ἔμπροσθεν (
Tdf. in
Revelation 4:6 ἐνπροσθεν (see
ἐν, III. 3; cf. Alexander
Buttmann (1873) 8)), adverb of place and of time (from
ἐν and
πρόσθεν, properly, in the fore part); (from
Herodotus down); the
Sept. chiefly for
לִפְנֵי;
before. In the N. T. used only of place;
1. adverbially,
in front, before:
Revelation 4:6 (opposed to
ὄπισθεν, as in
Palaeph. 29, 2).
before:
πορεύεσθαι, to precede, to go before,
Luke 19:28;
προδραμών ἔμπροσθεν,
Luke 19:4 (
T WH εἰς τό ἔμπροσθεν, cf.
Herodotus 4, 61 (8, 89)), like
προπορεύεσθαι ἔμπροσθεν,
Xenophon, Cyril 4, 2, 23 (figuratively,
Plato, Gorgias, p. 497 a.
προιθι εἰς τό ἔμπροσθεν);
τά ἔμπροσθεν the things which lie
before one advancing, the goal set before one,
Philippians 3:13 (14) (opposed to
τά ὀπίσω).
2. it serves as a preposition, with the genitive (
Buttmann, 319 (274);
Winers Grammar, § 54, 6);
a. before, i. e. in that local region which is in front of a person or a thing:
Matthew 5:24;
Matthew 7:6;
Luke 5:19;
Luke 14:2; to prostrate oneself
ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ποδῶν τίνος,
Revelation 19:10;
Revelation 22:8;
γονυπέτειν ἔμπροσθεν τίνος,
Matthew 27:29;
πορεύεσθαι ἔμπροσθεν τίνος, to go before one,
John 10:4;
ἀποστέλλεσθαι ἔμπροσθεν τίνος, to be sent before one,
John 3:28;
σαλπίζειν ἔμπροσθεν τίνος,
Matthew 6:2;
τήν ὁδόν κατασκευάσαι, where
ἔμπροσθεν τίνος is nearly equivalent to a dative (cf.
Buttmann, 172 (150)),
Matthew 11:10;
Mark 1:2 Rec.;
Luke 7:27.
b. before, in the presence of, equivalent to
opposite to, over against one:
στῆναι,
Matthew 27:11;
ὁμολογεῖν and
ἀρνεῖσθαι (
Buttmann, 176 (153)),
Matthew 10:32;
Matthew 26:70;
Luke 12:8,(9 Lachmann); also
Galatians 2:14;
1 Thessalonians 1:3;
1 Thessalonians 2:19;
1 Thessalonians 3:9,
13;
before one, i. e. at his tribunal:
Matthew 25:32;
Matthew 27:11;
Luke 21:36;
Acts 18:17;
2 Corinthians 5:10;
1 Thessalonians 2:19; (
1 John 3:19). Here belong the expressions
εὐδοκία,
θέλημα ἐστι ἔμπροσθεν Θεοῦ,
it is the good pleasure, the will of God, Matthew 11:26;
Matthew 18:14;
Luke 10:21, formed after Chaldean usage; for in
1 Samuel 12:22 the words
יְהוָה הואִיל,
God wills, Jonathan the targumist renders
יְהוָה קֲדָם רַעֲוָא; cf. Fischer, De vitiis lexamples N. T. etc., p. 329f; (cf.
Buttmann, 172 (150)).
c. before i. e.
in the sight of one:
Matthew 5:16;
Matthew 6:1;
Matthew 17:2;
Matthew 23:13 (
Matt 23:14);
Mark 2:12 T Tr marginal reading
WH;
Mark 9:2;
Luke 19:27;
John 12:37;
Acts 10:4 L T Tr WH.
d. before, denoting rank:
γεγονέναι ἔμπροσθεν τίνος, to have obtained greater dignity than another,
John 1:15,
30, also
John 1:27 R L brackets; (
Genesis 48:20 ἔθηκε τόν Αφραιμ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Μανασσῆ; (cf.
Plato, legg. 1,631 d.; 5, 743 e.; 7, 805 d.)).
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