περίσσευμα (perisseuma)
perisseuma
overflow
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun perisseuma describes an abundance that goes beyond what is needed, often translated as "overflow" or "surplus." It comes from a root meaning to be more than enough, suggesting a state where resources are so plentiful they spill over into excess. In the New Testament, this word appears in only four verses, giving it a focused but significant presence in the Gospels and Paul’s letters.
Its usage varies between physical plenty and spiritual depth. Mark 8:8 uses it to describe the baskets of leftover fragments after Jesus fed the four thousand, highlighting a tangible surplus of food. In contrast, Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45 apply it metaphorically to the heart, suggesting that speech is the overflow of what fills a person’s inner life. This distinction shows how the word bridges material provision and moral character.
The term carries a sense of generosity in its original context. Paul uses it in 2 Corinthians 8:14 to describe equality among believers, where those who have plenty can supply the needs of those lacking. Here, perisseuma is not hoarded but shared, turning personal abundance into communal support. This usage underscores a theological principle: true surplus exists to meet the gaps in others’ lives.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word perisseuma points to an overflow, a surplus that goes beyond simple sufficiency. It describes a state where resources are so plentiful they spill over. In Mark 8:8, we see this physically as baskets of leftover fragments after Jesus fed the four thousand. This tangible abundance reminds us that God’s provision often exceeds our immediate needs, leaving room for generosity.
Yet the term also applies to our inner lives. Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45 use it to describe speech as the overflow of the heart. What fills us internally inevitably spills out in our words and actions. This bridges material provision with moral character, suggesting that true abundance is not just about having more, but about what flows from within.
In 2 Corinthians 8:14, Paul expands this idea to community. He describes a balance where those who have plenty supply the needs of those lacking. Here, surplus is not hoarded but shared, turning personal abundance into communal support. This offers a hopeful vision: when we recognize our own overflow, we can become a source of relief for others, creating equality and mutual care within the body of believers.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- overflow3×
- excess2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- περίσσευμα2×
- περισσεύματος2×
- περισσεύματα1×
Key Verses
-
Mark 8:8
They ate and were filled. They took up seven baskets of broken pieces that were left over.
This verse captures the literal surplus of food left after Jesus fed the multitude, illustrating tangible divine provision.
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Matthew 12:34
You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Here the word metaphorically links speech to the heart's inner state, showing that words are the natural overflow of what fills us.
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II Corinthians 8:14
but for equality. Your abundance at this present time supplies their lack, that their abundance also may become a supply for your lack, that there may be equality.
Paul uses this term to describe economic equality, where the surplus of some meets the lack of others in a shared community life.