242. hallomai
Lexical Summary
hallomai: To leap, to spring up

Original Word: ἅλλομαι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: hallomai
Pronunciation: HAL-loh-my
Phonetic Spelling: (hal'-lom-ahee)
KJV: leap, spring up
NASB: leaped, leaping, springing
Word Origin: [middle voice of apparently a primary verb]

1. to jump
2. (figuratively) to gush

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
leap, spring up.

Middle voice of apparently a primary verb; to jump; figuratively, to gush -- leap, spring up.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from a prim. root hal-
Definition
to leap
NASB Translation
leaped (1), leaping (1), springing (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 242: ἅλλομαι

ἅλλομαι; imperfect ἡλλόμην; aorist ἡλάμην and ἡλόμην (Alexander Buttmann (1873) Ausf. Spr. ii., p. 108; (Winers Grammar, 82 (79); Buttmann, 54 (47))); to leap (Latinsalio): Acts 3:8; Acts 14:10 (Rec. ἥλλετο; G L T Tr WH ἥλατο); to spring up, gush up, of water, John 4:14 (as in Latinsalire, Vergil ecl. 5, 47; Suetonius, Octav. 82). (Compare: ἐξάλλομαι, ἐφάλλομαι.)

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Imagery

Strong’s Greek 242 portrays a vigorous upward motion—whether the sudden leap of a healed body or the lively surge of living water. The word carries connotations of vitality, freedom, and newly released power, images that Scripture employs to communicate both physical and spiritual transformation.

Occurrences in the New Testament

Acts 3:8 records Peter’s first public miracle after Pentecost: “And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and he went into the temple courts with them, walking and leaping and praising God” (Berean Standard Bible). The formerly lame beggar does not merely walk; he erupts in joyous leaps, dramatizing the completeness of Christ’s healing power now active through His apostles.

John 4:14 uses the verb figuratively. Jesus tells the Samaritan woman, “The water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life”. Here the upward surge pictures the continuous, self-propelling life of the Spirit within the believer.

Acts 14:10 repeats the theme of restorative power. Paul commands the crippled man in Lystra, “Stand up on your feet!” and “At that the man sprang up and began to walk”. Again, the leap is both proof and proclamation of the gospel.

Old Testament Echoes

Isaiah foretold a day when “the lame will leap like a deer” (Isaiah 35:6). That prophetic background frames each New Testament occurrence: messianic restoration has arrived. Likewise, the imagery of water springing up recalls wellsprings promised in Isaiah 58:11 and Zechariah 14:8, grounding Jesus’ words in established prophetic hope.

Christological and Soteriological Significance

1. Validation of Messiahship: Physical leaping authenticates Jesus’ messianic credentials and the authority He delegates to His apostles (Matthew 11:4-5).
2. Symbol of Resurrection Life: The sudden upward movement mirrors Christ’s own victory over death and anticipates the believer’s future resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:22-23).
3. Gift of the Spirit: In John 4, the inward “springing up” depicts the indwelling Spirit, guaranteeing eternal life (Romans 8:11).

Ecclesiological and Missional Implications

The leap of healed bodies became a visible sign that the age of the Spirit had dawned, galvanizing evangelistic witness. Both Jerusalem (Acts 3) and the Gentile city of Lystra (Acts 14) see identical manifestations, underscoring the gospel’s reach “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The church’s mission therefore includes both proclamation and demonstration of Christ’s restorative power.

Practical Application for Believers

• Expectant Faith: The instant response of the lame men challenges believers to trust Christ’s authority without reservation.
• Joyful Worship: Their leaping becomes a template for unrestrained praise, especially in corporate gatherings.
• Inner Vitality: Jesus promises a perpetual spring, encouraging believers to cultivate communion with the Spirit so that spiritual energy continually “springs up” for service and holiness.
• Ministry of Healing and Compassion: The apostolic pattern motivates prayer for both physical and spiritual wholeness in Jesus’ name.

Historical Reflection

Early Christian writers highlighted these passages to illustrate the continuity between apostolic miracles and Jesus’ own works, reinforcing the reliability of eyewitness testimony. The medieval church often depicted the Acts 3 healing in art to symbolize the soul’s liberation from sin. Modern missions draw on the same narratives to emphasize holistic ministry—addressing body and soul alike.

Conclusion

Whether breaking the silence of a beggar’s lifelong paralysis or bubbling unseen within the heart of a new disciple, the action captured by Strong’s Greek 242 showcases the dynamic life of God bursting into human experience. Each occurrence invites the reader to recognize, rejoice in, and rely upon the risen Lord whose power still causes hearts—and sometimes bodies—to leap.

Forms and Transliterations
αλείται αλλομένοις αλλομενος αλλόμενος ἁλλόμενος αλλομενου αλλομένου ἁλλομένου αλλομένους ηλατο ήλατο ἥλατο ήλλετο ηλλόμην allomenos allomenou elato ēlato hallomenos hallómenos hallomenou halloménou helato hēlato hḗlato
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Englishman's Concordance
John 4:14 V-PPM/P-GNS
GRK: πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν
NAS: of water springing up to eternal
KJV: of water springing up into
INT: a spring of water springing up into life

Acts 3:8 V-PPM/P-NMS
GRK: περιπατῶν καὶ ἁλλόμενος καὶ αἰνῶν
NAS: with them, walking and leaping and praising
KJV: walking, and leaping, and praising
INT: walking and leaping and praising

Acts 14:10 V-AIM-3S
GRK: ὀρθός καὶ ἥλατο καὶ περιεπάτει
NAS: on your feet. And he leaped up and [began] to walk.
KJV: feet. And he leaped and walked.
INT: upright And he sprang up and walked

Strong's Greek 242
3 Occurrences


ἁλλόμενος — 1 Occ.
ἁλλομένου — 1 Occ.
ἥλατο — 1 Occ.

241
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