4178. pollakis

Lexical Summary

pollakis: Often, frequently, many times

Original Word: πολλάκις
Part of Speech: Adverb
Transliteration: pollakis
Pronunciation: pol-lah'-kis
Phonetic Spelling: (pol-lak'-is)
KJV: oft(-en, -entimes, -times)
NASB: often, frequent, many, time after time
Word Origin: [multiplicative adverb from G4183 (πολύς - many)]

1. many times, i.e. frequently

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

often

Multiplicative adverb from polus; many times, i.e. Frequently -- oft(-en, -entimes, -times).

see GREEK polus

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
adverb from polus
Definition
often
NASB Translation
frequent (1), many (1), often (15), time after time (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4178: πολλάκις

πολλάκις (from πολύς, πολλά), adverb (fr. Homer down), often, frequently: Matthew 17:15; Mark 5:4; Mark 9:22; John 18:2; Acts 26:11; Romans 1:13; Romans 15:22 L Tr marginal reading; 2 Corinthians 8:22; 2 Corinthians 11:23, 26; Philippians 3:18; 2 Timothy 1:16; Hebrews 6:7; Hebrews 9:25; Hebrews 10:11.

Topical Lexicon

Overview of New Testament Occurrences

Strong’s Greek 4178, the adverb πολλάκις, conveys the idea of repetition—“often,” “many times,” “again and again.” Its eighteen New Testament appearances span the Gospels, Acts, the Pauline Epistles, and Hebrews, underscoring situations that involve recurring actions, habitual patterns, or repeated efforts—both human and divine.

Narrative Uses in the Gospels

1. Matthew 17:15 and Mark 9:22 portray a demonized boy who “often” falls into fire and water. The word stresses the relentless cruelty of demonic oppression and magnifies the Savior’s compassion when He delivers the boy.
2. Mark 5:4 describes the Gerasene demoniac who had been “often bound with shackles and chains.” Human restraint repeatedly failed, setting the stage for Christ’s definitive liberation.
3. John 18:2 notes that Jesus “often met there with His disciples” in the garden across the Kidron Valley. The adverb quietly highlights the regularity of Christ’s fellowship with His own, making Judas’s betrayal even more tragic.

Acts: Persecution Repeated

Acts 26:11 records Paul’s pre-conversion zeal: “In all the synagogues I punished them often and tried to force them to blaspheme.” The repetition reveals the systemic nature of early persecution and the magnitude of grace that transformed the persecutor into an apostle.

Pauline Epistles: Ministry Realities

• Romans 1:13—Paul had “often planned” to visit Rome but was hindered. The frequency of his intention shows missionary passion while acknowledging God’s sovereign timing.
• 2 Corinthians 8:22 praises a brother who proved “himself many times.” Tested reliability is a valued trait in stewardship.
• 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 stacks πολλάκις five times in Paul’s hardship catalog: beatings, imprisonments, dangers, hunger, and sleepless nights. Repeated sufferings authenticate apostolic authority and illustrate that endurance is normative for gospel advance.
• Philippians 3:18 laments that “many live as enemies of the cross of Christ, as I have told you often.” Pastoral warning must be reiterated for spiritual safety.
• 2 Timothy 1:16 thanks God for Onesiphorus, who “often refreshed” Paul. Frequent acts of kindness counterbalance frequent trials.

Hebrews: Ritual Repetition versus Christ’s Finality

Hebrews uses πολλάκις four times:

“Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again” (9:25).

“Otherwise He would have had to suffer repeatedly” (9:26).

“Every priest stands daily ministering and offering again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (10:11).

These contrasts elevate Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice over the Levitical system’s endless cycles—turning the adverb into a theological pivot that moves readers from repetition to completion in Christ. Earlier, Hebrews 6:7 employs πολλάκις of rain that “often falls” on cultivated land, illustrating how repeated divine provision seeks a fruitful response.

Theological Reflection

1. Repetition exposes human limitation. Whether binding a demoniac or offering animal sacrifices, “often” signals insufficiency that invites divine intervention.
2. Repetition underscores divine patience. The rain that “often falls” and the Savior who “often met” with disciples reveal God’s persistent pursuit of relationship and fruitfulness.
3. Repetition calls the Church to perseverance. Paul’s “often” hardships and believers’ “often” refreshment of one another define normal Christian experience: recurring trials matched by recurring grace.

Ministry Applications

• Deliverance Ministries: Expect ongoing oppression in some cases; persistent prayer mirrors Christ’s decisive deliverance of those repeatedly tormented.
• Pastoral Care: Regular encouragement, like Onesiphorus’s visits, sustains leaders and saints.
• Preaching and Teaching: Biblical warnings and truths should be conveyed “often” for memory and formation, following Paul’s example to the Philippians.
• Worship and Assurance: While sacrifices were “often” under the old covenant, communion now celebrates the single, sufficient sacrifice of Christ, fostering confident access to God.

