What does πλήθω (plḗthō) mean in the Bible?
Pletho means to fill, be filled, or become full. In Luke and Acts it often marks a person or group being filled with the Holy Spirit for prophetic speech, witness, or Spirit-directed action.
Greek · G4130
πλήθω
To fill
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
πλήθω G4130
Pronunciation plḗthō
What does πλήθω (plḗthō) mean in the Bible?
Pletho means to fill, be filled, or become full. In Luke and Acts it often marks a person or group being filled with the Holy Spirit for prophetic speech, witness, or Spirit-directed action.
Reader summary
Full entry for πλήθω (G4130) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4130?
The BSB source-word alignment has 24 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include They were filled (3), was filled (3), came (2), filled (2), filled with (2).
Where does πλήθω (plḗthō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 22:10. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (13), Acts (9), Matthew (2).
What This Word Actually Means
Pletho means to fill, be filled, or become full. In Luke and Acts it often marks a person or group being filled with the Holy Spirit for prophetic speech, witness, or Spirit-directed action. John the Baptist will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb. Elizabeth and Zechariah are filled and speak in relation to God's saving work. At Pentecost, the gathered believers are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak as the Spirit enables them.
In Acts 4, filling leads to bold proclamation. Yet the same verb family can also describe being filled with jealousy, rage, wonder, or completed time. Pletho therefore does not mean spiritual fullness automatically. It names being filled; the content, cause, and fruit of that filling come from the passage.
How the Bible Uses It
Pletho names filling or fullness. Luke-Acts often uses it for Spirit-filled speech and witness, but it can also describe jealousy, rage, amazement, fulfilled time, or a space being filled.
- Luke.1.15
For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.
John the Baptist's Spirit-filled calling begins before birth and serves God's preparatory purpose.
- Luke.1.41
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and responds to Mary's greeting with Spirit-given recognition.
- Acts.2.4
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
At Pentecost all are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak as the Spirit enables them.
- Acts.4.31
After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
After prayer, the believers are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak God's word boldly.
- Acts.13.9
Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked directly at Elymas
Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, confronts Elymas with apostolic clarity.
- Acts.13.45
But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.
The same filling language can describe jealousy, showing that the object of filling determines the moral meaning.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It They were filled 3× Luke 5:26, Acts 3:10, Acts 13:45
was filled 3× Matthew 22:10, Luke 1:41, Luke 1:67
came 2× Luke 1:57, Luke 2:6
filled 2× Luke 5:7, Acts 4:8
filled with 2× Acts 2:4, Acts 13:9
were filled 2× Luke 6:11, Acts 5:17
be filled 1× Acts 9:17
had passed 1× Luke 2:21
He filled [it] 1× Matthew 27:48
he will be filled 1× Luke 1:15
they were all filled with 1× Acts 4:31
to fulfill 1× Luke 21:22
vvv 1× Acts 19:29
was complete 1× Luke 2:22
were complete 1× Luke 1:23
were enraged 1× Luke 4:28
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 22:10 ἐπλήσθη to was filled Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular Matthew 27:48 πλήσας to He filled [it] Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Luke 1:15 πλησθήσεται to he will be filled Verb - Future Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular Luke 1:23 ἐπλήσθησαν to were complete Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural Luke 1:41 ἐπλήσθη to was filled Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular Luke 1:57 ἐπλήσθη to came Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular Luke 1:67 ἐπλήσθη to was filled Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular Luke 2:6 ἐπλήσθησαν to came Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural Luke 2:21 ἐπλήσθησαν to had passed Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural Luke 2:22 ἐπλήσθησαν to was complete Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 22:10
Aligned rows 24
Books represented 3
Matthew 2 Luke 13 Acts 9
Source forms
ἐπλήσθησαν 12x eplēsthēsan Luke 1:23, Luke 2:6, Luke 2:21, Luke 2:22
ἐπλήσθη 5x eplēsthē Matthew 22:10, Luke 1:41, Luke 1:57, Luke 1:67
πλησθεὶς 2x plēstheis Acts 4:8, Acts 13:9
ἔπλησαν 1x eplēsan Luke 5:7
πλήσας 1x plēsas Matthew 27:48
πλησθῆναι 1x plēsthēnai Luke 21:22
πλησθῇς 1x plēsthēs Acts 9:17
πλησθήσεται 1x plēsthēsetai Luke 1:15
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural 12x Luke 1:23, Luke 2:6, Luke 2:21, Luke 2:22
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular 5x Matthew 22:10, Luke 1:41, Luke 1:57, Luke 1:67
Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Nominative Masculine Singular 2x Acts 4:8, Acts 13:9
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Luke 5:7
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Passive 1x Luke 21:22
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular 1x Matthew 27:48
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 2nd Person Singular 1x Acts 9:17
Verb - Future Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular 1x Luke 1:15
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not treat every use of pletho as Holy Spirit filling.
- Do not reduce Spirit filling in Acts to emotional intensity apart from witness, word, prayer, and mission.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim pletho always refers to the Holy Spirit.
- Do not claim Spirit filling is merely private experience without public witness or obedience.
Greek word. To fill physically or mentally; metaphorically, to complete or fulfill, especially of time or prophecy.
