πολύς (BSG)
Bill Mounce
0.40
22 May 2020
17 December 2025
πολύς means “much, many; great, large.”
“The one who abides in me and I in him bears πολύς fruit” (John 15:5).
“The harvest is πολύς but the workers are few” (Matt 9:37).
Mounce's Expository Dictionary:
Adjective: πολύς (polys), GK G4498 (S G4118, G4119, G4183), 416x. πολύς is used to designate a large quantity (“many”) or size (“great/large”). In addition, over 50x it is used either as a comparative (“someone greater than Jonah or Solomon,” Mt. 12:41–42) or a superlative (“most of his miracles,” 11:20). Also, sometimes πολύς is not so much making a comparison as it is describing a large number (“a very large crowd,” Mt. 21:8; cf. Mk. 4:1) or explaining a further progression of something (“avoid godless chatter because it will lead to more and more ungodliness,” 2 Tim. 2:16; cf. Acts 13:31; 24:4; 25:14; 2 Tim. 3:9).
(The dictionary entry is abridged from “Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words” (https://billmounce.com/dictionary).