πληθύνω
to multiply
‘to multiply’ is one of 2 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Thayer's Greek Lexicon
From Thayer's Greek Lexicon
Where this word appears
See every Aorist-tense verb in the Greek New Testament →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Tense
- Aorist
- Action viewed as a simple whole, without regard to duration — often past (perfective aspect).
- Imperfect
- Continuous or repeated action in past time (“was writing”).
- Future
- Action expected in future time.
- Present
- Ongoing or general action in present time (imperfective aspect).
Voice
- Passive
- The subject receives the action.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
Mood
- Optative
- Expresses a wish or a remote possibility.
- Indicative
- States a fact or asks a factual question (the mood of reality).
- Infinitive
- A verbal noun (“to write”), unmarked for person or number.
- Participle
- A verbal adjective (“writing,” “having written”).
Case
- Genitive
- The case of source, possession, or “of” — answers “whose / from what.”
- Nominative
- The case of the subject (and the predicate nominative).
Person
- 3rd person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one.
Grammatical forms
- Verb, Aorist, Passive, Optative, 3rd person, Singular 3 times (25%)
- Verb, Imperfect, Passive, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular 3 times (25%)
- Verb, Aorist, Passive, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular 1 time (8%)
- Verb, Aorist, Passive, Infinitive 1 time (8%)
- Verb, Future, Active, Indicative, 1st person, Singular 1 time (8%)
- Verb, Future, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular 1 time (8%)
- Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Genitive, Plural, Masculine 1 time (8%)
- Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Nominative, Singular, Masculine 1 time (8%)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (Robinson–Tischendorf, public domain), counted across 12 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where G4129 appears — 11 distinct verses across 7 books. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Greek form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Greek New Testament; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences of this word are not indexed here.
Matthew 1 verse
Acts 5 verses
- Acts 6:1 πληθυνόντων pres act ptcp gen pl masc Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, a complaint arose from the Grecian Jews against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily service.
- Acts 6:7 ἐπληθύνετο impf pass ind 3sg The word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly. A great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
- Acts 7:17 ἐπληθύνθη aor pass ind 3sg "But as the time of the promise came close which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,
- Acts 9:31 ἐπληθύνετο impf pass ind 3sg So the assemblies throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, and were built up. They were multiplied, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 12:24 ἐπληθύνετο impf pass ind 3sg But the word of God grew and multiplied.
2 Corinthians 1 verse
Hebrews 1 verse
1 Peter 1 verse
2 Peter 1 verse
Jude 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
πληθυνω (plēthýnō) is a Greek verb most often rendered “to multiply.” Scripture first uses it in Matthew 24:12. It turns up in 11 verses across 7 books, an uncommon footprint. It concentrates in Acts, which alone accounts for 45% of its uses. Ranging over 2 senses, it is not a single-sense word. For the data behind this summary, explore the sense tree and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's G4129 catalogs a Greek word from the Greek New Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Greek New Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 11
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 11 distinct verses.
- 7 / 27
- NT books
- The word appears in 7 of 27 New Testament books.
- #904
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Greek words (rank 904 of 5,347 Greek words by occurrence).
View all 11 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Acts 5 verses 45%
- Matthew 1 verse 9%
- 2 Corinthians 1 verse 9%
By section of the New Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Some books belong to more than one corpus (Luke is in both the Gospels and the Lukan corpus, and so on), so these shares overlap and need not total 100%. Each figure is a share of the word’s 11 distinct verses.
- Lukan (Luke–Acts) 5 verses · 45%
- General (Catholic) Epistles 3 verses · 27%
- Gospels 1 verse · 9%
- Pauline corpus 1 verse · 9%
- Hebrews 1 verse · 9%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Be multiplied 3×, Multiplied 3×
- American Standard Version: Be multiplied 3×, Multiplied 3×
- Berean Standard Bible: Multiply 3×, Be multiplied 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Be multiplied 3×, Multiply 3×, May 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders G4129 across 13 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 7 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders G4129 across 12 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 6 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders G4129 across 11 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 6 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders G4129 across 15 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 7 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in Thayer's
The 2 senses Thayer's distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency or importance). The full entry — with sub-senses — is in the Lexicon Entry tab.
- to be increased, (be multiplied) multiply
- to be increased, to multiply
Word origin
Derived from πληθος (plēthos) (G4128) — multitude.
From another form of G4128 ; to increase (transitively or intransitively): - abound multiply.
— Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (1890), public domain.
Forms in the corpus
The 8 distinct written forms G4129 takes in the Greek New Testament, most frequent first — each parse links to that tense’s occurrences in the concordance.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| πληθυνθείη plēthyntheíē | Verb, Aorist, Passive, Optative, 3rd person, Singular | 1 Peter 1:2 | 3 |
| ἐπληθύνετο eplēthýneto | Verb, Imperfect, Passive, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular | Acts 6:7 | 3 |
| πληθυνεῖ plēthyneî | Verb, Future, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular | 2 Corinthians 9:10 | 1 |
| πληθυνθῆναι plēthynthē̂nai | Verb, Aorist, Passive, Infinitive | Matthew 24:12 | 1 |
| πληθυνόντων plēthynóntōn | Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Genitive, Plural, Masculine | Acts 6:1 | 1 |
| πληθυνῶ plēthynō̂ | Verb, Future, Active, Indicative, 1st person, Singular | Hebrews 6:14 | 1 |
| πληθύνων plēthýnōn | Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Nominative, Singular, Masculine | Hebrews 6:14 | 1 |
| ἐπληθύνθη eplēthýnthē | Verb, Aorist, Passive, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular | Acts 7:17 | 1 |
Septuagint usage
The same Greek word πληθυνω appears 161 times in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), across 148 verses in 29 books.
- 161
- LXX occurrences
- Tagged occurrences of this Greek word in the Septuagint.
- 148
- verses
- Distinct Septuagint verses containing this word.
- 29 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 29 of the 39 Old Testament books.
Sample Septuagint occurrences
- Genesis 1:22 πληθύνω
- Exodus 1:7 πληθύνω
- Leviticus 25:16 πληθύνω
- Numbers 33:54 πληθύνω
- Deuteronomy 1:10 πληθύνω
- Joshua 24:3 πληθύνω
- Judges 9:29 πληθύνω
- 1 Samuel 1:12 πληθύνω
- 2 Samuel 14:11 πληθύνω
- 1 Kings 2:35 πληθύνω
- 2 Kings 21:6 πληθύνω
- 1 Chronicles 4:10 πληθύνω
Septuagint occurrences (same lexeme)
Every verse where the same Strong’s number (G4129) appears in the Greek Septuagint — showing the first 50 of 148. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context; the Greek form is the matched word — the English is not keyword-highlighted.
- Genesis 1:22 πληθύνω God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."
- Genesis 1:28 πληθύνω God blessed them. God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
- Genesis 3:16 πληθύνω To the woman he said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
- Genesis 6:5 πληθύνω Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
- Genesis 7:17 πληθύνω The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth.
- Genesis 7:18 πληθύνω The waters prevailed, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the surface of the waters.
- Genesis 8:17 πληθύνω Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, cattle, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth."
- Genesis 9:1 πληθύνω God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
- Genesis 9:7 πληθύνω Be fruitful, and multiply. Bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it."
- Genesis 16:10 πληθύνω The angel of Yahweh said to her, "I will greatly multiply your seed, that they will not be numbered for multitude."
- Genesis 17:2 πληθύνω I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."
- Genesis 17:20 πληθύνω As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
- Genesis 18:20 πληθύνω Yahweh said, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous,
- Genesis 22:17 πληθύνω that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore. Your seed will possess the gate of his enemies.
- Genesis 26:4 πληθύνω I will multiply your seed as the stars of the sky, and will give to your seed all these lands. In your seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed,
- Genesis 26:24 πληθύνω Yahweh appeared to him the same night, and said, "I am the God of Abraham your father. Don't be afraid, for I am with you, and will bless you, and multiply your seed for my servant Abraham's sake."
