to grow
auxano describes development or increase, of living things, a message’s spread, and people’s faith or maturity.
The verb most often marks observable development or increase in living things, produce, and a population; it also describes the advance of God’s word and growth connected with faith, knowledge, grace, and maturity. Across these settings, the clauses portray a subject becoming greater, more developed, or more widespread.
Senses in use
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Developing or increasing in living and material settings · dominant
In Matthew 6:28 and Luke 12:27, present active forms describe lilies as they develop without laboring or spinning. In Luke 13:19 and Mark 4:8, seed grows into a tree or produces fruit; Luke 1:80 and Luke 2:40 apply imperfect active forms to a child’s development, while Acts 7:17 describes the people increasing in Egypt.
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Spreading or increasing of the word · common
Imperfect active forms in Acts 6:7, Acts 12:24, and Acts 19:20 have the word of God or the word of the Lord as the growing subject; the APB renders these clauses as the word continuing to grow, being multiplied, and growing mightily. In Colossians 1:6, a present passive participle occurs where the message is bearing fruit and increasing in all the world.
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Growth in faith, knowledge, and maturity · common
In 2 Corinthians 10:15, the present passive participle is used as faith increases; Colossians 1:10 speaks of growing in knowledge of God. The subjunctive forms in 1 Peter 2:2 and Ephesians 4:15 place growth within exhortations, and 2 Peter 3:18 directly calls for growth in grace and knowledge. John 3:30 uses the present infinitive in the contrast, “He must increase; I must decrease.”
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the verb with “grow” or “growing,” as for lilies, children, the word of God, and knowledge. It also uses “increase,” “causes the growth,” and “grown” in some clauses; These renderings confirm the verse-level context rather than establish separate lexical meanings.