Original Word: πλεονάζω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: pleonazó
Pronunciation: pleh-on-AD-zo
Phonetic Spelling: (pleh-on-ad'-zo)
KJV: abound, abundant, make to increase, have over
NASB: increase, grows greater, have too much, increased, increases, increasing, spreading
Word Origin: [from G4119 (πλείων - More)]

1. to do, make or be more, i.e. increase (transitively or intransitively)
2. (by extension) to superabound

abound, abundant, make to increase

From pleion; to do, make or be more, i.e. Increase (transitively or intransitively); by extension, to superabound -- abound, abundant, make to increase, have over.

see GREEK pleion

4121 pleonázō (from 4119 /pleíōn, "greater in number") – properly, abounding in number (quantity).

Word Origin
from the cptv. of polus
Definition
to superabound, to make to abound
NASB Translation
cause* (1), grows...greater (1), have too much (1), increase (3), increased (1), increases (1), increasing (1), spreading (1).

STRONGS NT 4121: πλεονάζω

πλεονάζω; 1 aorist ἐπλεόνασα; (πλέον); the Sept. for עָדַף, and רָבָה;

1. intransitive: used of one possessing, to superabound (A. V. to have over), 2 Corinthians 8:15. of things, to exist in abundance (R. V. be multiplied), 2 Corinthians 4:15; to increase, be augmented, Romans 5:20; Romans 6:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Philippians 4:17; 2 Peter 1:8.

2. transitive, to make to increase: τινα τίνι, one in a thing, 1 Thessalonians 3:12; for הִרְבָּה, Numbers 26:54; Psalm 70:21 (); add 1 Macc. 4:35. By secular writings ((from Hippocrates on)) in various other senses. (Compare: ὑπερπλεονάζω.)

Overview

The verb translated “to abound” or “to increase” conveys a movement from sufficiency to overflowing surplus. Scripture employs it to describe both the multiplication of sin and, more triumphantly, the super-abounding of grace, faith, love, thanksgiving, fruit, and virtue. In every instance the word underscores God’s intention that what begins in His people should not remain static but should grow past ordinary limits.

Key New Testament Occurrences

• Romans 5:20; 6:1 – sin increases, yet grace surpasses it
• 2 Corinthians 4:15 – grace spreads so that thanksgiving overflows
• 2 Corinthians 8:15 – no one has excess or lack when God distributes provision
• 1 Thessalonians 3:12 – love is to “increase and overflow” among believers
• 2 Thessalonians 1:3 – faith “grows more and more,” love “is increasing”
• Philippians 4:17 – Paul seeks fruit that “may be credited” (growing interest) to the church’s account
• 2 Peter 1:8 – possessing and “increasing” in virtue keeps believers from unfruitfulness

Negative and Positive Increase

Romans 5–6 sets the interpretive baseline. Law exposes sin so that transgression “might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20). The same verb serves both clauses, framing salvation history as a contest that grace decisively wins. When Paul asks, “Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase?” (Romans 6:1), the answer is an emphatic “By no means!” Growth is desirable, but the object of growth must be godly.

Old Testament Echo: Manna and Provision

Quoting Exodus 16:18, Paul remarks, “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack” (2 Corinthians 8:15). Israel’s daily manna illustrates that divine increase is never hoarding but equitable supply. In Christian giving, abundance is measured not by accumulation but by shared sufficiency.

Abounding Grace and Thanksgiving

“Grace… spreading to more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:15). Here increase moves from grace to gratitude to glory, tracing a progression: God bestows, the church receives, the world hears, God is praised. Evangelism and doxology merge where grace multiplies.

Spiritual Growth within the Church

Paul prays, “May the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another” (1 Thessalonians 3:12). The Thessalonian letters portray an assembly whose faith and love visibly expand. Such corporate growth authenticates the gospel before a watching world.

Stewardship and Eternal Dividend

“Not that I am seeking a gift, but I am looking for fruit that may be credited to your account” (Philippians 4:17). The vocabulary of financial gain pictures a heavenly ledger where acts of generosity compound. What is given on earth accrues eternal interest.

Virtue that Keeps on Growing

“For if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive” (2 Peter 1:8). Spiritual disciplines are not static checklists; they are seeds designed to multiply, guarding believers from barren profession.

Historical Reception

Early church writers seized upon the term to defend the certainty of sanctification. Chrysostom highlights Romans 5:20 to assure penitents that grace always outruns sin. Augustine leans on the same text against Pelagian minimalism, arguing that grace not only forgives but furnishes power for holy living.

Doctrinal Implications

1. Total Depravity is not the final word; super-abounding grace secures redemption.
2. Progressive Sanctification is normative; love, faith, and virtue are expected to increase.
3. Corporate Solidarity in giving and thanksgiving manifests divine abundance to the world.

Pastoral Applications

• Encourage believers to track evidences of growing love and faith, not merely avoidance of sin.
• Teach stewardship as participation in God’s economy of multiplication.
• Confront complacency: stagnation contradicts the gospel’s intrinsic momentum.
• Offer hope to the repentant: no surplus of sin can exhaust the surplus of grace.

Conclusion

Wherever this verb appears, the pattern is clear: God designs life in Christ to expand—grace outpacing guilt, generosity outpacing need, and holiness outpacing former habits. His people therefore live expectantly, confident that whatever He plants He means to make abound.

επλεόνασαν επλεόνασας επλεόνασε επλεονασεν επλεόνασεν ἐπλεόνασεν πλεοναζει πλεονάζει πλεονάζον πλεοναζοντα πλεονάζοντα πλεονάζοντες πλεοναζόντων πλεονάζοντων πλεοναζούση πλεοναζούσης πλεονάκις πλεονασαι πλεονάσαι πλεονασασα πλεονάσασα πλεονάσεις πλεοναση πλεονάση πλεονάσῃ πλεόνασμα πλεονασμόν πλεονασμώ πλεονασμών πλεοναστόν πλεονάσω epleonasen epleónasen pleonasai pleonásai pleonasasa pleonásasa pleonase pleonasē pleonásei pleonásēi pleonazei pleonázei pleonazonta pleonázontaInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts