Original Word: πλούσιος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: plousios
Pronunciation: PLOO-see-os
Phonetic Spelling: (ploo'-see-os)
KJV: rich
NASB: rich, rich man, people, rich man's, rich people
Word Origin: [from G4149 (πλοῦτος - riches)]

1. wealthy
2. (figuratively) abounding with

rich.

From ploutos; wealthy; figuratively, abounding with -- rich.

see GREEK ploutos

4145 ploúsios (an adjective, derived from 4149 /ploútos, "abundance") – properly, fully resourced; rich (filled), by having God's "muchness" – i.e. His abundance that comes from receiving His provisions (material and spiritual riches) through faith (4102 /pístis).

[The NAS dictionary and R. Winter's English Greek Concordance view the root of 4145 (ploúsios) to be 4130 /plḗthō ("filled, full") – but DNTT prefers polys ("many in number" which is more likely).

In either event, the Bible joins both ideas ("fullness," "riches") as one conceptual (and likely lexical) unit.]

Word Origin
from ploutos
Definition
wealthy
NASB Translation
people (1), rich (19), rich man (7), rich man's (1), rich people (1).

STRONGS NT 4145: πλούσιος

πλούσιος, πλουσία, πλούσιον (πλοῦτος), from Hesiod, Works, 22 down, the Sept. for עָשִׁיר, rich;

a. properly, wealthy, abounding in material resources: Matthew 27:57; Luke 12:16; Luke 14:12; Luke 16:1, 19; Luke 18:23; Luke 19:2; ὁ πλούσιος, substantively, Luke 16:21, 22; James 1:10, 11; οἱ πλούσιοι, Luke 6:24; Luke 21:1; 1 Timothy 6:17; James 2:6; James 5:1; Revelation 6:15; Revelation 13:16; πλούσιος, without the article, a rich man, Matthew 19:23, 24; Mark 10:25; Mark 12:41; Luke 18:25.

b. metaphorically and universally, abounding, abundantly supplied: followed by ἐν with a dative of the thing in which one abounds (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 30, 8 b. note), ἐν ἐληι, Ephesians 2:4; ἐν πίστει, James 2:5; absolutely, abounding (rich) in Christian virtues and eternal possessions, Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:17, on which see Düsterdieck. ἐπτώχευσε πλούσιος ὤν, of Christ, 'although as the ἄσαρκος λόγος he formerly abounded in the riches of a heavenly condition, by assuming human nature he entered into a state of (earthly) poverty,' 2 Corinthians 8:9.

Core Idea

Strong’s Greek 4145, plousios, designates one who possesses material abundance. In Scripture the term functions as a spiritual diagnostic: revealing the heart, challenging priorities, and contrasting earthly wealth with the surpassing riches of God’s grace.

Distribution in the New Testament

Plousios (and its inflected forms) appears twenty-eight times, concentrated in the Synoptic Gospels (especially Luke), with additional occurrences in Paul, James, and Revelation. The pattern is deliberate: the Gospels expose the peril of riches, Acts is silent as the church shares resources, the Epistles instruct affluent believers, and Revelation unmasks the emptiness of worldly affluence.

Old Testament Backdrop

The Greek term parallels Hebrew ’ashîr, often describing covenant blessing (Genesis 13:2) yet also warning of pride (Deuteronomy 8:13-14). Prophets indict the rich who exploit the poor (Isaiah 3:14-15; Amos 4:1). This dual note—gift and danger—echoes through the New Testament usage of plousios.

Key Uses in the Gospels

• Stewardship Observed: Mark 12:41 and Luke 21:1 contrast “many rich people” giving from surplus with the widow’s all, exposing motives more than amounts.
• Kingdom Barrier: In Matthew 19:23-24; Mark 10:25; Luke 18:25 Jesus states, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Wealth tends to foster self-reliance incompatible with childlike faith.
• Woe and Warning: Luke 6:24 proclaims, “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.” The present enjoyment can dull hunger for the coming kingdom.
• Parabolic Exposure: The rich fool (Luke 12:16-21) stores up treasures yet faces sudden death; the rich man in Luke 16:19-31 neglects Lazarus and awakens in torment. Both narratives show that affluence without mercy invites divine reversal.
• Exceptions of Faithful Wealth: Luke highlights Zacchaeus “a chief tax collector and a rich man” (Luke 19:2) whose immediate restitution evidences genuine conversion. Matthew 27:57 identifies “a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph,” who honors Jesus at great personal cost. Riches are not condemned per se; their stewardship is.

