Lexical Summary prosdokia: Expectation, anticipation Original Word: προσδοκία Strong's Exhaustive Concordance expectation, looking after. From prosdokao; apprehension (of evil); by implication, infliction anticipated -- expectation, looking after. see GREEK prosdokao NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom prosdokaó Definition expectation NASB Translation expectation (1), expecting (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4329: προσδοκίαπροσδοκία, προσδοκίας, ἡ (προσδοκάω), from Thucydides and Xenophon down, expectation (whether of good or of evil): joined to φόβος (Plutarch, Ant. 75: Demetr. 15) with a genitive of the object added (Winer's Grammar, § 50, 7 b.), Luke 21:26; τοῦ λαοῦ (genitive of subject), the expectation of the people respecting Peter's execution, Acts 12:11. Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s Greek 4329 portrays a state of forward-looking anticipation—often anxious, sometimes hopeful—toward events not yet seen. Though the term appears only twice in the Greek New Testament, those occurrences bookend two dominant biblical themes: judgment upon an unbelieving world and the unexpected deliverance of the faithful. Scriptural Occurrences Luke 21:26 records that in the last days “people will faint from fear and expectation of what is coming upon the world”. Here the word depicts an overwhelming dread as humanity faces the shaking of heaven and earth predicted by the Lord Jesus. Acts 12:11 describes Peter’s realization after his angelic rescue: “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting”. In contrast to Luke’s universal panic, this passage highlights a localized, hostile anticipation that God overturns in dramatic fashion. Thematic Significance 1. Moral polarity: Both texts employ the term negatively—an expectation rooted in fear or malice—yet each points to God’s sovereign overruling. The ungodly dread of Luke anticipates divine judgment; the malicious hope of Herod’s supporters in Acts is shattered by divine intervention. Expectation and Eschatology In Luke 21, Jesus warns of cosmic signs that will leave unbelievers paralyzed by terror. The term illustrates how a worldview divorced from God transforms expectation into panic. By contrast, the same prophetic discourse urges disciples to “stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). Thus Scripture contrasts the world’s dread-filled outlook with the church’s hope-filled anticipation. Expectation and Deliverance Acts 12 recounts Herod’s violent campaign against the church. The authorities fully planned Peter’s public execution, but the Lord redirected history. Their frustrated expectation becomes a testimony to divine deliverance, reinforcing the repeated biblical pattern that “many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all” (Psalm 34:19). Old Testament Resonance The concept resonates with Hebrew Scripture where “expectation” (tiqvah or aḥărîṯ) can be either hopeful or doomed. “The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish” (Proverbs 10:28). Psalm 62:5 anchors the believer’s soul: “Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him.” These texts provide theological soil for the New Testament usage: expectation divorced from God ends in ruin, whereas expectation grounded in Him yields steadfast peace. Ministry and Pastoral Applications • Preaching: Proclaim both warnings of impending judgment and promises of deliverance, illustrating each with the two occurrences of 4329. The Gospel Implications Jesus Christ absorbed the judgment the world dreads and secured the deliverance Peter tasted. The cross and resurrection therefore transform the believer’s expectation from terror to assurance: “…Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Evangelism presents this exchange—fear for forgiveness, dread for adoption—to a world still “fainting from fear.” Practical Reflections 1. Examine your heart’s expectations: are they shaped by headlines or by the promises of God? Thus, while Strong’s 4329 surfaces only twice, it opens a window onto the grand narrative: God overturns ungodly expectation and invites His people into a hope that “does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5). Forms and Transliterations προσδοκία προσδοκίαν προσδοκιας προσδοκίας prosdokias prosdokíasLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Luke 21:26 N-GFSGRK: φόβου καὶ προσδοκίας τῶν ἐπερχομένων NAS: from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming KJV: and for looking after those things which are coming onINT: fear and expectation of that which is coming Acts 12:11 N-GFS |
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