verb
boamō
Strong’sG994
I shout, call aloud
stem bo-12 times in the New Testamentin 6 of 27 books6 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
Shout, cry out — used of raising the voice loudly, whether in ordinary speech, in distress, or in strong emotion such as joy or fear 124. This is the general sense found throughout the New Testament, used absolutely (without a following object) 1.
A related, more specific use is to call on someone for help, taking a person as the one appealed to 1. Strong's likewise notes the sense of shouting for help, alongside shouting in a tumultuous way 2.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
βοάω, -ῶ
(< βοή), [in LXX chiefly for זעק, צעק, קרא;]
SYN.: καλέω, to call, invite, summon; κράζω, to cry, harshly or inarticulately, as animals; κραυγάζω, intensive of κράζω. βοάω expresses emotion, whether joy, fear, etc.
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G994 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidbo-ah'-o
to halloo, i.e. shout (for help or in a tumultuous way)
Fromapparently a prolonged form of a primary verb;
King Jamescry.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
Epic dialect 3rd.pers. singular βοάᾳ, 3rd.pers. plural βοόωσιν, participle βοόων, Refs 8th c.BC+: Ionic dialectimperfect βοάασκε Refs 3rd c.BC+: future βοήσομαι Refs 5th c.BC+; Doric dialect βοάσομαι Refs 5th c.BC+ (Lyric poetry) is aorist subjunctive): aorist ἐβόησα Refs 8th c.BC+; Epic dialect βόησα Refs 8th c.BC+; Doric dialect βόασα Refs 5th c.BC+; Ionic dialect ἔβωσα Refs 8th c.BC+: perfect βεβόηκα Refs 2nd c.AD+:—middle, βοώμενος Refs 5th c.BC+: Epic dialect aorist βοήσατο Refs 4th c.AD+, Ionic dialect ἐβώσατο Refs 3rd c.BC+; participle βοησάμενος Refs 2nd c.AD+:—passive, Ionic dialect aorist ἐβώσθην Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect βεβόημαι Refs, Ionic dialect participle βεβωμένος Refs 5th c.BC+: pluperfect ἐβεβόητο Refs 2nd c.AD+:—cry aloud, shout, ὀξὺ βοήσας Refs 8th c.BC+; οἱ βοησόμενοι men ready to shout (in the ἐκκλησία), Refs 4th c.BC+; ὁ δῆμος ἐβόησευ.., of acclamations, Refs 2nd c.AD+
2 of things, roar, howl, as the wind and waves, οὔτε.. κῦμα τόσον βοάᾳ ποτὶ χέρσον Refs 8th c.BC+; resound, echo, ἀμφὶ δέ τ᾽ ἄκραι ἠϊόνες βοόωσιν Refs 4th c.BC+; βοᾷ δ᾽ ἐν ὠσὶ κέλαδος rings, Refs; τὸ πρᾶγμα φανερόν ἐστιν, αὐτὸ γὰρ βοᾷ it proclaims itself, Refs 5th c.BC+
II with accusative person, call to one, call on, Refs 5th c.BC+ — middle βοησάμενοι δαίμονας Ant.Lib. [prev. cited]
II.2 with accusative, call for, shout out for, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.3 with accusative cognate, β. βοάν Refs 5th c.BC+; β. μέλος, ἰωάν, Refs 5th c.BC+ sound aloud the bridal hymn in honour of the bride, Refs; ἔλεγον ἰήϊον ἐβόα κίθαρις Refs 5th c.BC+
II.4 noise abroad, celebrate, ἡ ῥάφανος ἣν ἐβοᾶτε Refs 5th c.BC+; βεβοῆσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ Μαραθῶνος, ἐκ τῶν ἀδικημάτων, Refs
II.5 with infinitive, cry aloud or command in aloud noice to do a thing, Refs 5th c.BC+; also, cry aloud that.., Epicrat. 11.31 (anapaest meter); β. ὅτι.. Refs 5th c.BC+
II.6 passive, to be filled with sound, πᾶσαν δὲ χρὴ γαῖαν βοᾶσθαι ὑμνῳδίαις Refs 5th c.BC+; to be deafened, Refs 5th c.BC+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| boataἐβόησεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | cried out | 3× |
| boasarβόησον | happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular | shout | 1× |
| boarōntouβοῶντος | happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive singular masculine | crying out | 4× |
| boarōntoisβοῶντες | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine | shouting | 2× |
| boarōnteimβοῶντα | happening now · objectpresent active participle direct plural neuter | crying out | 1× |
| boarōntoiuβοώντων | happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive plural masculine | cry out | 1× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 86, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 3 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | boamō | boame | boami | boama | boamē | boamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | boasō | boase | boasi | boasa | boasē | boaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | boatō | boate | boati | boata3×ἐβόησεν | boatē | boatelē |
