G4052 — περισσεύω (perisseuo)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4052
Original: περισσεύω
Transliteration: perisseuo
Pronunciation: per-is-syoo'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: περισσός (perissos, G4053) — superabundant, beyond measure
Occurrences: 35 unique verses (41 tokens) across 12 books
First Occurrence: Mat 5:20 — "except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G4053; to superabound (in quantity or quality), be in excess, be superfluous; also (transitively) to cause to superabound or excel.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 59.006: Abundance, Excess, Sparing
Domain 57.002: Have Sufficient
Domain 78.002: More Than, Less Than (Comparative Degree)
Other words in 59.006: ἁδρότης (G100), ἐκχέω (G1632), εὐλογία (G2129), περισσεία (G4050), περίσσευμα (G4051), περισσός (G4053), πλεονάζω (G4121), πλούσιος (G4145), πλουσίως (G4146)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
abound / may abound / abounding / abounded / aboundeth / to abound / how to abound / ye abound / ye would abound / hath abounded / hath more abounded / he hath abounded	19	54.3%
abundance / he shall have abundance / he shall have more abundance	5	14.3%
remained / remained over and above / remain / was left	4	11.4%
exceed / shall exceed	2	5.7%
increased	1	2.9%
enough and to spare	1	2.9%
redound	1	2.9%
ye may excel	1	2.9%
is abundant / may be more abundant	2	5.7%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Corinthians	7	2.7
Philippians	4	—
Matthew	5	0.5
Luke	4	0.3
1 Thessalonians	3	3.4
Romans	3	0.7
1 Corinthians	3	0.7
John	2	0.2
Colossians	1	1.1
Ephesians	1	0.6
Mark	1	0.1
Acts	1	0.1

Pauline concentration: 23 of 35 verses (66%) are in Paul's letters, with 2 Corinthians as the densest book. The Gospels account for 12 occurrences, mostly in concrete "leftover" contexts. Absent from Hebrews, the Pastorals, the General Epistles, and Revelation.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Surpassing or Exceeding a Standard¶

Mat 5:20 — "except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees"
2 Cor 3:9 — "much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory"

2. Grace and Spiritual Gifts Superabounding¶

Rom 5:15 — "much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace... hath abounded unto many"
2 Cor 9:8 — "God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work"
Eph 1:8 — "Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence"
2 Cor 4:15 — "the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God"

3. Believers Abounding in Virtues and Work¶

1 Cor 15:58 — "always abounding in the work of the Lord"
Phil 1:9 — "this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more"
1 Thes 3:12 — "the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another"
Col 2:7 — "stablished in the faith... abounding therein with thanksgiving"
2 Cor 8:7 — "as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge"

4. Material Surplus — Leftover Fragments¶

Mat 14:20 — "they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full"
Mat 15:37 — "they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full"
Luk 9:17 — "there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets"
Jhn 6:12 — "Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost"

5. Having More Than Enough / Personal Contentment¶

Phil 4:12 — "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound... both to abound and to suffer need"
Phil 4:18 — "I have all, and abound: I am full"
Luk 15:17 — "How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare"

6. Increase in Number or Growth¶

Act 16:5 — "the churches... increased in number daily"
Mat 13:12 — "to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance"
1 Thes 4:1 — "as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk... that ye would abound more and more"

7. Sin or Truth Abounding (Abstract Quantity)¶

Rom 3:7 — "the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie"
2 Cor 1:5 — "as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth"
2 Cor 8:2 — "the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality"

Morphological Profile¶

Form	Count	Example
Present Active	22 (56%)	περισσεύει (2 Cor 1:5), περισσεύειν (Luk 12:15)
Aorist Active	13 (33%)	ἐπερίσσευσεν (Rom 5:15), περισσεύσῃ (Mat 5:20)
Future Passive	2 (5%)	περισσευθήσεται (Mat 13:12, 25:29)
Present Middle	1 (3%)	περισσεύονται (Luk 15:17)
Aorist Optative	1 (3%)	περισσεύσαι (1 Thes 3:12)

The overwhelmingly active voice reflects the word's sense of dynamic overflow. The two future passives (Mat 13:12, 25:29) express divine bestowal: abundance "shall be given" to the one who has. The rare optative (1 Thes 3:12) is a prayer-wish: "may the Lord make you abound."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	15x (43%)	"all grace abound," "abound in every/all things"
θεός (theos)	G2316	10x (29%)	God as source/agent of the abounding
κλάσμα (klasma)	G2801	5x (14%)	"fragments that remained" (feeding miracles)
μᾶλλον (mallon)	G3123	5x (14%)	"abound more and more," comparative intensification
χάρις (charis)	G5485	4x (11%)	"grace abound" (Rom 5:15; 2 Cor 4:15; 9:8)
πολύς (polys)	G4183	4x (11%)	"much more abound," quantity emphasis
χορτάζω (chortazo)	G5526	4x (11%)	"filled... and [fragments] remained" (feeding miracles)
ἀγάπη (agape)	G26	3x (9%)	"love may abound" (Phil 1:9; 1 Thes 3:12)
εὐχαριστία (eucharistia)	G2169	3x (9%)	thanksgiving as response to or conduit for abounding
δόξα (doxa)	G1391	3x (9%)	abounding "to the glory of God"

Word Family / Cognates¶

G4053 περισσός (perissos) — adjective: superabundant, more, exceeding (14v)
G4050 περισσεία (perisseia) — noun: surplusage, superabundance (4v)
G4051 περίσσευμα (perisseuma) — noun: surplus, leftover abundance (4v)
G4055 περισσότερος (perissoteros) — comparative adjective: more abundant
G4056 περισσοτέρως (perissoteros) — adverb: more abundantly
G4057 περισσῶς (perissos) — adverb: exceedingly

Synonyms¶

G4121 πλεονάζω (pleonazo) — to do/be more, increase (8v). Overlaps in "abound" sense; both appear together in 2 Cor 4:15 and 1 Thes 3:12. Pleonazo often emphasizes growth or multiplication; perisseuo emphasizes overflowing beyond what is needed.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
πλεονάζω (pleonazo)	G4121	"abound"	pleonazo = increase/multiply; perisseuo = overflow beyond sufficiency
περίσσευμα (perisseuma)	G4051	"abundance"	perisseuma = the surplus itself (noun); perisseuo = the action of overflowing
περισσεία (perisseia)	G4050	"abundance"	perisseia = abstract surplus state; perisseuo = verbal, dynamic overflowing
ὑπερβολή (hyperbole)	G5236	"abundance" (1x)	hyperbole = a throwing beyond, extremity; perisseuo = overflow from fullness

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 59.006)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Verses	Primary KJV
G100	ἁδρότης (hadrotes)	1	abundance
G1632	ἐκχέω (ekcheo)	13	poured out, is shed
G2129	εὐλογία (eulogia)	9	blessing
G4050	περισσεία (perisseia)	4	abundance
G4051	περίσσευμα (perisseuma)	4	abundance, that was left
G4053	περισσός (perissos)	14	more, more abundant
G4121	πλεονάζω (pleonazo)	8	abound
G4145	πλούσιος (plousios)	18	rich
G4146	πλουσίως (plousios)	4	abundantly, richly
G4147	πλουτέω (plouteo)	4	were made rich

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI
כֹּל (kol)	H3605	3	2.45

No dominant Hebrew equivalent exists via the LXX. The word is characteristically Greek NT vocabulary.