What does πρό (pró) mean in the Bible?
Pro is the Greek preposition before. It can describe something earlier in time, in front of someone, or prior to an event.
Greek · G4253
πρό
Before
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
πρό G4253
Pronunciation pró
What does πρό (pró) mean in the Bible?
Pro is the Greek preposition before. It can describe something earlier in time, in front of someone, or prior to an event.
Reader summary
Full entry for πρό (G4253) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4253?
The BSB source-word alignment has 47 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include before (29), ahead of You (3), at (3), Above (2), Some time ago (2).
Where does πρό (pró) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 5:12. Its strongest book concentrations include John (9), Acts (7), Luke (7), Matthew (5).
What This Word Actually Means
Pro is the Greek preposition before. It can describe something earlier in time, in front of someone, or prior to an event. In the New Testament, its pastoral weight is often temporal: before Philip called Nathanael, before the Passover, before the world existed, before the foundation of the world, before time began, and before the last-times revelation of Christ.
The word does not prove eternal doctrine by itself. It marks priority, and the passage explains what kind of priority is meant. John 17:5 uses pro to speak of the glory the Son had with the Father before the world existed. Ephesians 1:4 uses it for God's electing purpose before the foundation of the world. First Peter 1:20 uses it for Christ foreknown before creation and revealed in the last times.
Pro helps teachers speak of time under God's rule.
How the Bible Uses It
Pro marks before-ness: temporal priority, spatial position, or event sequence. In key New Testament passages it serves Christ's preexistent glory, God's electing purpose, and the timing of redemptive revelation.
- John.1.48
“How do You know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Jesus saw Nathanael before Philip called him, using the preposition in a concrete temporal sequence that reveals Jesus' knowledge.
- John.13.1
It was now just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end.
Before the Passover Feast frames Jesus' hour, love for His own, and the movement toward the cross.
- John.17.5
And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.
Jesus speaks of glory with the Father before the world existed, so pro serves a major Christological claim about preexistent fellowship.
- Eph.1.4
For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love
God chose His people in Christ before the foundation of the world, locating salvation in divine purpose before human achievement.
- 2Tim.1.9
He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.
Grace was granted in Christ before time began, placing calling and salvation inside God's eternal purpose.
- 1Pet.1.20
He was known before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in the last times for your sake.
Christ was known before the foundation of the world and revealed in the last times, joining eternal purpose to historical manifestation.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It before 29× Matthew 5:12, Matthew 6:8, Matthew 24:38, Luke 2:21
ahead of You 3× Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 7:27
at 3× Acts 12:6, Acts 12:14, James 5:9
Above 2× James 5:12, 1 Peter 4:8
Some time ago 2× Acts 5:36, Acts 21:38
[who came] before 1× Galatians 1:17
ago 1× 2 Corinthians 12:2
ahead of Him 1× Luke 10:1
before [the] 1× Matthew 8:29
just before 1× John 13:1
just outside 1× Acts 14:13
on ahead 1× Luke 9:52
on the way 1× Acts 23:15
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 5:12 πρὸ to before Preposition Matthew 6:8 πρὸ to before Preposition Matthew 8:29 πρὸ to before [the] Preposition Matthew 11:10 πρὸ to ahead of You Preposition Matthew 24:38 πρὸ to before Preposition Mark 1:2 πρὸ to ahead of You Preposition Luke 2:21 πρὸ to before Preposition Luke 7:27 πρὸ to ahead of You Preposition Luke 9:52 πρὸ to on ahead Preposition Luke 10:1 πρὸ to ahead of Him Preposition
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 5:12
Aligned rows 47
Books represented 17
Matthew 5 Mark 1 Luke 7 John 9 Acts 7 Romans 1 1 Corinthians 2 2 Corinthians 1 Galatians 3 Ephesians 1 Colossians 1 2 Timothy 2 Titus 1 Hebrews 1 James 2 1 Peter 2 Jude 1
Source forms
πρὸ 42x pro Matthew 5:12, Matthew 6:8, Matthew 8:29, Matthew 11:10
Πρὸ 5x Pro Luke 21:12, John 1:48, John 13:1, Galatians 3:23
Parsing patterns
Preposition 47x Matthew 5:12, Matthew 6:8, Matthew 8:29, Matthew 11:10
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Let before language humble boasting. Salvation is rooted in God's purpose in Christ before our works or awareness.
- Distinguish ordinary sequence from redemptive before-creation claims. The same preposition can mark simple timing or profound theological priority.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that pro always refers to eternity. Many uses simply mark an earlier event in ordinary time.
- Do not claim that the preposition alone proves a doctrine. John 17:5, Ephesians 1:4, and 2 Timothy 1:9 supply doctrine through their full statements.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Temporal priority often expresses God's timeless action preceding human history and decision.
Strong's G4253
Lexical occurrences 47 verses Greek text appearances 48 times 16 shown below Word forms 1 form 47 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link 1 Corinthians 4:5 Source Gloss
before
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 48 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 5:12 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse Matthew 6:8 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse Matthew 8:29 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse Matthew 11:10 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse Matthew 24:38 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse Mark 1:2 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse Luke 1:76 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse Luke 2:21 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse Luke 7:27 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse Luke 9:52 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse Luke 10:1 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse Luke 11:38 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse Luke 21:12 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse Luke 22:15 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verse John 1:48 Preposition
Πρὸ pro
before
Read verse John 5:7 Preposition
πρὸ pro
before
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 1 Aligned forms 47
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Matt 5:12 · Matt 6:8 · Matt 8:29 · Matt 11:10 · Matt 24:38 · Mark 1:2 · Luke 2:21 · Luke 7:27 · Luke 9:52 · Luke 10:1 · Luke 11:38 · Luke 21:12 · Luke 22:15 · John 1:48 · John 5:7 · John 10:8 47×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Temporal: prior to the time when the Lord comes to judge
Temporal: prior to the arrival of certain people from Jerusalem
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 47 lexical occurrence verses.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
The pastoral force of pro is not speculation about time but confidence in God's prior purpose. John 17:5 lets the church hear the Son speak of glory with the Father before the world existed. Ephesians 1:4 says God's saving purpose in Christ is older than the foundation of the world. Second Timothy 1:9 says grace was given in Christ before time began. First Peter 1:20 says Christ was foreknown before creation and revealed in the last times.
Those passages do not make believers escape history; they teach that history is not ultimate. The cross, calling, election, and revelation are not divine improvisation. Pro marks the before-ness that humbles human boasting and strengthens assurance because God's purpose precedes our response.
Anchor passage
John.17.5
Doctrinal connections
- G2476 Histemi - before language often concerns foundations and standing, especially the foundation of the world in election and revelation texts.
- G1586 Eklegomai - Ephesians 1:4 connects pro with God's choosing in Christ before the world's foundation.
- G1391 Doxa - John 17:5 uses pro to speak of the Son's glory with the Father before creation.
- G5485 Charis - 2 Timothy 1:9 places grace in Christ before time began, not in human works.
- G5319 Phaneroo - 1 Peter 1:20 joins before-creation knowledge with last-times manifestation.
- John 13 and 17 - John's before language frames both Jesus' hour in history and His glory before history.
Pro can be temporal or spatial, but these selected uses are mainly temporal. The object following pro tells the reader what boundary is being crossed: a call, a feast, the world, time, or creation's foundation.
From Old to New Testament
Scripture moves from created time to God's prior counsel and then back into history. The Son's glory before the world, the Father's choosing before the foundation, and Christ's revelation in the last times all show that redemption is eternal in purpose and historical in fulfillment.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain