Bible Lexicons

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)). o. before i. e. in the sight of one: Matthew 5:16; Matthew 6:1; Matthew 17:2; Matthew 23:13 (); Mark 2:12 T Tr marginal reading WH; ; 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 R L brackets; (Genesis 48:20 ἔθηκε τόν Αφραιμ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Μανασσῆ; (cf. Plato, legg. 1,631 d.; 5, 743 e.; 7, 805 d.)).