G4121 — πλεονάζω (pleonazo)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4121
Original: πλεονάζω
Transliteration: pleonazo
Pronunciation: pleh-on-ad'-zo
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: From πλείων (pleion, G4119) — "more" (comparative of πολύς polus G4183 "much/many")
Occurrences: 9 tokens in 8 unique verses across 6 books
First Occurrence: Rom 5:20 — "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G4119 (pleion); to do, make, or be more, i.e. increase (transitively or intransitively); to be in excess, to abound.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 59.006: Abundance, Excess, Sparing
Domain 59.007: Increase, Decrease
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), περισσεύω (G4052), περισσός (G4053), πλούσιος (G4145), πλουσίως (G4146)
Other words in 59.007: αὐξάνω (G837), διπλόω (G1363), ἐπισωρεύω (G2002), κολλάω (G2853), κολοβόω (G2856), πληθύνω (G4129), προκόπτω (G4298)

Domain Neighbors (059.006 — Abundance, Excess, Sparing)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G100	ἁδρότης	1	abundance
G1632	ἐκχέω	13	poured out, is shed
G2129	εὐλογία	9	blessing
G4050	περισσεία	4	abundance, abundantly
G4051	περίσσευμα	4	abundance, that was left
G4052	περισσεύω	35	abound, abundance
G4053	περισσός	14	more, more abundant
G4145	πλούσιος	18	rich
G4146	πλουσίως	4	abundantly, richly
G4147	πλουτέω	4	were made rich

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
abound / may abound / might abound	4	36%
abounded	1	9%
aboundeth	1	9%
abundant	1	9%
had ... over	1	9%
make ... to increase	1	9%
that may abound	1	9%
to increase	1	9%

Every translation revolves around two senses: "abound/be abundant" and "increase/multiply." No translation diverges from the core quantity concept.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Thessalonians	1	2.1
2 Peter	1	1.6
1 Thessalonians	1	1.1
2 Corinthians	2	0.8
Romans	2	0.5
Philippians	1	—

Exclusively Pauline and Petrine. Romans contains the theologically defining occurrences (5:20; 6:1). Absent from the Gospels, Acts, Hebrews, Revelation, and the Johannine corpus.

Morphological Profile¶

Parsing	Count	Forms	Example
Aorist Active Subjunctive 3S	2	πλεονάσῃ	Rom 5:20a, 6:1
Aorist Active Indicative 3S	2	ἐπλεόνασεν	Rom 5:20b, 2 Cor 8:15
Aorist Active Participle NSF	1	πλεονάσασα	2 Cor 4:15
Aorist Active Optative 3S	1	πλεονάσαι	1 Thes 3:12
Present Active Participle ASM	1	πλεονάζοντα	Phil 4:17
Present Active Indicative 3S	1	πλεονάζει	2 Thes 1:3
Present Active Participle NPN	1	πλεονάζοντα	2 Pet 1:8

Aorist dominates (6/9 = 67%), presenting the increase as a decisive event or completed action. The present forms (3/9) describe ongoing or progressive growth (faith growing, fruit accruing, virtues being present). Exclusively active voice — the subject does the abounding or is caused to abound.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Sin Multiplying — The Offense Escalating¶

Rom 5:20a — "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound (pleonase)"
Rom 6:1 — "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound (pleonase)?"

The law's function is to make transgression multiply — not creating sin but exposing and multiplying its manifestation. In 6:1 the same verb frames the rhetorical objection: if sin's increase triggers grace's overflow, why not sin deliberately? Paul's aorist subjunctive marks a hypothetical scenario, not an endorsement.

2. Grace Multiplying Through Thanksgiving¶

2 Cor 4:15 — "For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace (he charis pleonasasa) might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God"

Grace is the subject — having abounded (aorist participle), it produces thanksgiving as its effect. The chain runs: suffering → grace multiplied → thanksgiving multiplied → glory to God.

3. Material Surplus — Manna Provision¶

2 Cor 8:15 — "He that had gathered much had nothing over (ouk epleonasen); and he that had gathered little had no lack"

Paul quotes Exod 16:18 (LXX uses pleonazo). The verb here means "have surplus/excess" — literal material overflow. This is the only concrete (non-abstract) usage, grounding the word's quantity sense.

