4284. proechó

Lexicon

proechó: To have advantage, to surpass, to excel

Original Word: προέχω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: proechó
Pronunciation: pro-eh'-kho
Phonetic Spelling: (pro-ekh-om-ahee)
Definition: To have advantage, to surpass, to excel
Meaning: trans: I hold before; mid: I excuse myself; intrans: I project, excel, surpass, have preeminence.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

be better.

Middle voice from pro and echo; to hold oneself before others, i.e. (figuratively) to excel -- be better.

see GREEK pro

see GREEK echo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from pro and echó
Definition
to hold before
NASB Translation
better (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4284: προέχω

προέχω ((from Homer down)): present middle 1 person plural προεχόμεθα; to have before or in advance of another, to have pre-eminence over another, to excel, to surpass; often so in secular authors from (Sophocles and) Herodotus down; middle to excel to one's advantage (cf. Kühner, § 375, 1); to surpass in excellences which can be passed to one's credit: Romans 3:9; it does not make against this force of the middle in the present passage that the use is nowhere else met with, nor is there any objection to an interpretation which has commended itself to a great many and which the context plainly demands. (But on this difficult word see especially James Morison, Critical Expos. of the Third Chap. of Romans, p. 93ff; Gifford in the 'Speaker's Commentary,' p. 96; Winer's Grammar, § 38, 6; § 39 at the end, cf. p. 554 (516).)

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: From πρό (pro, meaning "before" or "in front of") and ἔχω (echō, meaning "to have" or "to hold").

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for προέχω, similar concepts can be found in Hebrew words that convey superiority or preeminence, such as גָּבַהּ (gāḇah, Strong's Hebrew 1361), meaning "to be high" or "to be exalted," and נָשָׂא (nāśā', Strong's Hebrew 5375), meaning "to lift" or "to carry," which can imply lifting someone to a position of prominence.

Usage: The term is used in the New Testament to convey the idea of having a position of prominence or superiority. It can also suggest the act of holding something in high regard or giving preference.

Context: • The Greek verb προέχω appears in the New Testament in contexts that emphasize superiority or preeminence. It is used to describe situations where one person or group is considered to have an advantage or to be held in higher esteem than another.
• In Philippians 2:3, the Apostle Paul uses a related concept to encourage believers to "consider others more important than yourselves," which aligns with the idea of giving preference or holding others in higher regard.
• The term can also be understood in a more literal sense, as in holding something physically in front of oneself, though this usage is less common in the New Testament.
• The concept of προέχω is consistent with the broader biblical theme of humility and service, where true greatness is found in serving others and considering their needs above one's own.

Forms and Transliterations

προεχομεθα προεχόμεθα proechometha proechómetha

Englishman's Concordance

Romans 3:9 V-PIM/P-1P
GRK: Τί οὖν προεχόμεθα οὐ πάντως
NAS: then? Are we better than they? Not at all;
KJV: then? are we better [than they]? No,
INT: What then are we better not at all

Strong's Greek 4284
1 Occurrence

προεχόμεθα — 1 Occ.