Word study
Enough
9 Hebrew and 4 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “enough”. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “enough” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- מְעַט meaṭa little, fewness, a fewtranslated this way 10 times of its 92 uses · Strong’s H4592Adjective · Translated: little 35, few 18, enough 10, soon 3Full study and all 85 verses →
Genesis 30:15 But Leah replied, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes as well?” “Very well,” said Rachel, “he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
Numbers 16:9 Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel and brought you near to Himself to perform the work at the LORD’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?
- רַב rabmuch, many, greattranslated this way 10 times of its 445 uses · Strong’s H7227Adjective · Translated: many 171, great 65, captain 24, long 14Full study and all 426 verses →
Genesis 45:28 “Enough!” declared Israel. “My son Joseph is still alive! I will go to see him before I die.”
Exodus 9:28 Pray to the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not need to stay any longer.”
- דַּי daysufficiency, enoughtranslated this way 6 times of its 32 uses · Strong’s H1767Noun · Translated: enough 6, whenever 5, from 2, often 2Full study and all 29 verses →
Exodus 36:5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD has commanded us to do.”
Leviticus 25:26 Or if a man has no one to redeem it for him, but he prospers and acquires enough to redeem his land,
- שָׂבַע sâbabe sated, satisfied, surfeitedtranslated this way 4 times of its 97 uses · Strong’s H7646Verb · Translated: satisfied 39, filled 11, satisfy 10, fill 7Full study and all 93 verses →
2 Chronicles 31:10 and Azariah, the chief priest of the household of Zadok, answered him, “Since the people began to bring their contributions into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and there is plenty left over, because the LORD has blessed His people; this great abundance is what is left over.”
Job 19:22 Why do you persecute me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?
- מָצָא mâtsâattain to, findtranslated this way 3 times of its 436 uses · Strong’s H4672Verb · Translated: found 197, find 87, finds 13, present 7Full study and all 411 verses →
Numbers 11:22 If all our flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would they have enough? Or if all the fish in the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?”
Joshua 17:16 “The hill country is not enough for us,” they replied, “and all the Canaanites who live in the valley have iron chariots, both in Beth-shean with its towns and in the Valley of Jezreel.”
- קָלַל qâlalbe slight, swift, triflingtranslated this way 3 times of its 82 uses · Strong’s H7043Verb · Translated: curse 15, cursed 8, curses 5, swifter 5Full study and all 79 verses →
1 Kings 16:31 And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal.
Isaiah 49:6 He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
- גָּדוֹל gâdôlgreattranslated this way 2 times of its 501 uses · Strong’s H1419Adjective · Translated: great 262, large 33, high 20, loud 14Full study and all 477 verses →
Deuteronomy 4:7 For what nation is great enough to have a god as near to them as the LORD our God is to us whenever we call on Him?
Deuteronomy 4:8 And what nation is great enough to have righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today?
- אָרַךְ ârakbe longtranslated this way 2 times of its 33 uses · Strong’s H748Verb · Translated: prolong 6, live long 5, long 3, lingered 2Full study and all 33 verses →
1 Kings 8:8 The poles extended far enough that their ends were visible from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are there to this day.
2 Chronicles 5:9 The poles of the ark extended far enough that their ends were visible from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are there to this day.
- הוֹן hônwealth, sufficiencytranslated this way 2 times of its 26 uses · Strong’s H1952Noun · Translated: wealth 15, Enough 2, wealth of goods 2, riches 2Full study and all 26 verses →
Proverbs 30:15 The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’:
Proverbs 30:16 Sheol, the barren womb, land never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἀρκετός arketóssufficienttranslated this way 3 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s G713Adjective · Translated: enough 3Full study and all 3 verses →
Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.’’
1 Peter 4:3 For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.
- ἀρκέω arkéōI am sufficient, I suffice, am content, satisfiedtranslated this way 2 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s G714Verb · Translated: content 3, enough 2, would not 1, sufficient 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Matthew 25:9 ‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
John 14:8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
- ἡλικία hēlikíaage, staturetranslated this way 2 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s G2244Noun · Translated: life 2, stature 2, old enough 2, of 1Full study and all 8 verses →
John 9:21 But how he can now see or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.”
John 9:23 That was why his parents said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
- καλῶς kalōswell, nobly, rightlytranslated this way 2 times of its 34 uses · Strong’s G2573Adverb · Translated: well 14, good 4, correctly 3, right 3Full study and all 34 verses →
Acts 10:33 So I sent for you immediately, and you were kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has instructed you to tell us.”
1 Corinthians 14:17 You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other one is not edified.
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.