ὀλίγος

Matthew 7:14 ὀλίγοι few

But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Here: Stands against the 'many' (polloi) of verse 13. It comes first in its clause for emphasis: 'few are they...'

Matthew 9:37 ὀλίγοι· [are] few;

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Here: "Few": the exact opposite of πολύς. At harvest time, too few hands meant ripe grain left to spoil. That urgency drives the request in v. 38.

Matthew 15:34 ὀλίγα a few

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

Here: 'A few', no exact number. It stresses how little there is next to a crowd of thousands.

Matthew 22:14 ὀλίγοι few

For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Here: The deliberate opposite of "many". The sharp many/few contrast is the shape of a proverb and puts the stress on the gap between being invited and actually belonging, more than on an exact headcount.

Matthew 25:21 ὀλίγα a few things

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

Here: A surprising word: five talents was an enormous sum, yet the master calls it 'a few things'. That shows the scale of what he is about to hand over.

Matthew 25:23 ὀλίγα a few things

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

Here: "A few things." The word is pointed, because two talents was a fortune (see setting). Measured against what the master is about to hand over, even that fortune counts as "few".

Mark 1:19 ὀλίγον a little

Going on a little farther, He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat, mending their nets.

Mark 6:5 ὀλίγοις on a few

So He could not perform any miracles there, except to lay His hands on a few of the sick and heal them.

Mark 6:31 ὀλίγον· a little;

And He said to them, “Come with Me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

Mark 8:7 ὀλίγα· a few;

They also had a few small fish, and Jesus blessed them and ordered that these be set before them as well.

Luke 5:3 ὀλίγον. a little.

Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat.

Luke 7:47 ὀλίγον ὀλίγον little

Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven, for she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

Here: 'Little' is put first for emphasis: 'little' is all such a person is forgiven, or thinks he is.

Luke 10:2 ὀλίγοι· [are] few;

And He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.

Here: 'Few.' Far too few for the size of the crop. That shortage is the crisis the sentence turns on.

Luke 12:48 ὀλίγας. few.

But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded.

Here: 'Few.' It is feminine to agree with an unstated 'blows'. This answers the 'many' of verse 47: lighter, but still a beating.

Luke 13:23 ὀλίγοι [are] few

“Lord,” someone asked Him, “will only a few people be saved?” Jesus answered,

Here: 'Few' comes first in the question, so the stress falls on it. The questioner wants a count or proportion: is the saved group small?

Acts 12:18 ὀλίγος small

At daybreak there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.

Acts 14:28 ὀλίγον little

And they spent a long time there with the disciples.

Acts 15:2 ὀλίγης small

And after engaging these men in sharp debate, Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.

Here: With 'not', this is one of Luke's favourite understatements (see Acts 12:18; 14:28; 19:23). The meaning is 'fierce' or 'intense'.

Acts 17:4 ὀλίγαι.¶ a few.

Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few leading women.

Here: 'Not a few' is understatement used for emphasis. It means a good number, a notable group.

Acts 17:12 ὀλίγοι.¶ a few.

As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men.

Acts 19:23 ὀλίγος small

About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.

Acts 19:24 ὀλίγην little

It began with a silversmith named Demetrius who made silver shrines of Artemis, bringing much business to the craftsmen.

Acts 26:28 ὀλίγῳ so little [time]

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you persuade me in such a short time to become a Christian?”

Here: 'Little', with the noun left unstated: 'in short order, so quickly' or 'with so little [argument]'. Agrippa is objecting to how fast or how lightly Paul is moving him, not saying he is nearly convinced.

Acts 26:29 ὀλίγῳ a little

“Short time or long,” Paul replied, “I wish to God that not only you but all who hear me this day may become what I am, except for these chains.”

Here: Paul picks up Agrippa's 'in a little' and throws it back. The word itself leaves open whether it means 'a little time' or 'a little effort/argument'.

Acts 27:20 ὀλίγου small

When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the great storm continued to batter us, we abandoned all hope of being saved.

2 Corinthians 8:15 ὀλίγον little

As it is written: “He who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall.”

Ephesians 3:3 ὀλίγῳ, brief,

that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.

Here: 'In brief, in a few words.' Paul admits his earlier statements were short. He is about to spell the secret out in verses 5–6.

1 Timothy 4:8 ὀλίγον a little

For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.

Here: 'For a little.' This can mean a small amount (limited value) or a short time (benefit that lasts only a while). Either way it is the opposite of 'for all things' and of 'the life to come'.

1 Timothy 5:23 ὀλίγῳ a little

Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

Here: 'A little' wine. The amount is limited on purpose, which fits the letter's warnings against being 'given to much wine' (3:3, 3:8).

Hebrews 12:10 ὀλίγας a few

Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness.

Here: "A few". It stresses how brief and limited a father's time of training was.

James 4:14 ὀλίγον a little [while]

You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Here: "For a little [while]." It sets up a contrast with the merchants' "spend a year there" in v.13.

1 Peter 1:6 ὀλίγον for a little while

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials

Here: Used here as an adverb: 'for a little while'. The suffering is brief measured against the coming salvation, not necessarily short on the calendar. 5:10 says the same thing: 'after you have suffered a little while'.

1 Peter 3:20 ὀλίγοι, few

who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved through water.

Here: Stressed by where it sits. The rescued were a tiny minority set against a whole disobedient world, a point Peter's small, harassed communities would feel.

1 Peter 5:10 ὀλίγον a little while

And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.

Here: "For a little while". It repeats 1:6 ("now for a little while… grieved by various trials"). Set against eternal glory, the suffering is real but short.

1 Peter 5:12 ὀλίγων few [words]

Through Silvanus, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.

Here: 'Few [words]'. Calling a letter short was a polite convention of the period (compare Hebrews 13:22). It does not mean the writer thought five chapters were literally brief.

Revelation 2:14 ὀλίγα a few things

But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.

Here: 'A few things.' It sounds mild, but verse 16 threatens war with the sword of Christ's mouth. The understatement does not make the charge minor.

Revelation 3:4 ὀλίγα a few

But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white.

Here: 'A few'. A small faithful remnant inside a larger community that has gone lifeless.

Revelation 12:12 ὀλίγον a short

Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.”

Here: Small in extent: a limited allotment.

Revelation 17:10 ὀλίγον a little while

There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. But when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.

Here: 'For a little [while]'. It comes first in its clause in Greek, which stresses it: his reign will be short.