| we 1st person plural | boanō | boane | boani | boana | boanē | boanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | boavō | boave | boavi | boava | boavē | boavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | boalō | boale | boali | boala | boalē | boalelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | boameiō | boameia | boameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | boaseiō | boaseia | boaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | boateiō | boateia | boateiē |
| we 1st person plural | boaneiō | boaneia | boaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | boaveiō | boaveia | boaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | boaleiō | boaleia | boaleiē |
Commands — imperative mood, 1 occurrence
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | boasōr | boasar1×βόησον | boasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | boatōr | boatar | boatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | boavōr | boavar | boavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | boalōr | boalar | boalēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | boamoiō | boamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | boasoiō | boasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | boatoiō | boatoia |
| we 1st person plural | boanoiō | boanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | boavoiō | boavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | boaloiō | boaloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, no occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | boarō | boari | boara | boarē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 8 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | boarōntos8× | boarintos | boarantos | boarēntos |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
bo is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Words built on the same stem
Other words sharing the exact same stem — not merely related in meaning.
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
12 occurrences, every one of them listed
boata“cried out”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular3×
Mark 15:34kai ta enata hōra boata tos Iēsus fōna mega; Elōi elōi …At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi …
Luke 9:38kai idou andros apo tou ochlou boata legarōntos; Didaskalor, domō su epiblepara epi …Suddenly a man in the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look …
Luke 18:38kai boata legarōntos; Iēsur huior David, elēasar min.So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy …
boasar“shout”happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular1×
Galatians 4:27“shout”… steirar tas ouk tiktarōntar, rēgasar kai boasar, tas ouk ōdinarōntar; hoti polleim teim …… Rejoice, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of …
boarōntou“crying out”happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive singular masculine4×
Matthew 3:3“crying out”… dia Ēsaiou tou profētou legarōntou; Fōnas boarōntou en ta erēma; Hetoimazavar tan hodan …… of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the …
Mark 1:3“crying”fōnas boarōntou en ta erēma; Hetoimazavar tan hodan …“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the …
Luke 3:4“crying out”… bibla logoiu Ēsaiou tou profētou; Fōnas boarōntou en ta erēma; Hetoimazavar tan hodan …… in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the …
John 1:23“crying out”fēate; Mis fōnas boarōntou en ta erēma; Euthunavar tan hodan …… the prophet: “I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the …
boarōntois“shouting”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine2×
Acts 17:6… kai tinoin adelfoin epi toin politarchoin, boarōntois hoti Tois tan oikoumenan anastatarantois houtois …… other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the …
Acts 25:24“shouting”… mi en tē Hierosolumei kai enthade, boarōntois mē darō auton zōarō mēketi.… has petitioned me about him, both here and in Jerusalem, crying out that he ought not to live any longer.
boarōnteim“crying out”happening now · objectpresent active participle direct plural neuter1×
Acts 8:7“crying out”pollois gar toiu echarōntoiu pneumeim akatharteim boarōnteim fōna mega exerchole, pollois de paraluorēntois …With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame …
boarōntoiu“cry out”happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive plural masculine1×
Luke 18:7… tan ekdikēsian toiu eklektoiu autou toiu boarōntoiu auto hēmerau kai nuktau, kai makrothumatō …… about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will …