Bible Dictionary
FREQUENT
Frequent, in older biblical English, can mean abundant, widespread, or occurring in greater measure. It is used of Paul’s sufferings and, in a margin, of visions widely made known.
Definition
Frequent, in older biblical English, can mean abundant, more numerous, widely spread, or occurring in greater measure. It does not necessarily mean repeated often in the modern sense. The related idea is abundance or broad distribution.
Biblical Usage
The King James Version uses “more frequent” for Paul’s abundant sufferings in prison, while the Revised Version reads “more abundantly.” In a marginal rendering concerning visions, frequent means widely spread or made broadly known.
Historical Background
The English word comes from a Latin term meaning crowded. The supplied material notes that later translations commonly use abundant, profuse, or widely spread instead of frequent in these passages.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>fre'-kwent (peris-soteros):</p><p>"Frequent," adjective (from Latin frequens, frequentis, "crowded") occurs only once in the text of the King James Version, as the translation of perissoteros, adverb in comparative degree of perissos, "abundantly," hence, "more abundantly" (compare 2Co 1:12); in 2Co 11:23, "in prisons more frequent," the Revised Version (British and American) "more abundantly"; and once in the margin of the King James Version (Pr 27:6) as translation of `athar, "to be abundant," the Revised Version (British and American) in text, "profuse."</p><p>American Revised Version has "frequent" for "open" (1Sa 3:1, "The word of Yahweh was precious (margin, rare) in those days; there was no frequent vision," margin "(Hebrew) widely spread" (the word is parac, "to break forth," "to scatter," etc.). the English Revised Version retains "open," with "frequent, Hebrew widely spread" in the margin. "Frequent" (the verb) does not occur.</p><p>W. L. Walker</p>