Strong’s Greek 4911 depicts a crowd moving as one body, instantly coalescing in forceful action. It occurs a single time in the New Testament, Acts 16:22, where Luke records the mob in Philippi that “joined in the attack” against Paul and Silas.

New Testament Usage

Acts 16:22 shows the sudden, unified uprising of a Gentile populace against gospel messengers. The verb communicates:

1. Immediate unanimity—no deliberation, only collective impulse.
2. Intensified hostility—public outrage rises to a flash point.
3. Momentum—once ignited, the mob sweeps even magistrates along.

Historical Context in Philippi

Philippi, a Roman colony, prized civic order. Yet local patriotism and economic self-interest (loss of profit from the slave girl’s divination) triggered vigilantism. The magistrates, anxious to preserve peace, capitulated to the mob’s demand, ordering a beating that violated Roman due process. Thus Acts 16:22 illustrates how social pressure can override legal safeguards when gospel truth threatens entrenched idols.

Theological Implications

• Fulfillment of Jesus’ warnings: “You will be hated by everyone because of My name” (Matthew 10:22).
• Identification with Christ: the Philippian mob parallels the crowd before Pilate (Luke 23:18). Shared hostility ties believers’ sufferings to their Lord’s.
• Sovereignty of God: the same riot that inflicted pain opened the prison door to evangelize the jailer and his household (Acts 16:30-34).

Ministry Significance

1. Spiritual breakthrough provokes collective resistance. Deliverance of the oppressed challenged economic exploitation; persecution followed.
2. Suffering advances mission. Paul’s imprisonment led to worship at midnight, an earthquake, conversions, and eventually a church that became a model of generosity (Philippians 4:15-18).
3. Wise use of legal rights. Paul’s later appeal to Roman citizenship (Acts 16:37) secured public apology, protecting the infant church.

Related Biblical Parallels

Acts 17:5 – A jealous faction in Thessalonica “formed a mob, set the city in an uproar.”

Acts 19:29 – In Ephesus, the crowd “rushed together into the theater.”

Luke 4:28-29 – Nazareth synagogue drove Jesus to a cliff.

Though distinct verbs occur, each scene displays the same pattern of unified hostility that 4911 encapsulates.

Lessons for the Church Today

• Expect corporately organized opposition when the gospel disrupts cultural or economic systems.
• Respond with prayer and praise rather than retaliation (Acts 16:25).
• Trust divine providence: God can turn a mob’s fury into a family’s salvation.
• Exercise lawful protections without compromising witness, following Paul’s example.

Doctrinal Reflection

Acts 16 reveals two solidarities: a crowd united in violence and a household united in faith (Acts 16:34). Where sin gathers, grace forms a truer community. The single use of 4911 crystallizes this contrast, reminding believers that while the world may rise together against Christ, the Lord raises up a people together for His glory.