- Genesis 28:3 πληθύνω May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples,
- Genesis 34:12 πληθύνω Ask me a great amount for a dowry, and I will give whatever you ask of me, but give me the young lady as a wife."
- Genesis 35:11 πληθύνω God said to him, "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your loins.
- Genesis 38:12 πληθύνω After many days, Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite.
- Genesis 47:27 πληθύνω Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got themselves possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.
- Genesis 48:4 πληθύνω and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful, and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your seed after you for an everlasting possession.'
- Genesis 48:16 πληθύνω the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads, and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. Let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."
- Exodus 1:7 πληθύνω The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
- Exodus 1:10 πληθύνω Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and escape out of the land."
- Exodus 1:20 πληθύνω God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
- Exodus 7:3 πληθύνω I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
- Exodus 11:9 πληθύνω Yahweh said to Moses, "Pharaoh won't listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt."
- Leviticus 25:16 πληθύνω According to the length of the years you shall increase the price of it, and according to the shortness of the years you shall diminish the price of it; for he is selling the number of the crops to you.
- Leviticus 26:9 πληθύνω "'I will have respect for you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and will establish my covenant with you.
- Numbers 33:54 πληθύνω You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the more you shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer you shall give the less inheritance: wherever the lot falls to any man, that shall be his; according to the tribes of your fathers shall you inherit.
- Deuteronomy 1:10 πληθύνω Yahweh your God has multiplied you, and, behold, you are this day as the stars of the sky for multitude.
- Deuteronomy 6:3 πληθύνω Hear therefore, Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with you, and that you may increase mightily, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised to you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
- Deuteronomy 7:13 πληθύνω and he will love you, and bless you, and multiply you; he will also bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the young of your flock, in the land which he swore to your fathers to give you.
- Deuteronomy 7:22 πληθύνω Yahweh your God will cast out those nations before you by little and little: you may not consume them at once, lest the animals of the field increase on you.
- Deuteronomy 8:13 πληθύνω and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied;
- Deuteronomy 13:18 πληθύνω when you shall listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, to keep all his commandments which I command you this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh your God.
- Deuteronomy 17:16 πληθύνω Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; because Yahweh has said to you, You shall henceforth return no more that way.
- Deuteronomy 17:17 πληθύνω Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart not turn away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
- Deuteronomy 28:11 πληθύνω Yahweh will make you plenteous for good, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give you.
- Deuteronomy 28:63 πληθύνω It shall happen that as Yahweh rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you, so Yahweh will rejoice over you to cause you to perish, and to destroy you; and you shall be plucked from off the land where you go in to possess it.
- Joshua 24:3 πληθύνω I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
- Judges 9:29 πληθύνω Would that this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. He said to Abimelech, Increase your army, and come out.
- Judges 16:24 πληθύνω When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, Our god has delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, who has slain many of us.
- 1 Samuel 1:12 πληθύνω It happened, as she continued praying before Yahweh, that Eli marked her mouth.
- 1 Samuel 7:2 πληθύνω It happened, from the day that the ark abode in Kiriath Jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after Yahweh.
- 1 Samuel 14:19 πληθύνω It happened, while Saul talked to the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said to the priest, Withdraw your hand.
- 1 Samuel 25:10 πληθύνω Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants now-a-days who break away every man from his master.
- 2 Samuel 14:11 πληθύνω Then said she, Please let the king remember Yahweh your God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son. He said, As Yahweh lives, there shall not one hair of your son fall to the earth.
- 2 Samuel 22:36 πληθύνω You have also given me the shield of your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great.
These are occurrences of the same Greek lexeme (G4129) in the Septuagint — not a translation of any one Hebrew word. The store carries no word-level Hebrew↔Greek alignment, so no Hebrew original is asserted here. Counts come from the recovered LXX Strong's tagging — high-frequency vocabulary is well covered, while rare or late forms may be untagged — so they reflect tagged occurrences and may slightly undercount.
