ἔμπροσθεν

ἔμπροσθεν — émprosthen

ἔμπροσθεν (Tdf. in Rev 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: Rev 4:6 (opposed to ὄπισθεν, as in Palaeph. 29, 2). before: πορεύεσθαι, to precede, to go before, Luk 19:28; προδραμών ἔμπροσθεν, Luk 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, Php 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: Mat 5:24; Mat 7:6; Luk 5:19; Luk 14:2; to prostrate oneself ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ποδῶν τίνος, Rev 19:10; Rev 22:8; γονυπέτειν ἔμπροσθεν τίνος, Mat 27:29; πορεύεσθαι ἔμπροσθεν τίνος, to go before one, Joh 10:4; ἀποστέλλεσθαι ἔμπροσθεν τίνος, to be sent before one, Joh 3:28; σαλπίζειν ἔμπροσθεν τίνος, Mat 6:2; τήν ὁδόν κατασκευάσαι, where ἔμπροσθεν τίνος is nearly equivalent to a dative (cf. Buttmann, 172 (150)), Mat 11:10; Mar 1:2 Rec.; Luk 7:27.

b. before, in the presence of, equivalent to opposite to, over against one: στῆναι, Mat 27:11; ὁμολογεῖν and ἀρνεῖσθαι (Buttmann, 176 (153)), Mat 10:32; Mat 26:70; Luk 12:8,(9 Lachmann); also Gal 2:14; 1Th 1:3; 1Th 2:19; 1Th 3:9; 1Th 3:13; before one, i. e. at his tribunal: Mat 25:32; Mat 27:11; Luk 21:36; Act 18:17; 2Co 5:10; 1Th 2:19; (1Jn 3:19). Here belong the expressions εὐδοκία, θέλημα ἐστι ἔμπροσθεν Θεοῦ, it is the good pleasure, the will of God, Mat 11:26; Mat 18:14; Luk 10:21, formed after Chaldean usage; for in 1Sa 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)). o. before i. e. in the sight of one: Mat 5:16; Mat 6:1; Mat 17:2; Mat 23:13; Mar 2:12 T Tr marginal reading WH;; Luk 19:27; Joh 12:37; Act 10:4 L T Tr WH.

d. before, denoting rank: γεγονέναι ἔμπροσθεν τίνος, to have obtained greater dignity than another, Joh 1:15; Joh 1:30, also R L brackets; (Gen 48:20 ἔθηκε τόν Αφραιμ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Μανασσῆ; (cf. Plato, legg. 1,631 d.; 5, 743 e.; 7, 805 d.)).