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διαλαλέω

dialaléō

G1255 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To speak or converse throughout a group; specifically, to communicate by talking among several people, to exchange words, or in some contexts, to broadcast or spread information throughout a community. The primary meaning is active verbal exchange occurring among multiple people, but can also extend to disseminating or making something known more broadly within a group.

Semantic Range

to converse among; to communicate throughout a group; to spread (news, information) by word of mouth; to report widely; to exchange spoken information

Root / Etymology

From the preposition διά (through, across, by means of) and the verb λαλέω (to speak, to talk). The compound expresses the sense of speech moving through or among people.

Historical & Contextual Notes

διαλαλέω is a late and rare Koine verb, not attested in classical Greek literature. In the New Testament (e.g., Luke 2:17), it describes the act of spreading news throughout a group, stressing both the exchange and the diffusion of spoken information among listeners. The nuance can include both ordinary conversation and more intentional dissemination of news or reports. English translations like 'noise abroad' or 'spread the story' can capture the sense of broadcasting information, but may not emphasize the dialogic element of the term, where communication passes among, rather than simply outward from, individuals. The verb has a stronger sense of mutual or communal sharing of information than simple speaking or proclaiming (κηρύσσω). It is confined to the Hellenistic and Roman periods and is not found in earlier Greek texts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from διά and λαλέω; to talk throughout a company, i.e. converse or (genitive case) publish:--commune, noise abroad.

Root Family

διαλαλέω (dialaleō) — to speak throughout, to converse among, to spread by speaking, to broadcast by word of mouth

Root δια- + λαλ- to speak, to talk, to converse, to broadcast

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1255-02 διελάλουν dielaloun V IMPF ACT IND 3P PL discussed they were speaking among they were conversing 1
G1255-01 διελαλεῖτο dielaleito V IMPF PASS IND 3P SG were talked about was being spoken about throughout it was being talked about throughout 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1255-01 Luke 1:65 διελαλεῖτο dielaleito V IMPF PASS IND 3P SG were talked about was being spoken about throughout it was being talked about throughout
G1255-02 Luke 6:11 διελάλουν dielaloun V IMPF ACT IND 3P PL discussed they were speaking among they were conversing
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