Personal Discipleship

Believers may face temptations or trials “often,” yet Scripture presents an overcoming pattern: relentless need met by greater, unfailing grace. Embracing rhythms of prayer, fellowship, and Scripture intake—practices done “often”—aligns the disciple with God’s redemptive repetition until Christ’s consummation ends all striving.

Forms and Transliterations

πολλακις πολλάκις pollakis pollákis

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 17:15 Adv
GRK: κακῶς πάσχει πολλάκις γὰρ πίπτει
NAS: ill; for he often falls
KJV: vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into
INT: miserably suffers often indeed he falls

Matthew 17:15 Adv
GRK: πῦρ καὶ πολλάκις εἰς τὸ
NAS: into the fire and often into the water.
KJV: the fire, and oft into the water.
INT: fire and often into the

Mark 5:4 Adv
GRK: τὸ αὐτὸν πολλάκις πέδαις καὶ
NAS: because he had often been bound
KJV: that he had been often bound
INT: that he often with shackles and

Mark 9:22 Adv
GRK: καὶ πολλάκις καὶ εἰς
NAS: It has often thrown him both
KJV: And ofttimes it hath cast him
INT: And often both into

John 18:2 Adv
GRK: τόπον ὅτι πολλάκις συνήχθη Ἰησοῦς
NAS: for Jesus had often met
KJV: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither
INT: place because often gathered together Jesus

Acts 26:11 Adv
GRK: τὰς συναγωγὰς πολλάκις τιμωρῶν αὐτοὺς
NAS: And as I punished them often in all
KJV: I punished them oft in every
INT: the synagogues often punishing them

Romans 1:13 Adv
GRK: ἀδελφοί ὅτι πολλάκις προεθέμην ἐλθεῖν
NAS: brethren, that often I have planned
KJV: that oftentimes I purposed
INT: brothers that many times I purposed to come

2 Corinthians 8:22 Adv
GRK: ἐν πολλοῖς πολλάκις σπουδαῖον ὄντα
NAS: whom we have often tested
KJV: we have oftentimes proved
INT: in many things often earnest to be

2 Corinthians 11:23 Adv
GRK: ἐν θανάτοις πολλάκις
NAS: times without number, often in danger of death.
KJV: in deaths oft.
INT: in deaths often

2 Corinthians 11:26 Adv
GRK: ὁδοιπορίαις πολλάκις κινδύνοις ποταμῶν
NAS: [I have been] on frequent journeys,
KJV: [In] journeyings often, [in] perils
INT: In journeyings often in perils of rivers

2 Corinthians 11:27 Adv
GRK: ἐν ἀγρυπνίαις πολλάκις ἐν λιμῷ
NAS: through many sleepless nights,
KJV: in watchings often, in hunger
INT: in watchings often in hunger

2 Corinthians 11:27 Adv
GRK: ἐν νηστείαις πολλάκις ἐν ψύχει
NAS: and thirst, often without food,
KJV: in fastings often, in cold
INT: in fastings often in cold

Philippians 3:18 Adv
GRK: περιπατοῦσιν οὓς πολλάκις ἔλεγον ὑμῖν
NAS: of whom I often told
KJV: I have told you often, and now
INT: are walking [of] whom often I told you

2 Timothy 1:16 Adv
GRK: οἴκῳ ὅτι πολλάκις με ἀνέψυξεν
NAS: of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed
KJV: for he oft refreshed me,
INT: house because often me he refreshed

Hebrews 6:7 Adv
GRK: αὐτῆς ἐρχόμενον πολλάκις ὑετόν καὶ
NAS: the rain which often falls
KJV: the rain that cometh oft upon it,
INT: it coming often rain and

Hebrews 9:25 Adv
GRK: οὐδ' ἵνα πολλάκις προσφέρῃ ἑαυτόν
NAS: Himself often, as the high priest
KJV: himself often, as
INT: nor that often he should offer himself

Hebrews 9:26 Adv
GRK: ἔδει αὐτὸν πολλάκις παθεῖν ἀπὸ
NAS: to suffer often since
KJV: must he often have suffered since
INT: it was necessary for him often to have suffered from

Hebrews 10:11 Adv
GRK: τὰς αὐτὰς πολλάκις προσφέρων θυσίας
NAS: and offering time after time the same
KJV: offering oftentimes the same
INT: the same often offering sacrifices

Strong's Greek 4178
18 Occurrences

πολλάκις — 18 Occ.