Brief Overview of προφθάνω/προσφθάνω (Strong’s G4399: prophthano/prosphthano)

Strong’s G4399: A compound verb combining either πρό (before) or πρός (toward) with φθάνω (to come, arrive), meaning to anticipate or to come before/toward. Used in contexts of anticipatory action, particularly describing Jesus’ foreknowledge and anticipatory engagement with disciples.

U- Unveiling the Word

The terms προφθάνω and προσφθάνω represent anticipatory or preemptive action, differing slightly in emphasis due to their prefixes. While προφθάνω (with πρό-) emphasizes temporal priority, προσφθάνω (with πρός-) suggests directed movement toward someone. In Matthew 17:25, manuscript evidence favors προσφθάνω, highlighting Jesus’ intentional engagement with Peter rather than merely chronological precedence. The early church understood these terms as demonstrating Christ’s divine foreknowledge and purposeful interaction with His disciples. Today, they continue to illustrate how Jesus anticipates and meets our needs before we express them.

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N – Necessary Information

• Greek Word: προφθάνω/προσφθάνω, prophthano/prosphthano, /pro-FTHA-nō/ or /pros-FTHA-nō/
• Detailed pronunciation: pro/pros (as in ‘prose’) + ftha (as in ‘thank’) + nō (as in ‘know’)
• Part of Speech: Verb

Etymology:

• πρό (pro-) – prefix meaning “before” or πρός (pros-) – prefix meaning “toward”
• φθάνω (phthanō) – root verb meaning “to come, arrive”
  The combination creates the concept of anticipatory or directed arrival.

D – Defining Meanings

• To anticipate
• To come before/toward
• To act preemptively

For compound words:
Both forms use φθάνω as the root, with προ- emphasizing temporal priority and προς- emphasizing directional movement.

Translation Options:

1. “To anticipate” – Best captures both temporal and intentional aspects
2. “To come before” – Emphasizes temporal aspect (προφθάνω)
3. “To approach first” – Highlights directional aspect (προσφθάνω)

E – Exploring Similar Words

• φθάνω (phthanō, /FTHA-nō/) – To arrive, come
  See G5348
• προλαμβάνω (prolambanō, /pro-lam-BA-nō/) – To take beforehand
  See G4301
• προάγω (proagō, /pro-A-gō/) – To go before
  See G4254

R – Reviewing the Word’s Morphology

As verbs, both forms exhibit these morphological features:

• Tense: Present, Aorist
• Voice: Active
• Mood: Indicative, Participle
• Person: First, Second, Third
• Number: Singular, Plural
• Aspect: Imperfective (Present), Perfective (Aorist)

Example morphological variations:

• Present: προφθάνω/προσφθάνω (I anticipate)
• Aorist: προέφθασα/προσέφθασα (I anticipated)

Related words in other parts of speech:

• πρόφθασις/πρόσφθασις (prophthasis/prosphthasis) – noun forms meaning “anticipation”

S – Studying Lexicon Insights

BDAG notes both variants and their contextual significance. Thayer’s emphasizes anticipatory action. LSJ provides examples from classical usage. Vine’s discusses manuscript evidence. Strong’s emphasizes compound meaning. Moulton and Milligan cite examples showing usage patterns.

T – Tracing the Scriptures

First Appearance:
“And when he came into the house, Jesus [προσφθάνω] anticipated him, saying, ‘What do you think, Simon?'” Matthew 17:25

Additional References:
This word appears only once in the New Testament.

A – Analyzing Classical Usage

N – Noteworthy Summary

The προφθάνω/προσφθάνω word pair beautifully illustrates how Jesus both anticipates our needs and purposefully moves toward us to meet them. The good news of King Jesus includes His divine foreknowledge and intentional engagement with His people.

D – Did You Know?

1. The textual variation reflects different emphasis rather than meaning change
2. Classical Greek used both forms in military strategy contexts
3. Early Christian writers used both to describe divine providence

Strong’s G4399: A compound verb combining either πρό (before) or πρός (toward) with φθάνω (to come, arrive), meaning to anticipate or to come before/toward. Used in contexts of anticipatory action, particularly describing Jesus’ foreknowledge and anticipatory engagement with disciples.

Part of speech: Verb

Tags: anticipation, foreknowledge, divine initiative, preemptive action, approach, timing, providence, interaction, engagement, preparation​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​