πρό, a preposition followed by the genitive (Latinpro) (from Homer down), the Sept. chiefly for μΔτΐπΕι, before; used a. of place: πρό τῶν θυρῶν, τῆς θύρας, etc., Act_5:23 R G; ; Jas_5:9; by a Hebraism, πρό προσώπου with the genitive of a person before (the face of) one (who is following) (Buttmann, 319 (274)): Mat_11:10; Mar_1:2; Luk_1:76; Luk_7:27; Luk_9:52; Luk_10:1 (Mal_3:1; Zec_14:20; Deu_3:18). b. of Time: πρό τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν, Act_5:36; Act_21:38; (πρό τοῦ πάσχα, Joh_11:55); according to a later Greek idiom, πρό ἕξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα, properly, before six days reckoning from the Passover, which is equivalent to ἕξ ἡμέρας πρό τοῦ πάσχα, on the sixth day before the Passover, Joh_12:1 (πρό δύο ἐτῶν τοῦ σεισμοῦ, Amo_1:1; πρό μιᾶς ἡμέρας τῆς Μαρδοχαϊκῆς ἡμέρας, 2Ma_15:36; examples from secular writings are cited by Winers Grammar, 557 (518); (cf. Buttmann, § 131, 11); from ecclesiastical writings by Hilgenfeld, Die Evangelien etc., pp. 298, 302; also his Paschastreit der alten Kirche, p. 221f; (cf. Sophocles' Lexicon, under the word πρό, 1 and 2)); (πρό τῆς ἑορτῆς, Joh_13:1); πρό καιροῦ, Mat_8:29; 1Co_4:5; τῶν αἰώνων, 1Co_2:7; παντός τοῦ αἰῶνος, Jud_1:25 L T Tr WH; ἐτῶν δεκατεσσάρων, (fourteen years ago), 2Co_12:2; add, 2Ti_1:9; 2Ti_4:21; Tit_1:2; τοῦ ἀρίστου, Luk_11:38; κατακλυσμοῦ, Mat_24:38; πρό τῆς μεταθέσεως, Heb_11:5; πρό καταβολῆς κόσμου, Joh_17:24; Eph_1:4; 1Pe_1:20; πρό πάντων, prior to all created things, Col_1:17; (πρό τούτων πάντων (Rev. ἁπάντων), Luk_21:12); by a Hebraism, πρό προσώπου with the genitive of a thing is used of time for the simple πρό (Winers Grammar, § 65, 4b.; (Buttmann, 319 (274))), Act_13:24 ((literally, before the face of his entering in)). πρό with the genitive of a person: Joh_5:7; Joh_10:8 (not Tdf.); Rom_16:7; οἱ πρό τίνος, those that existed before one, Mat_5:12; with a predicate nominative added, Gal_1:17. πρό with the genitive of an infinitive that has the article, Latinante quam (before, before that) followed by a finite verb (Buttmann, § 140, 11; Winer's Grammar, 329 (309)): Mat_6:8; Luk_2:21; Luk_22:15; Joh_1:48 (49); ; Act_23:15; Gal_2:12; Gal_3:23. c. of superiority or pre-eminence (Winer's Grammar, 372 (349)): πρό πάντων, above all things, Jas_5:12; 1Pe_4:8. d. In Composition, πρό marks α. place: προαύλιον; motion forward (Latinporro), προβαίνω, προβάλλω, etc.; before another who follows, in advance, προάγω, πρόδρομος, προπέρμπω, προτρέχω, etc.; in public view, openly, πρόδηλος, πρόκειμαι. β. time: before this, previously, προαμαρτάνω; in reference to the time of an occurrence, beforehand, in advance, προβλέπω, προγινώσκω, προθέσμιος, πρωρίζω, etc. γ. superiority or preference: προαιρέομαι. (Cf. Herm. ad Vig., p. 658.)

