Lexical Definition

‎ἀντί‎ antí (an-tee') for ^G:PREP
a primary particle

for, in the room of.

• opposite, i.e. instead or because of (rarely in addition to)

Abbott-Smith

ἀντί (the ι is elided only in ἀνθ᾽ ὧν), prep. c. gen. (cf. MM, VGT, s.v.);
1. prop, in local sense, over against, opposite, hence;
2. instead of, in place of, for (Hom., etc.): Mt 5:38 17:27, Lk 11:11, I Co 11:15, He 12:2; c. artic. inf. (cl.), Ja 4:15; of succession, Mt 2:22; χάριν ἀ. χάριτος, Jo 1:16 (M, Pr., 100); of price in exchange, He 12:16; λύτρον ἀ. πολλῶν, Mt 20:28, Mk 10:45 (M, Pr., 105); of requital, Ro 12:17, I Th 5:15, I Pe 3:9 (cf. Wi 11:15); ἀνθ᾽ ὧν, because, Lk 1:20 19:44, Ac 12:23, II Th 2:10 (cl., LXX for אֲשֶׁר תַּחַת); id. therefore (cl., LXX), Lk 12:3; ἀ. τούτου (LXX for עַל כֵּן), Eph 5:31. As a prefix, ἀντι- (before vowels ἀντ-, ἀνθ᾽-), denotes
(a) over against, ἀντιπέραν;
(b) co-operation, ἀντιβάλλειν;
(c) requital, ἀντιμισθία;
(d) opposition, ἀντίχριστος;
(e) substitution, ἀνθύπατος. Compounds of ἀ. usually govern dat. (Bl., § 37, 7).†

Abbott-Smith References

Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἀντί,

preposition governing genitive:—originally sense, over against. (Cf. Sanskrit ánti 'opposite', 'facing', Latin ante, etc.)

__A USAGE:
__A.I of Place, opposite, over against, formerly quoted from several places of [ἀντί᾽ ἐμεῖο, i.e. ἀντία) Τρώων ἄνθ᾽ ἑκατόν (i.e. ἄντα) 8.233">Refs 8th c.BC+]; so ἄντ᾽ Αἴαντος (i.e. ἄντα)[Refs 8th c.BC+]; but ἀντί is so used in [Refs 5th c.BC+]c-l68; αἱ ὀπαὶ αἱ γιγνόμεναι ἀ. τόρμων mortises facing tenons, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; ἀντὶ μαιτύρων in the presence of witnesses, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__A.II of Time, ἀντὶ νυκτός the same night, [Refs]; ἀντὶ ϝέτεος[Refs 1st c.BC+]; ἀνθ᾽ ἡμέρας· δι᾽ ὅλης τῆς ἡμέρας, [Refs 5th c.AD+]; compare ἀντετοῦς.
__A.III instead, in the place of, Ἕκτορος ἀντὶ πεφάσθαι[ἀντί τινος 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Anabasis” 1.1.4; also ἀντὶ ἄρχεσθαι ὑπ᾽ ἄλλων ἄρχειν ἁπάντων 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 1.210, compare 6.32, 7.170 (where the usual \_construction\_ would be ἀντὶ τοῦ ἄρχεσθαι,compare 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 7.28, 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Institutio Cyri (Cyropaedia)” 6.2.19, etc.); ὀργίλοι ἀντὶ θυμοειδοῦς γεγένηνται 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Respublica” 411c">Refs 8th c.BC+]: sometimes used elliptically, ἦ 'τολμήσατ᾽ ἀντ᾽ ἐμοῦ δοῦναί τιν; i.e. ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐμοὶ δοῦναι, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__A.III.2 in [ἀντί νυ πολλῶν λαῶν ἐστιν ἀνήρ">Refs 8th c.BC+] he is as good as many men, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἀντὶ κασιγνήτου ξεῖνος.. τέτυκται a guest is as much as a brother, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἀντί τοί εἰμ᾽ ἱκέταο I am as a suppliant, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; so later τοῦτό σφι ἀντὶ λουτροῦ ἐστί serves as a bath, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὑπάρχειν ἀντὶ τῶν ἔνδον to be as hostages for.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; δουλεύειν ἀντὶ ἀργυρωνήτων just like bought slaves, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__A.III.3 to denote exchange, at the price of, in return for, σοὶ δὲ θεοὶ τῶνδ᾽ ἀντὶ χάριν.. δοῖεν[Refs 8th c.BC+]; νῆσον ἀντὶ χρημάτων παρέλαβον for money paid, [ἀντί τινος 5th c.BC: Pindarus Lyricus “P.” 4.17, compare 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Orestes” 646, 651; ἀντὶ ποίας εὐεργεσία; 5th c.BC: Lysias Orator 6.40, etc.; τί δ᾽ ἐστὶν ἀνθ᾽ οὗ..; 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Antigone” 237; ὄνειδος ἀνθ᾽ ὅτου [prev. author] “OC” 967">Refs 5th c.BC+]; δοίην ἀντ᾽ ἀνιῶν ἀνίας grief for grief, [Refs 6th c.BC+]:—hence ἀνθ᾽ ὧν wherefore, [NT+5th c.BC+]; ἀντὶ τούτου therefore, [NT]; but ἀνθ᾽ ὧν also for ἀντὶ τούτων ὄτι.., because, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀντὶ το; wherefore? why? [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also ἀνθ᾽ ὧν ὅτι ἦτε.. instead of being as you were.., [LXX]
__A.III.4 for the sake of, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; with Verbs of entreaty, like{πρός} with genitive, ἀντὶ παίδων ἱκετεύομέν σε[Refs 5th c.BC+]
__A.III.5 to mark comparison, ἓν ἀνθ᾽ ἑνός one set against the other, compared with it, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος, i.e. ever-increasing grace, [NT]; in preference to, ἀφνεὸν βούλεται ἀντ᾽ ἀγαθοῦ[ἀντί τινος 5th-6th c.BC: Isocrates Orator 9.3, 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 1.1, compare 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Respublica Lacedaemoniorum” 9.1">Refs 6th c.BC+]: even after Comparatives, πλέον ἀντὶ σοῦ[Refs 5th c.BC+]; so (especially after a negative) ἄλλος ἀντ᾽ ἐμοῦ[Refs 5th c.BC+]
__B POSITION: ἀντί rarely follows its case, as in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; but the Grammars hold that it never suffers anastrophe.
__C IN COMPOSITION (joined with other words), it signified,
__C.1 over against, opposite, as ἀντιβαίνω, ἀντίπορος.
__C.2 against, in opposition to, as ἀντιλέγω, ἀντίβιος.
__C.3 one against another, mutually, as ἀντιδεξιόομαι.
__C.4 in return, as ἀντιβοηθέω.
__C.5 instead of, as ἀντιβασιλεύς, ἀνθύπατος.
__C.6 equal to, like, as ἀντίθεος, ἀντίπαις, ἀντίδουλος.
__C.7 corresponding, counter, as ἀντίφορτος, ἀντίτυπος.

_{LSJ Scripture Refs: Luke.12.3 ☩ Eph.5.31 ☩ LXX.Deut.28.62 ☩ John.1.16}