Before
ἔμπροσθενStrong’s G1715emprosthen
Appears in 47 verses of the New Testament
In short
Emprosthen is the Greek word usually translated “before”, “ahead” and “precedence”. It appears in 47 verses of the New Testament.
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Meaning
Usually translated “before”, “ahead” and “precedence”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- before 43
- ahead 2
- precedence 2
- of 1
- front 1
- in front 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Matthew 16
- Luke 9
- John 6
- 1 Thessalonians 4
- Mark 3
- Revelation 3
11 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Matthew 5:24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
- Matthew 6:1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
- Matthew 6:2Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
- Matthew 7:6Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
- Matthew 10:32Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
- Matthew 10:33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
All 47 verses, by book
Greek dictionary
ἔμπροσθεν emprosthen · before
ἔμ-προσθεν adv. of place (in cl. also of time), [in LXX chiefly for עֳנִי ;] 1. adverbially, before, in front: Luk.19:28; εἰς τὸ ἔ., Luk.19:4; opposite to ὄπισθεν, Rev.4:6; opposite to τὰ ὀπίσω, τὰ ἔ., Php.3:13. 2. As prep., before; (a) in front of: Mat.5:24 6:2 7:6 11:10 27:29, Luk.5:19 7:27 14:2, Jhn.3:28 10:4, Rev.19:10 22:8; …
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “before” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
BEFO'RE, preposition
[be and fore, that is by fore, near the fore part.]
- In front; on the side with the face, at any distance; used of persons.
- In presence of, with the idea of power, authority, respect.“Abraham bowed before the people of the land” Genesis 23:12“Wherewithal shall I come before the Lord” Micah 2:13
- In sight of; as before the face.
- In the presence of, noting cognizance of jurisdiction.
All definitions and other forms of “before”
- In the power of, noting the right or ability to choose or possess; free to the choice.“My land is before thee” Genesis 20:15
- In front of any object; as before the house; before the fire.
- Preceding in time.“Before I was afflicted, I went astray” Psalms 119:67“Before Abraham was, I am” John 8:58
- In preference to.
- Superior; preceding in dignity.
- Prior to; having prior right; preceding in order; as, the eldest son is before the younger in succession.
- Previous to; in previous order; in order to.
- before the wind, is to move in the direction of the wind by its impulse.
BEFO'RE, adverb
In time preceding.
- In time preceding, to the present, or to this time; hitherto; as, tumults then arose which before were unknown.
- Further onward in place, in progress, or in front.“Reaching forth to those things which are before” Philippians 3:13
- In front; on the fore part.“The battle was before and behind” 2 Chronicles 13:14
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.