1. intransitive and properly, to exceed a fixed number or measure; to be over and above a certain number or measure: μύριοι εἰσιν ἀριθμόν ... εἷς δέ περισσεύει, Hesiod from 14, 4 (clxix. (187), edition Göttling); hence,

a. to be over, to remain: John 6:12; τό περισσεῦον τῶν κλασμάτων, equivalent to τά περισσευοντα κλάσματα, Matthew 14:20; Matthew 15:37; περισσεύει μοι τί, John 6:13 (Tobit 4:16); τό περισσεῦσαν τίνι, what remained over to one, Luke 9:17.

b. to exist or be at hand in abundance: τίνι, Luke 12:15; τό περισσεῦον τίνι, one's abundance, wealth ((R. V. superfluity); opposed to ὑστέρησις), Mark 12:44; opposed to ὑστέρημα, Luke 21:4: to be great (abundant), 2 Corinthians 1:5b; 2 Corinthians 9:12; Philippians 1:26; περισσεύει τί εἰς τινα, "a thing comes in abundance, or overflows, unto one; something falls to the lot of one in large measure": Romans 5:15; 2 Corinthians 1:5a; περισσεύω εἰς τί, to redound unto, turn out abundantly for, a thing, 2 Corinthians 8:2; ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ ψεύσματι ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς τήν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, i. e. by my lie it came to pass that God's veracity became the more conspicuous, and becoming thus more thoroughly known increased his glory, Romans 3:7; to be increased, τῷ ἀριθμῷ, Acts 16:5.

c. to abound, overflow, i. e. α. to be abundantly furnished with, to have in abundance, abound in (a thing): absolutely (A. V. to abound), to be in affluence, Philippians 4:18; opposed to ὑστερεῖσθαι; Philippians 4:12; in spiritual gifts, 1 Corinthians 14:12; with a genitive of the thing in which one abounds (Winers Grammar, § 30, 8b.; (cf. Buttmann, § 132, 12)): ἄρτων, Luke 15:17 R G L T Tr marginal reading β. to be pre-eminent, to excel (cf. Buttmann, § 132, 22): absolutely, 1 Corinthians 8:8; followed by ἐν with a dative of the virtues or the actions in which one excels (Buttmann, § 132, 12), 1 Corinthians 15:13; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 3:9 (here L T Tr WH omit ἐν); ; Colossians 2:7; περισσεύητε μᾶλλον, to excel still more, to increase in excellence, 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 10; μᾶλλον καί μᾶλλον περισσεύῃ, Philippians 1:9; περισσεύσῃ ... πλεῖον, to excel more than (A. V. exceed; cf. Buttmann, § 132, 20 and 22), Matthew 5:20, (περισσεύειν ὑπέρ τινα, 1 Macc. 3:30; τί ἐπερίσσευσεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος παρά τό κτῆνος; Ecclesiastes 3:19).

2. by later Greek usage transitively (cf. Winers Grammar, p. 23; § 38,1), to make to abound, i. e.

a. to furnish one richly so that he has abundance: passive, Matthew 13:12; Matthew 25:29; with the genitive of the thing with which one is furnished, passive, Luke 15:17 WH Tr text; τί εἰς τινα, to make a thing to abound unto one, to confer a thing abundantly upon one, 2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 1:8.

b. to make abundant or excellent: τί, 2 Corinthians 4:15; to cause one to excel: τινα, with a dative of the thing, 1 Thessalonians 3:12. (τάς ὥρας, to extend the hours beyond the prescribed time, Athen. 2, p. 42 b.) (Compare: ὑπερπερισσεύω.)