πρό pro 47x before, of place, in front of, in advance of, Mat_11:10 ; Luk_1:76 ; Act_5:23 ; before, of time, Mat_5:12 ; Luk_11:38 ; before an infin. with the gen. of the article, before, before that, Mat_6:8 ; Luk_2:21 ; before, above, in preference, Jas_5:12 ; 1Pe_4:8

πρό , prep . c . gen ., [in LXX chiefly for H6440 ;] before ; (a) of place: Act_12:6 ; Act_12:14 ; Act_14:13 , Jas_5:9 ; Papyri προσώπου ( = Heb . H6440 , Deu_3:18 , Ma 3:1, al. ; Bl., § 40, 9), Mat_11:10 , Mar_1:2 , Luk_1:76 ; Luk_7:27 ; Luk_9:52 ; Luk_10:1 , Act_14:13 ; (b) of time: Mat_8:29 ; Mat_24:38 , Luk_11:38 ; Luk_21:12 , Joh_11:55 ; Joh_13:1 ; Joh_17:24 , Act_5:36 ; Act_21:38 , 1Co_2:7 ; 1Co_4:5 , Eph_1:4 , Col_1:17 , 2Ti_1:9 ; 2Ti_4:21 , Tit_1:2 , Heb_11:5 , 1Pe_1:20 , Jud_1:25 ; Papyri ἐτῶν δεκατεσσάρων , fourteen years ago , 2Co_12:2 ; Papyri προσώπου ( v. supr .), Act_13:24 ; c . gen . pers ., Mat_5:12 , Joh_5:7 ; Joh_10:8 , Rom_16:7 , Gal_1:17 ; c . gen . art. inf . ( = πρίν ; M , Pr., 100; Bl., § 69, 7), Mat_6:8 Luk_2:21 ; Luk_22:15 , Joh_1:49 ; Joh_13:19 ; Joh_17:5 , Act_23:15 , Gal_2:12 ; Gal_3:23 ; as in late writers (resembling a Latin idiom but indepen\-dent of it; B1., § 40, 5; M , Pr., 100 f .; of. Am 2Ma_15:36 , and for other exx ., Soph., Lex. , s.v. ), πρὸ ἓξ ἡμέρας τοῦ πάσχα , on the sixth day before the Passover , Joh_12:1 ; (c) of preference: Papyri πάντων , Jas_5:12 , 1Pe_4:8 ; (d) in compos., (α ) c . subst ., of position before: προαύλιον , πρόδρομος ; priority of rank or order, προπάτωρ ; anticipation, πρόγνωσις , πρόνοια ; (β ) c . adj. , intensity, πρόδηλος ; (γ ) c . verb., of place, προάγω , προβαίνω ; of preference, τροαιρέομαι .†

πρό [page 536] πρό is found 48 times in the NT, including 9 times with the articular inf., and always c. gen. (1) For the local use before, in front of, which is rare in the NT ( Act_3:1-26 , Jas_1:1-27 ), we may cite P Petr II. 45 iii. 24 (B.C. 246) (= III. p. 334) πρὸ [τῆς πύλης ] ὅδον ἐξήνεγκαν , and OGIS 50 .12 (mid. iii/B.C.) ἀναθεῖναι πρὸ τοῦ νεὼ τοῦ Διονύσου . We have found no instances in our sources of the Hebraizing πρὸ προσώπου ( Mat_11:10 (from LXX), Luk_9:52 ), but for πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ( 2Ma_8:17 , 3Ma_4:4 ) cf. BGU II. 362 v. 8 (A.D. 215) πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν θέμενος [τ ]ὰ κελευσθέντα , similarly Aristeas 284, and OGIS 210 .8 ( c . A.D. 247) πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχουσι τὰ περὶ τούτου κελευσθέντα : see Deissmann LAE , p. 183 f. The thought of preference, as in Jas_5:12 , 1Pe_4:8 , appears in the common epistolary phrase πρὸ πάντων P Oxy II. 294 .30 (A.D. 22) πρ ]ὸ μὲν πάντων σεαυτοῦ ἐπιμέλου εἵν᾽ ὑ [γιαίνῃς , ib. 292 .11 ( c . A.D. 25) πρὸ δὲ πάντων ὑγια <ί >νειν σε εὔχ [ο ]μαι ἀβασκάντως τὰ ἄριστα πράττων , before all else you have my good wishes for unbroken health and prosperity (Edd.). (2) For the temporal use before, earlier than, cf. P Hib I. 60 .4 ( c. B.C. 245) πρὸ ἕκτης ὥρας τῆι ιθ̄ , before the sixth hour on the 19th, P Fay 122 .23 ( c. A.D. 100) πρὸ ἡ ]μερῶν τριῶν , three days beforehand (cf. 2Co_12:2 ; Proleg , p. 101), BGU II. 592 i. 3 (ii/A.D.) τετελεύτηκεν πρὸ δω [δε ]καετίας , P Gen I. 47 .4 (A.D. 346) πρὸ ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν τούτων , and from the inscrr. OGIS 56 .45 (B.C. 238) πρὸ τοῦ νέου ἔτους , ib. 90 .31 (Rosetta stone B.C. 196) τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ βασιλείων . For the phrase πρὸ πολλοῦ cf. P Hib I. 170 (end of a letter B.C. 247) τούτου γὰρ οὕνεκεν πρὸ πολλοῦ σοι γράφω , and P Oxy VIII. 1153 .16 (i/A.D.) ἃ ἐδ̣ω̣ρήσατό σοι Παυσανίας ὁ ἀδελφός σου πρὸ πολλοῦ ( some time ago ). Οἱ πρὸ ἡμῶν , our predecessors, is supplied in P Tebt I. 61( b ) .384 (B.C. 118 7) : cf. also ib. 15 .21 (B.C. 114) [[διὰ τῆς πρὸ ταύτης ]] ἐπισ (τολῆς ). Joh_12:1 πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα is often treated as a Latinism like ante diem tertium Kalendas (cf. Jannaris Gr. § 1651, Schulze Graeca-Latina p. 15), but Moulton ( Proleg. p. 100 f.) regards the second gen. as practically an ablative = starting from, and finds exx. of the construction in phrases which have nothing to do with the Latin formula. See e.g. the illiterate P Fay 118 .15 (A.D.110) πρὼ δύο ἡμερον ἀγόρασον τὰ ὀρνιθάρια τῆς εἱορτῆς καὶ πέμσεις αὐτά , buy the fowls two days before the feast and send them, and the Mysteries inscr. from Andania Syll 653 (= .3 736) .70 (B.C. 92) πρὸ ἁμερᾶν δέκα τῶν μυστηρίων . Similar exx. are supplied by Rouffiac p. 29 Priene 41 .2 (decree of Senate before B.C. 136) πρὸ ἡμερῶν πέντε εἰδυιῶν Φεβροαρίων , and 105 .23 ( c. B.C. 9) πρ ]ὸ ἐννέα καλανδῶν Ὀκτωβρίων , similarly .55 . See also Babrius xxviii. 4 πρὸ τῆς ὥρης . (3) For πρό c. articular inf. (as in Mat_6:8 al. ), cf. P Frankf 1 .35 (B.C. 214 3) πρ̣ὸ τοῦ αὐτὸν ἢ τὰ ἐκφόρια κομίσασθαι , and for πρὸ τοῦ c. opt. or subj. cf. BGU III. 814 .14 (iii/A.D.) πρὸ τοῦ [εἰσέ ]λθοις εἰς τὴν παρεμπολήν σο̣ν , and P Fay 136 .6 (iv/A.D.) πρὸ τοῦ τις ὑμᾶς ἐνέγκῃ , before anyone fetches you. Cf. MGr προτοῦ (νά ) c. aor. or pres. subj. (Thumb Handb. , p. 193).

