depicts the deep, continuous roar of a predatory beast. In biblical usage the image invariably evokes both power and imminent threat. The participle underlines ongoing action: the roar is not a single burst but an unrelenting, ear-splitting warning that prey is being hunted.

Background in Classical and Septuagint Greek

Outside Scripture the verb could describe the roar of sea, wind, or beasts, but the Septuagint anchors it to the lion. Examples include Psalms 21:14 (22:13 LXX), “They open their mouths against me like a lion roaring and tearing,” and Amos 3:8, “The lion has roared—who will not fear?” In these texts the roar precedes attack or judgment, a motif Peter will later draw upon.

New Testament Usage (1 Peter 5:8)

Only once does the participle appear in the Greek New Testament:

“Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

Peter piles up three images:

1. Prowling—restless movement.
2. Roaring—audible intimidation.
3. Devouring—violent consumption.

The participle paints Satan as more than a silent stalker; his roar—false doctrines, persecutions, temptations—paralyzes the unsuspecting before the pounce.

Old Testament Foundations for Peter’s Metaphor

Job 4:10; Psalms 104:21; Proverbs 28:15; and Jeremiah 2:15 all connect the lion’s roar with sudden ruin. Peter’s readers, steeped in these texts, would hear not only danger but divine warning: ignore the roar and judgment follows. By echoing Amos 3:8 (“The Lord GOD has spoken—who will not prophesy?”), Peter subtly reminds believers that Satan’s roar is counterfeit; only the Lord’s voice carries ultimate authority.

Theological Significance

1. Spiritual Warfare: The participle emphasizes continuity; spiritual vigilance is not seasonal but perpetual.
2. The Nature of Temptation: Satan’s first tactic is intimidation. Fear can be as destructive as direct assault (Hebrews 2:15).
3. Covenant Context: Under the New Covenant, believers are not prey but protected sheep (John 10:27-29). Yet vigilance is demanded to experience that protection.
4. Eschatological Contrast: The devil is “like” a lion; Jesus is the Lion (Revelation 5:5). The mimicry underscores Satan’s counterfeit kingdom versus Christ’s legitimate reign.

Illustrative Imagery in the Ancient Near East

Royal hunting reliefs from Assyria and Babylon show kings conquering lions to display sovereignty. Peter’s metaphor flips that picture: the Church, a kingdom of priests, faces a prowling lion; her victory, however, mirrors David’s over Goliath—achieved not by strength but by steadfast faith (1 Samuel 17:34-37; 1 Peter 5:9).

Pastoral and Practical Application

• Vigilance: “Be sober-minded” calls for moral clarity free from intoxicating distractions—literal or ideological.
• Resistance: “Resist him, standing firm in your faith” (1 Peter 5:9). Active opposition, not passive avoidance, silences the roar.
• Community: Peter addresses a plural “you.” Isolation makes sheep easy prey; fellowship provides safety.
• Hope: The roar is temporary; “after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace… will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10-11).

Patristic and Historical Exposition

Ignatius likened martyrdom in Rome to facing “beasts that roar” yet confessed that Christ within rendered their threat hollow. Reformers such as Martin Luther identified the “roaring lion” with both external persecution and internal doubt, urging believers to answer with Scripture as Christ did in the wilderness.

Christological Reflection

While Satan mimics the lion’s ferocity, Jesus embodies the lion’s rightful majesty. The cross appears to grant the adversary his devouring moment, yet the resurrection reveals the true Lion’s roar—victorious, redeeming, final. Thus the believer confronts ὠρυόμενος not in dread but in delegated authority: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20).

Summary

ὠρυόμενος encapsulates the ever-present, audible menace of evil, yet Scripture frames that menace within God’s sovereign control. The participle sounds an alarm that reverberates through both Testaments: stay awake, stand firm, and trust the Lion of Judah whose own roar silences every counterfeit.

Forms and Transliterations

ωρυόμενοι ωρυομενος ωρυόμενος ὠρυόμενος ωρυομένων ωρυόμην ωρύοντο ωρύσεται ωρυώματος oruomenos ōruomenos oryomenos oryómenos ōryomenos ōryómenos

Englishman's Concordance

1 Peter 5:8 V-PPM/P-NMS
GRK: ὡς λέων ὠρυόμενος περιπατεῖ ζητῶν
NAS: like a roaring lion,
KJV: as a roaring lion,
INT: as a lion roaring goes about seeking

Strong's Greek 5612
1 Occurrence

ὠρυόμενος — 1 Occ.