Little/few
ὀλίγοςStrong’s G3641oligos
Appears in 41 verses of the New Testament
In short
Oligos is the Greek word usually translated “few”, “little” and “small”. It appears in 41 verses of the New Testament.
“For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”
Meaning
Usually translated “few”, “little” and “small”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- few 9
- a little 7
- a few 6
- little 5
- small 4
- a few things 3
- a little while 2
- on a few 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Acts 10
- Matthew 7
- Luke 5
- Revelation 5
- Mark 4
- 1 Peter 4
11 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- 1 Timothy 5:23In contextDrink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.
- Matthew 7:14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
- Matthew 9:37Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
- Matthew 15:34And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
- Matthew 20:16So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
- Matthew 22:14For many are called, but few are chosen.
Greek dictionary
ὀλίγος oligos · little/few
ὀλίγος, -η, -ον (on οὐχ ὁλ., see infr.), [in LXX chiefly for מָעַט ;] of number, quantity, size, few, little, small, slight: Mat.9:37 15:34, Mrk.6:5 8:7, Luk.10:2 12:48 (sc. πληγάς, opposite to πολλάς), 1Ti.5:23, Heb.12:10, Rev.3:4 12:12; οὐκ ὀ. (in the best uncials written οὐκ ὁ.; see WH, App., 143; M, Pr., 44; Thackeray, Gr., 126 f.), Act.12:18 14:28 15:2 (with genitive part.) Act.17:4, 12 19:23-24 27:20; pl., absol., Mat.7:14 20:16 (WH, txt., RV, om.) Mat.22:14, Luk.13:23, 1Pe.3:20. Neut. sing (τὸ) ὀ.: Luk.7:47, 2Co.8:15; πρὸς ὀλίγον, 1Ti.4:8, Jas.4:14; ἐν ὀ., Act.26:28-29 (with little eff …
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “few” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
FEW, adjective
[Latin pauci. The senses of few and small are often united.]
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.