Lexical Summary proeido: To foresee, to see beforehand Original Word: προεἶδον Strong's Exhaustive Concordance foreseeFrom pro and eido; foresee -- foresee, saw before. see GREEK eido see GREEK pro HELPS Word-studies 4275 proeídō (from 4253 /pró, "before" and 1492 /eídō, "see, know," = 4275a, NAS dictionary) – properly, foresee (know in advance); used of God foreseeing (planning out) all of history from eternity past. This guarantees all the physical scenes of life operate according to (under) His plan – and bringing equal, eternal benefit to the person walking in faith ("divine-persuasion") in each of them. Accordingly, 4275a (proeídon) and faith (4102 /pístis) are directly connected. Gal 3:7-9: "7Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8The Scripture, foreseeing (4275a/proeídon) that God would justify the Gentiles by faith (4102 /pístis), preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, " [For the other occasion of 4275a (proeidon, see Ac 2:31, Textus leceptus. Compare 4308 /prooráō ("see before") with the Critical Text.] Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4275: προεῖδονπροεῖδον (from Homer down), 2 aorist of the verb πρωράω, to foresee: Acts 2:31 ((here WH προϊδών without diaeresis; cf. Iota, at the end)); Galatians 3:8. Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s 4275 (προεἶδον) expresses the act of seeing or setting something before oneself beforehand. The form does not appear in the Greek New Testament, yet the idea it conveys is woven throughout Scripture, especially in the Septuagint and in cognate New-Testament vocabulary. It functions at three levels: (1) the omniscient foresight of God, (2) the prophetic foresight granted to His messengers, and (3) the deliberate, future-oriented mindset expected of the faithful. Old Testament Background In the Septuagint, προεἶδον often translates Hebrew verbs for “seeing” when a temporal nuance (“beforehand” or “continually”) is intended. David’s confession, “I have set the LORD always before me” (Psalm 16:8), typifies the devotional use: a conscious, habitual placing of Yahweh in the believer’s sightline. In the prophetic corpus the term underscores divine sovereignty: “I declared it to you long ago; before it came to pass I proclaimed it” (Isaiah 48:5). Here God’s prior vision authenticates His claims over idols that “cannot declare the things that are coming” (Isaiah 44:7). New-Testament Parallels Although προεἶδον itself is absent from the New Testament text, several related verbs carry its theological weight: • προοράω — “David says about Him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me’ ” (Acts 2:25). Together these passages reveal continuity: God foreknows and foretells; His prophets foresee by revelation; His people are urged to look ahead in faith and obedience. Doctrinal Significance 1. Divine Foreknowledge and Providence Isaiah 46:10–11 proclaims a God who “declares the end from the beginning.” The vocabulary of foresight affirms not mere awareness but purposeful ordination; the events God “foresees” are the very events He brings to pass. 2. Certainty of Prophecy The predictive aspect of biblical prophecy rests on God’s prior vision. Because He sees history in advance, the prophetic word is “more certain” (2 Peter 1:19). 3. Messianic Expectation The Old Testament foresight of Christ provides a unified redemptive thread. David foresaw the Resurrection (Acts 2:31); Isaiah foresaw the Servant’s atoning work (Isaiah 53:10–12); Zechariah foresaw the pierced Messiah (Zechariah 12:10). 4. Ethical and Pastoral Implications Believers are called to adopt a foresight shaped by revelation: “What kind of people ought you to be… as you look forward to the day of God” (2 Peter 3:11–12). Hebrews commends Moses for “looking ahead to his reward” (Hebrews 11:26). Historical Development Early Jewish exegetes exploited προεἶδον to argue for the uniqueness of Israel’s God–who alone reveals future certainties. Patristic writers then applied the term apologetically: fulfilled prophecy verified the gospel before a skeptical Greco-Roman world. Reformation teachers, emphasizing sola Scriptura, appealed to biblical foresight to demonstrate the Bible’s internal consistency and the trustworthiness of salvation history. Ministry Applications • Preaching: Underscore God’s sovereign foresight to fortify congregational confidence: promises kept in the past guarantee promises yet to be fulfilled. Summary While προεἶδον (Strong’s 4275) appears only in the Greek Old Testament, its conceptual richness permeates the whole canon. It anchors the doctrine of God’s omniscience, secures the reliability of prophecy, and shapes a forward-looking faith that fixes the eyes of the heart on the risen Christ and His coming kingdom. Forms and Transliterations προείδες προείδον προεξήνεγκε προϊδούσα προϊδώνLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance προγόνοις — 1 Occ.προεγράφη — 2 Occ. προέγραψα — 1 Occ. προγεγραμμένοι — 1 Occ. πρόδηλα — 1 Occ. πρόδηλοί — 1 Occ. πρόδηλον — 1 Occ. προέδωκεν — 1 Occ. προδόται — 2 Occ. προδότης — 1 Occ. προηλπικότας — 1 Occ. προεῖπεν — 1 Occ. προενήρξασθε — 1 Occ. προενήρξατο — 1 Occ. προεπηγγείλατο — 1 Occ. προεπηγγελμένην — 1 Occ. προῆλθον — 2 Occ. προήρχετο — 1 Occ. προελεύσεται — 1 Occ. προελθὼν — 2 Occ. |
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