Bible Dictionary
RABBLE
A rabble is an unruly or lawless crowd, especially one ready to join a mob. In Acts, the term describes market-place loungers stirred up against Paul.
Definition
A rabble is an unruly or lawless crowd, especially a group ready to join a mob. The term describes people of disorderly or inferior character rather than an orderly assembly.
Biblical Usage
The Revised Version uses “rabble” in Acts 17:5 for a Greek word literally meaning a lounger in the marketplace. These market-place loungers were stirred up against Paul and joined a mob.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>rab'-l: This word is not found in the King James Version. the Revised Version (British and American) has it once as the translation of agoraios (literally, "lounger in the market place"), in Ac 17:5, where it replaces "baser sort" of the King James Version. It has the common meaning of an unruly, lawless set who are ready to join a mob.</p>