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πολύς

polýs

G4183 quantifier

SILEX Entry

Definition

much, many; describing a large quantity, number, or extent of something. As an adjective, in singular it denotes a high degree or amount (e.g., much, great, excessive), and in plural it denotes a large number (e.g., many, numerous). Sometimes used adverbially to indicate 'often,' 'mostly,' or 'greatly.' May be applied to tangible objects, abstract qualities, or time (e.g., much time = long duration).

Semantic Range

much, many, large amount, great quantity, abundant, numerous, often, greatly, a long time, frequently, mostly, largely, multitude

Root / Etymology

From the root πολυ-, related to πλήθος ('multitude, crowd, abundance'), ultimately of Indo-European origin (from PIE *plh₁-nús, 'full, many'). The word appears across ancient and Koine Greek as a fundamental adjective of quantity.

Historical & Contextual Notes

πολύς is an indeclinable adjective with forms for gender, number, and case (πολύς m., πολλή f., πολύ n.), commonly used to describe both concrete objects and abstract concepts. Its basic quantitative sense remained stable from classical through Koine Greek: Homer uses it for 'much, many' (Iliad, Odyssey). In Hellenistic and New Testament Greek, πολύς frequently contrasts with ὀλίγος ('few, little'). Neuter plural and adverbial forms (πολλά, πολύ) are idiomatic for 'often' or 'greatly' (e.g., πολλάκις, πολλά). Septuagint and New Testament usage aligns with this, denoting abundance, multitude, or extent. English translations often render the term as 'many' (plural) or 'much' (singular), but this sometimes obscures the broad application to time, frequency, or importance (e.g., 'much afraid,' 'for a long time'). The word is not inherently evaluative and does not connote value—only quantity. Related comparative forms πλείων ('more') and superlative πλεῖστος ('most, greatest') further nuance the quantitative spectrum.

Translation Consistency

primary "many" 257 occurrences

polús most often marks large numbers/quantities and is translated in the corpus overwhelmingly as “many” (202/338). “Many” is the most natural, consistent choice for plural/count senses and for adverbial uses (e.g. “many times” = often). Although G4183 can mean “much” in some non-count contexts, consistency and typical usage favor “many.”

Alternatives (81 occurrences):
"much" (56x) "great" (20x) "for" (1x) "long time" (1x) "greatly" (1x) "large sum" (1x) "long" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

including the forms from the alternate ; (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) many; neuter (singular) as adverbial, largely; neuter (plural) as adverb or noun often, mostly, largely:--abundant, + altogether, common, + far (passed, spent), (+ be of a) great (age, deal, -ly, while), long, many, much, oft(-en (-times)), plenteous, sore, straitly. Compare πλεῖστος, πλείων.

Root Family

πολύς (polys) — many, much, abundant, great in number or amount

Root πολ- many, much, abundant, great in number or amount
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G41775 many things

Word Forms

16 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4183-09 πολλοὶ polloi QUAN NOM M PL many many many 83
G4183-01 πολλὰ polla PRO.I ACC N PL many greatly many 51
G4183-11 πολλῶν pollon QUAN GEN M PL many of many of many 38
G4183-16 πολύς polus QUAN NOM M SG great much many 26
G4183-13 πολλοὺς pollous PRO.I ACC M PL many many many 22
G4183-08 πολλῷ pollo PRO.I DAT N SG much by much by much 20
G4183-14 πολὺ polu QUAN NOM N SG great much many 19
G4183-07 πολλῆς polles QUAN GEN F SG great of much of much 14
G4183-05 πολλή polle QUAN NOM F SG much much much 12
G4183-04 πολλὰς pollas QUAN ACC F PL many many many 11

Occurrences in Scripture

339 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4183-16 Matthew 2:18 πολύς polus QUAN NOM M SG great much many
G4183-13 Matthew 3:7 πολλοὺς pollous PRO.I ACC M PL many many many
G4183-09 Matthew 4:25 πολλοὶ polloi QUAN NOM M PL large many many
G4183-16 Matthew 5:12 πολὺς polus PRO.I NOM M SG great much great
G4183-08 Matthew 6:30 πολλῷ pollo PRO.I DAT N SG much by much much
G4183-09 Matthew 7:13 πολλοί polloi PRO.I NOM M PL many many many
G4183-09 Matthew 7:22 πολλοὶ polloi PRO.I NOM M PL Many many many
G4183-04 Matthew 7:22 πολλὰς pollas QUAN ACC F PL many many many
G4183-09 Matthew 8:1 πολλοί polloi QUAN NOM M PL many many many
G4183-09 Matthew 8:11 πολλοὶ polloi PRO.I NOM M PL many many many
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