Bible Lexicons

Unfortunately we have as yet no such new light as F. B. Westcott (St. Paul and Justification, p. 158 ff.) hoped for from ";some fortunate exhumed sherd, or strip of papyrus ";to help to explain the difficult προεχόμεθα of Romans 3:9. He himself thinks the meaning must be ";are we in better case?"; but Field (Notes p. 152 f. : cf. Lightfoot Notes p. 266 f., SH ad l.) inclines to treat the verb as pass. = ";are we excelled?"; or ";are we in worse case than they?"; (RV), and cites (from Wetstein) a clear ex. of this usage from Plutarch II. p. 1038 C : ὥσπερ τῷ Διῒ προσήκει σεμνύνεσθαι ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ τε καὶ τῷ βίῳ, καὶ μέγα φρονεῖν. . . οὕτω τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς πᾶσι ταῦτα προσήκει, κατ᾽ οὐδὲν προεχομένοις ὑπὸ τοῦ Διός (cum nulla in re a Jove superentur).

We may give a few miscellaneous exx. of the use of the verb in the act. : P Petr II. 12 (4).6 (B.C. 241) ὑπολόγησον ὃ προέχουσι, ";take into account what they have already"; (Ed.), BGU IV. 1121.8 (B.C. 5) ὃ ] προε ̣ι ̣ͅχ ̣εν Ἱέραξ ὁ Ἱέρακος ἐπὶ τοῖς οὖσι ὁρίοις, P Lond 897.22 (A.D84) (= III. p. 207) οὐκ ἔγραψα δὲ διὰ τῆς ἐ [π ]ιστολῆς εἰδὼς ἐμαυτῶι ὅτι ἤδη [π ]ροέσχη [κας ] ἐν τῶι π ̣ρ ̣α ̣γματι, BGU III. 889.9 (A.D. 151) ἃ προεῖχεν μισθῷ ὁ προγεγρ (αμμένο ̓) Πτολ (εμαῖος), PSI V. 450.17 (ii/iii A.D.) Πεκῦσις Διογένους προ [έσ ]χον τὴν φερν [ήν, and Cagnat III. 103.8 ἐν νομικῇ (iurisprudentia) προὔχοντα Κλεόμβροτον ἥρπασε μοῖρα.