"to be or become rich, Lk. 1:25; 1 Tim. 6:9; trop. Lk. 12:21; met. to abound in, be abundantly furnished with, 1 Tim. 6:18; to be spiritually enriched, 2 Cor. 8:9"
Definition and meaning
to be or become rich, Lk. 1:25; 1 Tim. 6:9; trop. Lk. 12:21; met. to abound in, be abundantly furnished with, 1 Tim. 6:18; to be spiritually enriched, 2 Cor. 8:9
In the original Greek the word is written: πλουτέω
Historical context
Luke wrote as a historian addressing a Greek audience. He carefully interviewed eyewitnesses and arranged events in order. The social and economic realities he describes — Roman taxation, Jewish religious hierarchy, the marginalization of women and the poor — are consistent with first-century Judea under Roman administration.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of plouteo (G4147) across the King James Bible.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
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Common questions
Strong's G4147 (plouteo) is a Greek word that means: to be or become rich, Lk. 1:25; 1 Tim. 6:9; trop. Lk. 12:21; met. to abound in, be abundantly furnished with, 1 Tim. 6:18; to be spiritually enriched, 2 Cor. 8:9 It appears 12 times in the King James Bible.
The word plouteo (G4147) appears 12 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G4147 is plouteo, a Greek word defined as: to be or become rich, Lk. 1:25; 1 Tim. 6:9; trop. Lk. 12:21; met. to abound in, be abundantly furnished with, 1 Tim. 6:18; to be spiritually enriched,. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
plouteo is a Greek word found in the New Testament.