ἑκᾰτοντα-πλᾰσίων G1542
hundredfold, a hundred times as much; exponential multiplication as divine blessing on sacrifice
The adjective ἑκατονταπλασίων (from ἑκατόν 'hundred' + πλάσιος 'fold') means multiplied one hundred times. In Jesus' teaching it describes the extravagant return on what is given up for the kingdom—not a modest reward but overwhelming abundance. The hundredfold multiplication echoes Old Testament harvest imagery (Genesis 26:12, Isaac reaping a hundredfold) and signals divine blessing that vastly exceeds human calculation or expectation.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The Synoptic parallels all record Jesus' promise to those who leave everything for his sake. Matthew 19:29: 'everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters...will receive a hundredfold.' Mark 10:30 adds temporal nuance: 'who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters...with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.' Luke 8:8 uses it in the parable of the sower: seed on good soil 'grew and yielded a hundredfold'—maximum fruitfulness. The Spanish (cien-veces-más), French (centuple), and German (ἑκατονταπλασίονα) all preserve the hundred-times multiplication. The figure is not literal accounting but theological hyperbole: God's generosity infinitely surpasses human sacrifice, now and eternally. 3×
AR["مِئَةَ-ضِعفٍ", "مِئَةَ-ضِعْفٍ", "مِائَةَ-ضِعْفٍ"]·ben["শতগুণ"]·DE["ἑκατονταπλασίονα"]·EN["a-hundred-fold", "a-hundredfold"]·FR["centuple"]·heb["מֵאָה-פְּעָמִים", "מֵאָה־שְׁעָרִים"]·HI["सौ-गुणा", "सौ-गुन", "सौ-गुना"]·ID["seratus-kali-lipat"]·IT["ekatontaplasiona"]·jav["satus-tikel", "satus-tikeling"]·KO["백-배", "백-배-를"]·PT["cem-vezes-mais"]·RU["стократ", "стократно", "стократный"]·ES["cien-veces-más"]·SW["atapokea", "mara-mia"]·TR["yük-kat.", "yüz-kat"]·urd["سو-گنا", "سو-گُنا", "سَو-گُنا"]
Related Senses
H3605 1. all, every, whole (5352×)H0259 1. one (cardinal numeral) (940×)H8147 1. cardinal number two (666×)G3956 1. all (collective plural) (616×)H3967 1. cardinal numeral hundred (550×)H1419a 1. great, large (general quality) (486×)H7969 1. cardinal number three (431×)H0505 1. cardinal number thousand (427×)H7651 1. seven (cardinal number) (393×)G1520 1. cardinal number one (339×)H6240 1. ten (cardinal number) (334×)H6242 1. twenty (cardinal number) (315×)H2568 1. cardinal number five (309×)H0702 1. four (cardinal number) (277×)G3956 2. every, each (distributive) (227×)H8337 1. six (cardinal number) (215×)G3956 3. all things, everything (substantive) (211×)G3956 4. (187×)H6235 1. ten (177×)G3173 1. great in size or extent (176×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἑκᾰτοντα-πλᾰσίων, ον, genitive ονος, a hundred times as much or many, with genitive, Refs 5th c.BC+: without genitive, a hundredfold, LXX+NT