Strong's G4130
Lexical occurrences 0 verses Greek text appearances 24 times 16 shown below Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Acts 13:1-12 Source Gloss
to fill
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 24 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 22:10 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐπλήσθη eplhsqh
I fill
Read verse Matthew 27:48 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
πλήσας plhsav
I fill
Read verse Luke 1:15 Verb Third Person Singular Future Passive Indicative
πλησθήσεται plhsqhsetai
I fill
Read verse Luke 1:23 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐπλήσθησαν eplhsqhsan
I fill
Read verse Luke 1:41 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐπλήσθη eplhsqh
I fill
Read verse Luke 1:57 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐπλήσθη eplhsqh
I fill
Read verse Luke 1:67 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐπλήσθη eplhsqh
I fill
Read verse Luke 2:6 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐπλήσθησαν eplhsqhsan
I fill
Read verse Luke 2:21 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐπλήσθησαν eplhsqhsan
I fill
Read verse Luke 2:22 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐπλήσθησαν eplhsqhsan
I fill
Read verse Luke 4:28 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐπλήσθησαν eplhsqhsan
I fill
Read verse Luke 5:7 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἔπλησαν eplhsan
I fill
Read verse Luke 5:26 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐπλήσθησαν eplhsqhsan
I fill
Read verse Luke 6:11 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐπλήσθησαν eplhsqhsan
I fill
Read verse John 19:29 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
πλήσαντες plhsantev
I fill
Read verse Acts 2:4 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐπλήσθησαν eplhsqhsan
I fill
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 24 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 23 future 1
Voice
passive 22 active 2
Mood
indicative 19 participle 3 subjunctive 1 infinitive 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 22:10 ἐπλήσθη aorist passive indicative completed Matthew 27:48 πλήσας aorist active participle participle Luke 1:15 πλησθήσεται future passive indicative prospective Luke 1:23 ἐπλήσθησαν aorist passive indicative completed Luke 1:41 ἐπλήσθη aorist passive indicative completed Luke 1:57 ἐπλήσθη aorist passive indicative completed Luke 1:67 ἐπλήσθη aorist passive indicative completed Luke 2:21 ἐπλήσθησαν aorist passive indicative completed Luke 2:22 ἐπλήσθησαν aorist passive indicative completed Luke 2:6 ἐπλήσθησαν aorist passive indicative completed Luke 4:28 ἐπλήσθησαν aorist passive indicative completed Luke 5:26 ἐπλήσθησαν aorist passive indicative completed Luke 5:7 ἔπλησαν aorist active indicative completed Luke 6:11 ἐπλήσθησαν aorist passive indicative completed Luke 21:22 πλησθῆναι aorist passive infinitive infinitive Acts 2:4 ἐπλήσθησαν aorist passive indicative completed Acts 3:10 ἐπλήσθησαν aorist passive indicative completed Acts 4:31 ἐπλήσθησαν aorist passive indicative completed Acts 4:8 πλησθεὶς aorist passive participle participle Acts 5:17 ἐπλήσθησαν aorist passive indicative completed Acts 9:17 πλησθῇς aorist passive subjunctive subjunctive Acts 13:45 ἐπλήσθησαν aorist passive indicative completed Acts 13:9 πλησθεὶς aorist passive participle participle Acts 19:29 ἐπλήσθη aorist passive indicative completed
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Sampled Scripture Occurrences
Representative Scripture witnesses for this entry: passage, original form, and sense in context.
New Testament Witnesses
Being empowered or controlled.
To be filled or fully supplied, here referring to being filled with the Holy Spirit.
To be filled or fully supplied.
To be filled or empowered.
Why This Word Matters
Paul’s confrontation is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:1-12
The Spirit’s filling emphasizes divine initiative and empowerment rather than human achievement. Acts 2:1-13
The Spirit’s filling signifies renewed empowerment for mission rather than a second conversion. Acts 4:23-31
Indicates Spirit empowerment for service and witness. Acts 9:1-19
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Pletho is a word of fullness, and fullness reveals influence. In Luke 1, John, Elizabeth, and Zechariah are drawn into God's saving action through Spirit-filled witness. In Acts 2, the church is filled with the Holy Spirit and speaks in languages as the Spirit enables them. In Acts 4, filling produces bold proclamation after prayer. In Acts 13, Paul is filled with the Holy Spirit for confrontation, while opponents are filled with jealousy.
The same verbal idea can describe very different inner conditions. A teacher should therefore avoid vague fullness language. Scripture cares what fills a person, who fills them, and what comes out. Spirit-filled fullness bears witness to Christ; sinful fullness overflows in opposition, rage, or self-protective hostility.
Anchor passage
Acts.2.4
Doctrinal connections
- G4151 Pneuma: Spirit filling in Luke-Acts must remain tied to the Holy Spirit's work, not generic enthusiasm.
- G4395 Propheteuo: Filled people in Luke 1 speak in relation to God's revealed saving work.
- G3954 Parrhesia: Acts 4 connects Spirit filling with bold speech.
- G2205 Zelos: Acts 13:45 shows jealousy as a destructive filling.
- G3056 Logos: Spirit filling in Acts leads to speaking God's word, not private display alone.
- G4137 Pleroo: Related fullness language should be distinguished by context and usage rather than merged mechanically.
Pletho is a filling verb whose moral force is supplied by the object or context. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, jealousy, rage, awe, or completed time are not interchangeable claims.
From Old to New Testament
The Old Testament already links God's Spirit with prophetic empowerment. Luke-Acts shows that promise intensifying around Christ's coming, Pentecost, mission, and witness, while also warning that human hearts can be filled with rival desires.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain