4310. propascho
Lexical Summary
propascho: To suffer beforehand, to endure previously

Original Word: προπάσχω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: propascho
Pronunciation: pro-PAS-kho
Phonetic Spelling: (prop-as'-kho)
KJV: suffer before
Word Origin: [from G4253 (πρό - before) and G3958 (πάσχω - suffer)]

1. to undergo hardship previously

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
suffer before.

From pro and pascho; to undergo hardship previously -- suffer before.

see GREEK pro

see GREEK pascho

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4310: προπάσχω

προπάσχω: 2 aorist participle προπαθόντες; to suffer before: 1 Thessalonians 2:2. (Herodotus, Sophocles, Thucydides, Plato, others.)

STRONGS NT 4310a: προπάτωρπροπάτωρ, προπατορος, (πατήρ), a forefather, founder of a family or nation: Romans 4:1 L T Tr WH. (Pindar, Herodotus, Sophocles, Euripides, Plato, Dio Cassius, 44, 37; Lucian, others; Plutarch, consol. ad Apoll. c 10; Josephus, Antiquities 4, 2, 4; b. j. 5, 9, 4; Ev. Nicod. 21. 24. 25f; ecclesiastical writings.)

Topical Lexicon
Overview of the Term

Strong’s Greek 4310 occurs only once in the New Testament. In 1 Thessalonians 2:2 Paul uses it to describe suffering that has already been endured before entering the next stage of ministry. The word therefore gathers the ideas of prior affliction, cumulative hardship, and an experience that becomes part of the missionary’s credentials.

Context in 1 Thessalonians 2:2

“After we had already suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, we were emboldened by our God to speak to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition.” (1 Thessalonians 2:2)

The participle introduces the letter’s defense of Paul’s integrity. The apostle reminds the Thessalonian believers that his arrival in their city was not an escape from suffering but a continuation of obedience that had begun in Philippi (Acts 16:22-40). That earlier persecution did not silence the message; it sharpened it.

Historical Background: Philippi and Thessalonica

Philippi
• Beating and imprisonment without trial (Acts 16:22-24)
• Midnight praise, earthquake, jailer’s conversion, release (Acts 16:25-39)
• Public apology demanded for unlawful treatment (Acts 16:37-39)

Thessalonica
• Entrance immediately after release from Philippi (Acts 17:1-4)
• Hostility stirred by jealous opponents (Acts 17:5-9)
• Paul forced to depart at night, leaving a fledgling church (Acts 17:10)

The single aorist participle in 1 Thessalonians 2:2 binds these two cities into one narrative of continuous gospel advance.

Theology of Prior Suffering

1. Authentication of the messenger

The scars acquired in Philippi functioned as visible proof that Paul’s motives were not mercenary (1 Thessalonians 2:3-5). Unlike traveling philosophers or peddlers of religion, he had paid a price before requesting any hearing.

2. Divine empowerment

The past suffering is set against the phrase “we were emboldened by our God.” Hardship is not the source of boldness; God is. Yet the memory of endurance becomes a platform on which God builds fresh courage (compare 2 Corinthians 1:8-10).

3. Continuity with Christ

Jesus foretold that His servants would be mistreated “because they do not know the One who sent Me” (John 15:21). The prior suffering of the apostolic band places them in the same redemptive pattern displayed in the cross preceding the resurrection (Philippians 3:10).

Patterns of Apostolic Ministry

• Perseverance under pressure

Every major missionary advance in Acts is bracketed by suffering (Iconium, Lystra, Philippi, Corinth, Jerusalem). The single occurrence of 4310 encapsulates this pattern: suffering first, then fresh proclamation.

• Refusal to retreat

Paul did not interpret previous pain as a closed door but as a reason to continue. The term underlines the forward momentum of the gospel even when history seems to repeat hostile circumstances.

• Past suffering as testimony

The Thessalonians “became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in great affliction” (1 Thessalonians 1:6). Paul’s earlier endurance became the paradigm they willingly embraced.

Implications for the Believer

1. Expectation of ongoing opposition

“Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Prior hardship is not an anomaly but part of normal discipleship.

2. Memory as fuel for faithfulness

Recalling former trials strengthens present resolve. Churches can rehearse their history of God’s faithfulness to meet contemporary challenges (Psalm 77:11).

3. Preparation for future ministry

The term suggests that suffering can function as a divine apprenticeship, equipping believers to speak with credibility and sympathy (2 Corinthians 1:4-7).

Christological Parallels

Jesus Himself “learned obedience from what He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). The idea of suffering beforehand (though the Greek verb differs) is mirrored in Isaiah’s Servant who is “despised and rejected” prior to seeing the fruit of His labor (Isaiah 53:3, 11). The single New Testament use of 4310 thus fits a wider biblical motif: God ordains suffering as the pathway to redemptive accomplishment.

Related Scriptures

Acts 14:22; Acts 16:22-24; Acts 17:2; 2 Corinthians 11:23-28; Philippians 1:29-30; 1 Peter 2:21; Revelation 2:10.

Ministry Application

Church planters, missionaries, and local shepherds will often discover that the most fertile soil for gospel proclamation is found on the far side of affliction. Remembering prior suffering—personal or corporate—serves to inoculate against discouragement, foster dependence on grace, and remind believers that opposition never negates the advance of the Word.

Forms and Transliterations
προπαθοντες προπαθόντες propathontes propathóntes
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Thessalonians 2:2 V-APA-NMP
GRK: ἀλλὰ προπαθόντες καὶ ὑβρισθέντες
NAS: but after we had already suffered and been mistreated
KJV: even after that we had suffered before, and
INT: but having before suffered also having been insulted

Strong's Greek 4310
1 Occurrence


προπαθόντες — 1 Occ.

4309
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