Many
“much, many, great,” is used especially of number when its significance is “many,” e.g., Mat 8:30; Mat 9:10; Mat 13:17; so the RV of Mat 12:15, where some mss. follow the word by ochloi, “multitudes;” 1Co 12:12; Rev 1:15; it is more frequently used as a noun, “many (persons),” e.g., Mat 3:7; Mat 7:22; Mat 22:14; with the article, “the many,” e.g., Mat 24:12, RV; Mar 9:26, RV, “the more part” (AV “many”); Rom 5:15, Rom 5:19 (twice), RV; Rom 12:5; 1Co 10:17; 1Co 10:33, RV; so 2Co 2:17; in 1Co 11:30, RV, “not a few.” In Luk 12:47 it is translated “many stripes,” the noun being understood. See GREAT, MUCH.
Notes: (1) In Luk 23:8 some mss. have polla, “many things,” though it is absent from the most authentic; see the RV. (2) In Mar 6:20 the RV, following the mss. which have aporeo, “to be perplexed,” translates polla by “much;” some mss. have poieo, “to do;” hence AV, “did many things.” (3) In Gal 4:27 the plural of polus, with mallon, “more,” is translated “more” in the RV (AV, “many more”), lit., “many are the children of the desolate more than of her that, etc.,” the phrase implying that both should have many children, but the desolate more than the other. (4) In Joh 7:40 there is no word in the original representing “some” or “many.”
“more, greater,” the comparative of No. 1, is translated “many” in Act 2:40; Act 13:31; Act 21:10; Act 24:17; Act 25:14; Act 27:20; Act 28:23 (AV; RV, “in great number”); with the article, “most,” RV (or rather, “the more part”), Act 19:32; 1Co 10:5, and Phi 1:14 (for AV, “many,” an important change); in 2Co 2:6, RV, “the many” (marg., “the more”); so 2Co 4:15; in 2Co 9:2, “very many” (marg., “the more part”); in Heb 7:23, RV, “many in number” (AV, “many”). See GREATER, MORE.
“sufficient,” when used of number sometimes signifies “many,” suggesting a sufficient number, (a) with nouns, Luk 8:32; Luk 23:9; Act 9:23, Act 9:43; Act 20:8; Act 27:7; (b) absolutely, some noun being understood, e.g., Act 12:12; Act 14:21; Act 19:19; 1Co 11:30. See ABLE, C, No. 2.
“how much, how many, how great, as much as, as many as,” is translated “as many as,” e.g., in Mat 14:36; Mar 3:10; Luk 9:5, RV (AV, “whosoever”); Act 2:39; in Act 9:16, RV, “how many things” (AV, “how great things”); in Rom 6:3 the RV renders it by “all we who” (AV, “so many of us as”), a necessary alteration, not singling out some believers from others, as if some were not baptized, but implying what was recognized as true of all (see Act 18:8); in 2Co 1:20, RV, “how many soever be” (AV, “all”). See ALL, C.
“how much, how great, how many,” has the last meaning in Mat 15:34; Mat 16:9-10; Mat 27:13 (“how many things”); Mar 6:38; Mar 8:5, Mar 8:19-20; Mar 15:4 (“how many things”); Luk 15:17; Act 21:20. See GREAT.
“so great, so much, so many,” (a) qualifying a noun, is rendered “these many (years)” in Luk 15:29; “so many,” Joh 12:37; 1Co 14:10; (b) without a noun, Joh 6:9; Joh 21:11; Gal 3:4, “so many things.” See GREAT.
Note: In Joh 17:2, AV, the neuter of pas, “all,” followed by the neuter of the relative pronoun “what,” and then by the plural of the personal pronoun, is translated “to as many as” (RV, “whatsoever … to them”).