Pauline Perspectives

• Christ’s Redemptive Exchange: “Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that through His poverty you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Material terminology communicates spiritual wealth gained through the Incarnation and Cross.
• Divine Resources: “God, who is rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4) redefines riches as covenantal compassion.
• Pastoral Charge: “Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of riches, but in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). The apostle neither ostracizes nor flatters the wealthy; he redirects their trust and calls them to generosity (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

The Letter of James

James confronts socioeconomic injustice with prophetic intensity.
• False Security: “Let the rich man boast in his humiliation” (James 1:10), for earthly beauty fades.
• Courtroom Partiality: James 2:6 exposes congregational flattery toward the rich who oppress.
• Eschatological Lament: “Come now, you rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you” (James 5:1). Hoarded wealth corrodes, wages cry out, and the Lord of Hosts hears.

Apocalyptic Exposure in Revelation

Revelation strips riches of pretension:
• Revelation 2:9 contrasts the material poverty yet spiritual wealth of Smyrna.
• Revelation 3:17 rebukes Laodicea’s boast, “I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing,” revealing spiritual destitution.
• End-time leveling: “The kings of the earth, the nobles, the military commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves” (Revelation 6:15). Affluence offers no refuge from the Lamb’s wrath.
• Global economics of idolatry: Revelation 13:16 places rich and poor alike under the beast’s economic control, underscoring the futility of wealth apart from loyalty to Christ.

Historical and Cultural Setting

First-century wealth resided with landowners, merchants, and tax contractors. Patron-client norms fostered dependence and favoritism. Jesus and the apostles ministered in an environment where about ten percent controlled nearly everything, making their words on riches intensely practical and often countercultural.

Theological Themes

1. Stewardship vs. Ownership: God remains the ultimate proprietor; humans manage for His glory.
2. Wealth as Test: Material abundance reveals allegiance—either devotion to God or to mammon (Matthew 6:24).
3. Eschatological Reversal: Present wealth can invert at judgment; the poor in spirit inherit the kingdom.
4. Spiritual Riches in Christ: True wealth is the grace, mercy, and glory found in union with the risen Lord.

Ethical and Pastoral Implications

• Generosity: Rich believers are called to meet needs, imitate Christ’s self-giving, and “store up treasure as a firm foundation for the coming age” (1 Timothy 6:19).
• Humility: Wealth must not inflate self-worth; James 1:10 urges the rich to glory in low position.
• Justice: Hoarding wages (James 5:4) and neglecting the poor (Luke 16:20-21) violate covenant ethics.
• Contentment: Contentment safeguards against the snare of riches (1 Timothy 6:6-10).

Christological Significance

Jesus models voluntary poverty, redefining greatness through service. His burial by Joseph of Arimathea shows that wealth submitted to the Messiah advances redemptive purposes.

Eschatological Orientation

The Day of the Lord will expose every portfolio. Revelation’s visions call believers to hold possessions loosely, invest in incorruptible treasure, and anticipate the New Jerusalem where the streets themselves are gold—rendering earthly bullion mere pavement.

Application for the Contemporary Church

• Teach holistic discipleship that integrates finances with faith.
• Cultivate communities where rich and poor worship side by side without partiality.
• Leverage resources for mission, mercy, and justice.
• Nurture habits of gratitude, simplicity, and sacrificial giving, bearing witness that Christ—not capital—is Lord.

Summary

Plousios illuminates the tension between temporal affluence and eternal values. Scripture neither idolizes nor demonizes wealth; it summons the rich to humility, generosity, and dependence on God while assuring all believers of immeasurable spiritual riches in Christ.

πλουσία πλούσιαι πλουσιοι πλούσιοι πλουσιοις πλουσίοις πλουσιον πλούσιον πλουσιος πλούσιος Πλούσιός πλουσιου πλουσίου πλουσιους πλουσίους πλουσίω πλουσίων plousioi ploúsioi plousiois plousíois plousion ploúsion plousios ploúsios Ploúsiós plousiou plousíou plousious plousíousInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts