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Greek · G5348 · unreviewed

φθάνω

To precede/arrive

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φθάνω G5348
Pronunciation phthánō

What does φθάνω (phthánō) mean in the Bible?

φθάνω (phthánō) is a Greek word meaning "to precede/arrive". φθάνω [in LXX for נָגַע hi.

Full entry for φθάνω (G5348) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

to precede/arrive
Extended definition

To arrive or come before; in NT often means the kingdom of God reaching/arriving upon people.

1to come before another, anticipate (cl.): with accusative of person(s), 1Th.4:15.
2In late writers and MGr. (see Kennedy, Sources, 156; Lft., Notes, 35), to come, arrive: Rom.9:31; before εἰς, Php.3:16; ἄχρι, 2Co.10:14; ἐπί (cf. Da TH Dan.4:21, and see Dalman, Words, 107), Mat.12:28, Luk.11:20, 1Th.2:16 (cf. προ-φθάνω).
Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Grammatical Forms

How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.

Tenses
Aorist
Voices
Active
Indicative states a fact or reality 6×
Aorist Active Matt 12:28 · Luke 11:20 · Rom 9:31 · 1 Thess 2:16 · 2 Cor 10:14 · Phil 3:16 6×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 1×
Aorist Active 1 Thess 4:15 1×
7 total occurrences across all forms in the biblical text Morphology: MorphGNT SBLGNT — CC BY-SA 3.0
Discourse Aspect

How this verb appears across 7 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).

Aspect
completed 6 subjunctive 1
Tense
aorist 7
Voice
active 7
Mood
indicative 6 subjunctive 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 12:28 ἔφθασεν aorist active indicative completed Luke 11:20 ἔφθασεν aorist active indicative completed Romans 9:31 ἔφθασεν aorist active indicative completed 2 Corinthians 10:14 ἐφθάσαμεν aorist active indicative completed Philippians 3:16 ἐφθάσαμεν aorist active indicative completed 1 Thessalonians 2:16 ἔφθασεν aorist active indicative completed 1 Thessalonians 4:15 φθάσωμεν aorist active subjunctive subjunctive

Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.

Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)

Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

Witnesses
Luke 11:14–23 ἐφθασεν phthánō
Has come upon, overtaken
Appears In

Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.

φθάνω · ἐπί G5348, G1909
has come upon, has arrived upon
Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

Luke 11 — Prayer, Kingdom Conflict, True Hearing, and the Exposure of Hypocrisy Matthew 12 — The Lord of the Sabbath, the Servant of the Lord, and the Crisis of Unbelief

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

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

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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