Word study
Beforehand
8 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “beforehand”. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “beforehand” or one of its forms.
Compare the Greek words side by side
Greek words (New Testament)
- προμεριμνάω promerimnáōI am anxious beforehandtranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s G4305Verb · Translated: worry beforehand 1Full study and its 1 verse →
Mark 13:11 But when they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand what to say. Instead, speak whatever you are given at that time, for it will not be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
- δέ début, on the other hand, andtranslated this way 1 time of its 1,642 uses · Strong’s G1161Conjunction · Translated: but 784, and 340, now 117, then 101Full study and all 1,541 verses →
- προμελετάω promeletáōI meditate beforehand, preparetranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s G4304Verb · Translated: worry beforehand 1Full study and its 1 verse →
Luke 21:14 So make up your mind not to worry beforehand how to defend yourselves.
- προορίζω proorízōI foreordain, predeterminetranslated this way 1 time of its 6 uses · Strong’s G4309Verb · Translated: predestined 4, decided beforehand 1, destined 1Full study and all 6 verses →
Acts 4:28 They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen.
- προχειροτονέω procheirotonéōI designate beforehandtranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s G4401Verb · Translated: chosen beforehand 1Full study and its 1 verse →
Acts 10:41 not by all the people, but by the witnesses God had chosen beforehand, by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.
- προεπαγγέλλομαι proepangéllomaiI promise beforehandtranslated this way 1 time of its 2 uses · Strong’s G4279Verb · Translated: promised beforehand 1, promised 1Full study and all 2 verses →
Romans 1:2 the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
- προγίνομαι progínomaiI happen previouslytranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s G4266Verb · Translated: committed beforehand 1Full study and its 1 verse →
Romans 3:25 God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.
- προέρχομαι proérchomaiI go before, precedetranslated this way 1 time of its 9 uses · Strong’s G4281Verb · Translated: went on ahead 2Full study and all 9 verses →
2 Corinthians 9:5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you beforehand and make arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. This way, your gift will be prepared generously and not begrudgingly.
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Short definition: Dodson Greek Lexicon (2010, public domain). Full entry: G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922, public domain). Strong’s Greek Dictionary (1890) in the edition by Ulrik Sandborg-Petersen (CC0). These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.