πρό "before", Lat. prae: PREP. WITH GENIT.: of Place, "before, in front of", πρὸ ἄστεος, πρὸ πυλάων Hom. ; οὐρανόθι πρό Il. ; χωρεῖν πρὸ δόμων "to come out in front of", Soph. "before, in front of", for the purpose of shielding or guarding, στῆναι πρὸ Τρώων Il. :— "in defence of, for", μάχεσθαι πρὸ γυναικῶν id=Il. ; ὀλέσθαι πρὸ πόληος, Lat. pro patria mori, id=Il. πρὸ ὁδοῦ "further on" the road, i. e. "forwards, onward", Il. : (hence φροῦδος). of Time, "before", πρὸ γάμοιο Od. ; πρὸ ὁ τοῦ ( = ὁ πρὸ τοῦ) ἐνόησεν one "before" the other, Il. ; πρὸ τοῦ θανάτου Plat. , etc.; πρὸ πολλοῦ long "before", Hdt. ; τὸ πρὸ τούτου "before" this, "before", Thuc. ; πρὸ τοῦ (often written προτοῦ) "before", Hdt. , attic in other relations: of Preference, "before, sooner or rather than", κέρδος πρὸ δίκας αἰνῆσαι to praise sleight "before" right, Pind. ; πᾶν πρὸ τῆς παρεούσης λύπης anything "before, rather than" their actual grievance, Hdt. ; πρὸ πολλοῦ ποιεῖσθαι to esteem "above" much, i. e. very highly, Isocr. ; so, πρὸ πολλῶν χρημάτων τιμᾶσθαι Thuc. : redundant, after a comp., ἡ τυραννὶς πρὸ ἐλευθερίης ἀσπαστότερον Hdt. of Cause or Motive, Lat. prae, for, out of, from, πρὸ φόβοιο "for" fear, Il. ; πρὸ τῶνδε there "fore", Soph. POSITION: never after its case, except after the epic gen. Ἰλιόθι πρό, οὐρανόθι πρό, ἠῶθι πρό. πρό, absol. as adv.: of Place, "before, in front, forth, forward", Il. of Time, "before, beforehand", Od. : "before, earlier", Hes. : "prematurely", Aesch. with other Preps. ἀποπρό, διαπρό, ἐπιπρό, περιπρό, προπρό, it strengthens the first prep. πρό IN COMPOS. with Substs., to denote "position before or in front", πρόθυρον, προπύλαια. "priority of rank", πρόεδρος; or "of order", προοίμιον. standing in another's place, πρόμαντις, πρόξενος. with Adjs., to denote "proximity, readiness", πρόχειρος, πρόθυμος. "forth from", προθέλυμνος, πρόρριζος. "prematureness", πρόμοιρος, πρόωρος. with Verbs, of Place, "before, forwards", προβαίνω, προβάλλω: also "before, in defence", προκινδυνεύω. "forth", προέλκω, προφέρω:—also "publicly", προειπεῖν. giving "away", προδίδωμι. "before, in preference", προαιροῦμαι, προτιμάω. "before, beforehand", προαισθάνομαι, προνοέω, προοράω.

πρό prep. with genitive, [in LXX chiefly for פָּנִים ;] before; __(a) of place: Act.12:6, 14 14:13, Jas.5:9; π. προσώπου (= Heb. פָּנִים, Deu.3:18, Mal.3:1, al.; Bl., § 40, 9), Mat.11:10, Mrk.1:2, Luk.1:76 7:27 9:52 10:1, Act.14:13; __(b) of time: Mat.8:29 24:38, Luk.11:38 21:12, Jhn.11:55 13:1 17:24, Act.5:36 21:38, 1Co.2:7 4:5, Eph.1:4, Col.1:17, 2Ti.1:9 4:21, Tit.1:2, Heb.11:5, 1Pe.1:20, Ju 25; π. ἐτῶν δεκατεσσάρων, fourteen years ago, 2Co.12:2; π. προσώπου (see supr.), Act.13:24; with genitive of person(s), Mat.5:12, Jhn.5:7 10:8, Rom.16:7, Gal.1:17; with genitive art. inf. (= πρίν; M, Pr., 100; Bl., § 69, 7), Mat.6:8 Luk.2:21 22:15, Jhn.1:49 13:19 17:5, Act.23:15, Gal.2:12 3:23; as in late writers (resembling a Latin idiom but indepen­dent of it; B1., § 40, 5; M, Pr., 100 f.; of. Am 2Ma.15:36, and for other exx., Soph., Lex., see word), πρὸ ἓξ ἡμέρας τοῦ πάσχα, on the sixth day before the Passover, Jhn.12:1; __(with) of preference: π. πάντων, Jas.5:12, 1Pe.4:8; __(d) in compos., __α with subst., of position before: προαύλιον, πρόδρομος; priority of rank or order, προπάτωρ; anticipation, πρό γνωσις, πρό νοια; __β with adj., intensity, πρόδηλος; __γ with verb., of place, προάγω, προβαίνω; of preference, προαιρέομαι.† (AS)