αὐξάνω G0837
To grow or increase; intransitively of natural or spiritual growth, or causatively of God granting the increase.
Spanning the mustard seed that becomes a tree (Matt 13:32) and the child Jesus growing strong in spirit (Luke 2:40), auxano captures organic increase — whether physical, numerical, or spiritual. Paul's pointed use in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 introduces the causative dimension: 'I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.' Here the verb shifts agency from the growing thing to the divine Grower. Across languages the intransitive sense is remarkably stable — Spanish 'crece/crecen,' French 'croître,' German 'wachsen' — while the causative surfaces distinctly in Spanish 'haciendo-crecer' and English 'causing-to-grow.'
2. cause to grow (causative) — Causative: to make something grow, to grant or produce increase in another entity. The paradigm is 1 Cor 3:6-7, where Paul, Apollos, and God each play distinct roles — planting, watering, and causing growth. 2 Cor 9:10 extends this to God multiplying the harvest of righteousness. Spanish distinguishes this neatly with 'haciendo-crecer' (causing to grow) versus simple 'crece,' and English likewise shifts to 'causing-to-grow' and 'will-increase,' marking the agent-patient distinction. 3×
AR["أَنْمى","المُنْمي","سَيُنمّي"]·ben["বাড়াবেন","বৃদ্ধি-করেছিলেন।","বৃদ্ধিদানকারী"]·DE["wachsen"]·EN["causing-to-grow","was-causing-to-grow","will-increase"]·FR["croître"]·heb["הִצְמִיחַ","יַצְמִיחַ","מַצְמִיחַ"]·HI["बढ़ाएगा","बढ़ानेवाला","बढ़ाया"]·ID["akan-menumbuhkan","menumbuhkan"]·IT["crescere"]·jav["nambahi","nuwuhaken","nuwuhaken."]·KO["자라게-하셨다","자라게-하시는","자라게-하시리라"]·PT["aumentará","fez-crescer","que-faz-crescer"]·RU["взращивал","взращивающий","возрастит"]·ES["aumentará","haciendo-crecer","hacía-crecer"]·SW["akuzaye","aliukuza.","ataongeza"]·TR["artıracak","o-"]·urd["بڑھائے-گا","بڑھانے-والا","بڑھایا"]
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
1. grow, increase (intransitive) — Intransitive growth or increase: the subject itself grows in size, number, strength, or influence. This covers plants (Matt 6:28, the lilies; Mark 4:8, seed yielding grain), persons (Luke 1:80, John the Baptist; Luke 2:40, the child Jesus), and the expanding reach of God's word (Acts 6:7, 12:24, 19:20). Spanish 'crece/crecen,' French 'croître,' and German 'wachsen/wächst' all render this with simple intransitive growth verbs, confirming a unified semantic profile across the 20 occurrences. 20×
AR["انمُوا","تَنمو","تَنموا","تَنمُو","تَنْمُو","كَانَ-يَنْمُو","كَانَتْ-تَنْمُو","نامينَ","نامٍ","نامِيًا","نَمَا","نَمَتْ","نَنمو","يَزْدَادَ","يَنمو"]·ben["তোমরা-বৃদ্ধি-পাও","বড়-হচ্ছিল","বাড়ছে,","বাড়ি","বাড়ে","বাড়ে:","বৃদ্ধি-পাও","বৃদ্ধি-পাচ্ছিল","বৃদ্ধি-পাচ্ছে","বৃদ্ধি-পেত","বৃদ্ধি-পেতে","বৃদ্ধি-পেল","বৃদ্ধিপ্রাপ্ত","বৃদ্ধিপ্রাপ্ত-হয়ে","বেড়ে-উঠল","বেড়ে-ওঠে"]·DE["wachsen","wächst"]·EN["as-grows","grow","growing","grows","increased","increasing","it-grew","it-is-grown","they-grow","to-increase","was-growing","was-increasing","we-might-grow","you-may-grow"]·FR["croître"]·heb["בְּגַדֵל","גְּדֵלִים","גְּדֵלָה","גִּדְלוּ","גָּדֵל","גָּדֵלוֹת","גָּדַל","לִגְדּוֹל","נִגְדַּל","תִּגְדְּלוּ"]·HI["और","बढ़ता-गया","बढ़ता-था","बढ़ती-हैं","बढ़ते-जाओ","बढ़ते-हुए","बढ़ते-हैं","बढ़ना,","बढ़ा","बढ़ो","बधत-हुअ","बधत-है","बधति-है","बधते-हुए","हुम-बधेन"]·ID["Bertumbuhlah","bertambah,","bertumbuh","bertumbuh,","kamu-bertumbuh","kita-bertumbuh","tumbuh"]·IT["crescere"]·jav["Mindhakna","kita-mindhak","mindhak","mindhak,","mundhak,","panjenengan-tuwuh,","saya-ageng","tambah","thukul,","tuwuh","tuwuh,"]·KO["너희가-자라","불어나며","성장하라","성장했다","자라갔다","자라게-하라","자라난다","자라는","자라는지","자라다","자라면서","자라서","자란다","자람고","자랐다","자랐을-때"]·PT["Crescei","cresce","crescem","crescendo","crescendo,","crescer,","cresceu","crescia","cresçais,","cresçamos","tiver-crescido"]·RU["возрасли,","возрастает","возрастайте","возрастало","возрастающее","возрастающий","возрастая","возрастим","вырастет","выросло","расти","растут","растущей","растёт","росло","увеличился"]·ES["crece","creced","crecen","crecer","creciendo","creciere","creció","crecía","crezcamos","crezcáis"]·SW["akakua","aongezeke","ikakua","ikizidi","ikuapo","inayokua","kukueni","lilikua","linakua","mkikua","mkue","tukue","unakua","waliongezeka","yakikua,","yanavyokua"]·TR["birlestirilip","buyur","buyuyelim","buyuyen","buyuyerek","büyüdü","büyüdükçe","büyümesini","büyür","büyürler","büyürse","büyüyen,","büyüyesiniz","büyüyordu","büyüyün","İbrahim'e"]·urd["بڑھا","بڑھتا-تھا","بڑھتا-رہا","بڑھتا-ہوا","بڑھتا-ہے","بڑھتی-ہوئی","بڑھتی-ہے","بڑھتے-ہوئے","بڑھتے-ہیں","بڑھنا","بڑھو","بڑھی","بڑھیں","تم-بڑھو،"]
Matt 6:28, Matt 13:32, Mark 4:8, Luke 1:80, Luke 2:40, Luke 12:27, Luke 13:19, John 3:30, Acts 6:7, Acts 7:17, Acts 12:24, Acts 19:20 (+8 more)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
αὐξάνω Refs 5th c.BC+:—also αὔξω (poetry ἀέξω, which see) Refs 6th c.BC+ (so Attic dialect Inscrr. and Ptolemaic Papyrus; both forms in NT) imperfect ηὔξανον only Ps.-Refs 5th c.BC+; ηὖξονRefs 5th c.BC+: future αὐξήσωLXX+5th c.BC+: aorist I ηὔξησαRefs 6th c.BC+: perfect ηὔξηκαRefs 5th c.BC+:—passive, αὐξάνομαιRefs 5th c.BC+, imperfect ηὔξετοRefs 8th c.BC+: perfect ηὔξημαιRefs 5th c.BC+, Ionic…