Strong's Greek: 3228 -- (Not Used)zzz

Lexical Summary

(Not Used): (Not Used)

(Not Used)
Part of Speech:
Transliteration: (Not Used)
(Not Used)

Topical Lexicon

Overview

Strong’s Greek number 3228 indexes a comparative adverb that intensifies the idea of “greater by far.” The form never appears in the extant Greek New Testament, yet its semantic field—surpassing greatness—is well attested in related vocabulary across both Testaments.

Root and Linguistic Family

The word is built on the adjective for “great” and a comparative morpheme, creating the sense of something “much greater” or “far more.” Kindred terms that do occur in the New Testament include:
• the comparative adjective “greater” (meizōn – Matthew 11:11; 1 John 4:4)
• the superlative “greatest” (megistos – Acts 2:11)
• the noun “greatness” (megalosynē – Acts 19:27)

Together they convey magnitude, pre-eminence, and superiority—concepts central to biblical theology.

Septuagint Usage

The Septuagint often employs the term behind 3228 to magnify divine acts or conditions:
• Genesis 30:43 – Jacob’s possessions became “exceedingly many.”
• Deuteronomy 9:1 – Israel confronted nations “greater and mightier.”
• Joshua 10:10 – The Lord routed enemies with a “very great” slaughter.
• Psalm 36:5 – “Your loving devotion reaches to the heavens.”
• Psalm 145:3 – “Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised.”

Each occurrence stresses that God’s works overflow ordinary limits.

Theological Trajectory into the New Testament

Although the exact lexeme is absent, its force remains:

1. Divine supremacy — Revelation 15:3 praises the “great and marvelous” works of God.
2. Salvation’s magnitude — Hebrews 2:3 warns against neglecting “so great a salvation.”
3. Eschatological hope — 2 Corinthians 4:17 promises glory “far beyond all comparison.”

The same superlative thought world informs Paul’s doxology: God is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

Historical Reception

Early fathers such as Irenaeus and Chrysostom invoked cognate forms to exalt the “exceeding greatness” of God’s power (Ephesians 1:19). Medieval theologians echoed the theme, and Reformation-era translators retained English renderings like “exceeding” and “exceedingly,” preserving the intensification implicit in the Greek family of words.

Ministry and Pastoral Application

• Worship — The concept pushes congregations toward reverent awe; God’s greatness surpasses speech.
• Assurance — “Greater is He who is in you” (1 John 4:4) steadies believers amid trial.
• Preaching — The unused number illustrates Scripture’s coherence: even an absent form points to an ever-present theme of divine superlativeness.
• Perseverance — Romans 8:18 frames suffering against “the glory that will be revealed,” a glory “far greater” than present pain.

Summary

Strong’s 3228 never surfaces in the New Testament text, yet the idea it embodies—an excellence that eclipses every rival—runs through the entire canon. From the Patriarchs’ “very great” blessings to the church’s “far beyond” future glory, Scripture consistently heralds the surpassing greatness of God and His redemptive work.

Links

Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts