Bible Dictionary
INCREASE
Increase means growth or increase in quantity. Scripture uses it for crops, offspring, herds, wealth, and the spiritual growth of believers and the church.
Definition
Increase means growth or a rise in quantity. As a verb it has its ordinary sense of becoming greater; as a noun it may refer to the fruitage of plants, offspring of herds and flocks, or, more rarely, interest received from money.
Biblical Usage
Scripture uses increase for crops, herds, offspring, money, and the growth of persons and communities. In the New Testament it also describes the growth associated with Christ, the church, and believers.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>in'-kres, (noun), in-kres' (verb): Employed in the English Bible both as verb and as noun, and in both cases to represent a number of different words in the original. As a verb it is used in the ordinary sense of the term. As a noun it is usually used of plant life, or of the herds and flocks, to denote the fruitage or the offspring; more rarely of money, to denote the interest. As examples of the different terms translated by this word, students who read Hebrew or Greek may compare De 7:22; Pr 16:21; Job 10:16 the King James Version; Job 12:23; Nu 18:30; De 7:13; Eze 22:12 in the Old Testament, and Joh 3:30; 1Co 3:6; Col 2:19; Eph 4:16 in the New Testament.</p><p>Russell Benjamin Miller</p>