Word Study for G4129 (πληθύνω)

plēthýnō /play-thoo'-no/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom another form of πλῆθος

Meaningto increase (transitively or intransitively)

KJV usageabound, multiply.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of plēthýnō — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word plēthýnō, represented by G4129, is defined as to increase or multiply. It is used both transitively and intransitively to describe a state of increase or abundance. This term appears 13 times across 11 unique verses in the Bible, signifying its role in describing growth, both positive and negative.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, G4129 is frequently used in the book of Acts to chronicle the expansion of the early church. It describes the number of disciples being multiplied (Acts 6:1, Acts 6:7) and the church itself being multiplied Acts 9:31. The word is also used to quote God's promise to Abraham, "multiplying I will multiply thee" Hebrews 6:14. Beyond numerical increase, it is used in apostolic greetings to wish for spiritual blessings, that grace, peace, and love "be multiplied" unto the believers (1 Peter 1:2, 2 Peter 1:2, Jude 1:2). In a contrasting context, Jesus uses the term to warn that in the last days, "iniquity shall abound" Matthew 24:12.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide a fuller context for the concept of increase and blessing:

G837 auxánō: a verb meaning to grow or enlarge. It is often used alongside G4129 to emphasize the dynamic growth of the Word of God, which "grew and multiplied" Acts 12:24, and to describe the increase of the fruits of righteousness 2 Corinthians 9:10.
G5485 cháris: which means graciousness or grace. This divine favor is something that the apostles pray would be multiplied in the lives of believers 1 Peter 1:2.
G1515 eirḗnē: meaning peace or rest. This is another key blessing that is wished to be multiplied for the saints, often in conjunction with grace 2 Peter 1:2.
G2127 eulogéō: meaning to bless or speak well of. It is directly paired with G4129 in the promise to Abraham: "blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee" Hebrews 6:14.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of G4129 is seen in its application to God's work and purposes.

Church Growth: The term is a key indicator of the Holy Spirit's work in the early church, chronicling the rapid and supernatural multiplication of disciples and the spread of the Word (Acts 6:7, Acts 12:24).
Spiritual Abundance: In the epistles, it elevates the concept of growth from the physical to the spiritual, forming a core part of apostolic prayers for an increase in grace, peace, and love for God's people (1 Peter 1:2, Jude 1:2).
Covenant Faithfulness: The word reinforces the theme of God's faithfulness to His covenant promises, particularly the one made to Abraham to multiply his descendants (Acts 7:17, Hebrews 6:14).
Prophetic Warning: Its use in Matthew 24:12 serves as a sober warning that the principle of multiplication also applies to evil, where the abounding of iniquity marks the end times.

Summary

In summary, G4129 is a powerful word that captures the concept of significant increase. It is used to describe the numerical growth of God's people, the spread of His Word, the abundance of spiritual blessings, and the escalation of lawlessness. The term illustrates a biblical principle that what is sown, whether righteousness or iniquity, is intended to multiply greatly.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 12 occurrences, inflected in 8 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Aorist Passive Optative 3rd Singular 3×
Imperfect Passive Indicative 3rd Singular 3×
Aorist Passive Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
Aorist Passive Infinitive 1×
Future Active Indicative 1st Singular 1×
Future Active Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
Present Active Participle Genitive Plural Masculine 1×
Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Genitive: Possession or source — often "of".
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Future: Action yet to take place.
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Passive: The subject is acted upon.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Optative: A wish or prayer — rare in the New Testament.
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 11 verses across 7 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Acts (5 verses); never once in the other 20.

Matthew

Acts

2 Corinthians

Hebrews

1 Peter

2 Peter

Jude

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.