4. Growth in Love and Virtue¶

1 Thes 3:12 — "And the Lord make you to increase (pleonasai) and abound (perisseusai) in love one toward another, and toward all men"
2 Thes 1:3 — "your faith groweth exceedingly ... and the love of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth (pleonazei)"
2 Pet 1:8 — "For if these things be in you, and abound (pleonazonta), they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful"

In the Thessalonian pair, pleonazo appears as a prayer-wish (optative) and then as a fulfilled reality (present indicative). In 2 Peter, the present participle describes ongoing multiplication of virtues (faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, love — v. 5-7).

5. Fruit Accruing to Account¶

Phil 4:17 — "Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound (pleonazonta) to your account"

Present participle — fruit continuously multiplying (accruing) to the Philippians' spiritual credit. The commercial metaphor (eis logon, "to your account") treats spiritual benefit as accumulating interest.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
χάρις (charis)	G5485	3x (38%)	Grace as the subject that abounds (Rom 5:20; 6:1; 2 Cor 4:15)
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	3x (38%)	"all things," "all men," "toward all" — universal scope
ἀγάπη (agape)	G26	2x (25%)	"abound in love" (1 Thes 3:12; 2 Thes 1:3)
ἀλλήλων (allelon)	G240	2x (25%)	"toward one another" — mutual, communal direction
ἁμαρτία (hamartia)	G266	2x (25%)	Sin as the subject that abounds (Rom 5:20; 6:1)
κύριος (kyrios)	G2962	2x (25%)	The Lord as agent causing the increase
περισσεύω (perisseuo)	G4052	2x (25%)	Paired synonym: "increase and abound" (1 Thes 3:12); grace-sin escalation (Rom 5:20)

Word Family / Cognates¶

G4119 πλείων (pleion) — comparative adjective: more (in quantity, number, quality); 56v
G4183 πολύς (polus) — adjective: much, many, great; 365v — ultimate root word
G5250 ὑπερπλεονάζω (huperpleonazo) — to superabound (ὑπέρ + πλεονάζω); hapax at 1 Tim 1:14
G4123 πλεονεξία (pleonexia) — greediness, covetousness (the negative side of "wanting more"); 10v
G4122 πλεονεκτέω (pleonekteo) — to take advantage of, defraud; 5v

Synonyms¶

G4052 περισσεύω (perisseuo) — to superabound, overflow beyond sufficiency (35v). The most common NT "abound" verb. Both appear together in 1 Thes 3:12 ("increase [pleonazo] and abound [perisseuo]"). Pleonazo emphasizes growth/multiplication in quantity; perisseuo emphasizes overflow beyond what is needed.
G4129 πληθύνω (plethuno) — to multiply, increase in number (12v). More numerical than pleonazo; used for population growth (Acts 6:1, 7:17) and for grace/peace formulas (1 Pet 1:2; 2 Pet 1:2; Jude 1:2).
G837 αὐξάνω (auxano) — to grow, increase (23v). Organic growth metaphor; used for plant growth, body growth, and spiritual maturation. More gradual than pleonazo's decisive multiplication.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
περισσεύω (perisseuo)	G4052	"abound" (19v vs 4v)	perisseuo = overflow beyond sufficiency; pleonazo = multiply in quantity
ὑπερπερισσεύω (huperperisseuo)	G5248	"abound much more"	huper-compound of perisseuo; used for grace over sin in Rom 5:20b
πληθύνω (plethuno)	G4129	"abound" (1v), "multiply"	plethuno = numerical multiplication; pleonazo = more general increase

In the sin-grace escalation of Rom 5:20, Paul uses pleonazo for sin's multiplication ("the offence might abound"), then switches to the intensified huperperisseuo for grace's response ("grace did much more abound"). This verb selection establishes that grace does not merely match sin's increase — it surpasses it with a different, higher-order verb.

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
עֲדַף (adaph)	H5736	6	9.81	"to be redundant, have surplus" — strongest alignment
רָבָה (rabah)	H7235	8	5.49	"to increase, multiply" — broadest Hebrew equivalent
מָעַט (maat)	H4591	3	7.41	"to be few, diminish" — pleonazo as antonym in context
רַב (rab)	H7227	4	3.48	"abundant, great" — adjective counterpart

The primary LXX bridge is H5736 adaph (surplus), but the most semantically parallel Hebrew word is H7235 rabah (increase/multiply). The 2 Cor 8:15 quotation of Exod 16:18 directly preserves the LXX translation of adaph → pleonazo.