Lexical Definition

‎μέλλω‎ méllō (mel'-lo) to ensue ^G:V
a strengthened form of ‎μέλω‎ (through the idea of expectation)

about, after that, be (almost), (that which is, things, + which was for) to come, intend, was to (be), mean, mind, be at the point, (be) ready, + return, shall (begin), (which, that) should (after, afterwards, hereafter) tarry, which was for, will, would, be yet.

• to intend, i.e. be about to be, do, or suffer something (of persons or things, especially events
• in the sense of purpose, duty, necessity, probability, possibility, or hesitation)

Abbott-Smith

μέλλω, [in LXX: Jb 3:8 (עָתִיד) 19:25 (אַחֲרוֹן); elsewhere for fut., and freq. in Wi, II, IV Mac;]
to be about to be or do;
1. c. inf. (Bl., § 62, 4; 68, 2; M, Pr., 114);
(a) of intending or being about to do of one's own free will: c. inf. praes., Mt 2:13, Lk 10:1, Ac 3:3 5:35, He 8:5, II Pe 1:12 (Field, Notes, 240), al.; c. inf. aor. (Bl., § 58, 3), Ac 12:6, Re 3:16;
(b) of compulsion, necessity or certainty: c. inf. praes., Mt 16:27, Lk 9:31, Jo 6:71, Ro 4:24, al.; c. inf. aor., Ro 8:18, Ga 3:23, Re 3:2 12:4.
2. Ptcp., ὁ μέλλων: absol., Ro 8:38, I Co 3:22; τὰ μ., Col 2:17; εἰς τὸ μ. (Field, Notes, 65); c. subst., Mt 3:7 12:32 (ὁ αἰὼν ὁ μ.; LXX for עַד), Ac 24:25, I Ti 4:8, He 2:5, al.

Abbott-Smith References

Liddell-Scott-Jones

μέλλω,

imperfect ἔμελλον and ἤμελλον (see. below), Epic dialect μέλλον [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Epic dialect, Ionic dialect μέλλεσκον [Refs 3rd c.BC+]: future μελλήσω [NT+4th c.BC+]: aorist ἐμέλλησα [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—passive and middle, see below see.—Only present and imperfect in [Refs 8th c.BC+], Lyric poetry, and Trag.: aorist only in Prose (except [Refs 6th c.BC+]imperfect ἤμελλον with long augment is established by the metre in [Refs 8th c.BC+]: aorist 1 ἠμέλλησα [Refs 6th c.BC+]; ἤμελλον is not found in earlier Attic dialect Inscrr., but occurs in Papyrus, as [Refs 5th c.BC+]

__I to be destined or likely to, indicating an estimated certainty or strong probability in the present, past, or future (cf. Aristonic. cited in [Refs 8th c.BC+]present infinitive (or its equivalent), of a probability in the present, ὅθι που μέλλουσιν ἄριστοι βουλὰς βουλεύειν where belike the best are holding counsel, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ᾧ μέλλεις εὔχεσθαι to whom thou doubtless prayest, [Refs]; μέλλεις δὲ σὺ ἴδμεναι doubtless thou knowest, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τὰ δὲ μέλλετ᾽ ἀκουέμεν belike you have heard it, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὄλβον δὲ θεοὶ μέλλουσιν ὀπάζειν methinks it is the gods who give wealth, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; εἰ δ᾽ οὕτω τοῦτ᾽ ἐστίν, ἐμοὶ μέλλει φίλον εἶναι you may be sure it is my good pleasure, [Refs 8th c.BC+]aorist infinitive, of a probability in the past, μέλλω που ἀπεχθέσθαι Διὶ πατρί I must have become hateful to father Zeus, [Refs]; κελευσέμεναι δέ σ᾽ ἔμελλε δαίμων a god must surely have bidden thee, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; πολλάκι που μέλλεις ἀρήμεναι you must often have prayed, [Refs]; μέλλω ἀθανάτους ἀλιτέσθαι I must have sinned against the immortals, [Refs]; ἄλλοτε δή ποτε μᾶλλον ἐρωῆσαι πολέμοιο μέλλω at any other time rather than this I may have drawn back.., [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μέλλει μέν πού τις καὶ φίλτερον ἄλλον ὀλέσσαι before now, no doubt, a man has lost.., [Refs 8th c.BC+]; of a destiny in the past, ἔμελλεν οἷ αὐτῷ θάνατον.. λιτέσθαι he was fated to have been praying for his own death, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἄρ᾽ ἔμελλον ἑταίρῳ κτεινομένῳ ἐπαμῦναι since I was (i.e. am) not destined to have succoured my comrade when they were slaying him, [Refs]present infinitive, οὐκ ἄρ᾽ ἔμελλες ἀνάλκιδος ἀνδρὸς ἑταίρους ἔδμεναι he was to turn out no helpless man whose comrades you ate, [Refs 8th c.BC+]future infinitive, of a destin y or probability in the future, ἅ οὐ τελέεσθαι ἔμελλον which were not to be accomplished, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τάχα δ᾽ ἀνστήσεσθαι ἔμελλεν[Refs 8th c.BC+]; περὶ τρίποδος γὰρ ἔμελλον θεύσεσθαι they were to have run.., [Refs 8th c.BC+]present infinitive, καὶ γὰρ ἐγώ ποτ᾽ ἔμελλον ἐν ἀνδράσιν ὄλβιος εἶναι I had a chance of being, might have been.., [Refs 8th c.BC+]: with aorist infinitive [Refs 4th c.BC+]infinitive understood, [τὰ μὲν] πάσχουσι, τὰ δὲ μέλλουσι [πάσχειν] [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἀλλ᾽ οὐχ οὑμὸς τοῦτο πέπονθεν βίος οὐ μὰ Δί᾽ οὐδέ γε μέλλει no, not likely! [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__I.d in εἰ clauses, εἰ μέλλει πόλις εἶναι if it is to be a city, [Refs 5th c.BC+]future infinitive, εἰ ἐμέλλομεν.. ἀνοίσειν if we were to refer.., [Refs]: with aorist infinitive, εἰ μέλλομεν.. δηλῶσαι [Refs]: so in participle, τὴν μέλλουσαν οἰκήσεσθαι πόλιν καλῶς [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__I.e in final clauses, ξυνεπιμέλεσθαι ᾗ μέλλει ἄριστα ἕξειν, = {ᾗ ἄριστα ἕξει}, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__I.f in questions, the infinitive being understood, τί οὐ μέλλω (μέλλεις, etc.); why shouldn't I? why is it not likely that I should?, i. e. yes, of course, τὸν υἱὸν ἑόρακας αὐτο; Answ. τί δ᾽ οὐ μέλλω (i.e. ἑορακέναι); of course I have, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τί δ᾽ οὐ μέλλει, εἴπερ γε δρᾷ αὐτ; [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πῶς γὰρ οὐ μέλλε; [Refs]; ἀλλὰ τί μέλλε; what (else) would you expect? i. e. yes, of course, [Refs]
__II to be about to, in purely temporal sense, with future infinitive, Ἕκτορα δῖον ἔτετμεν ἀδελφεόν, εὖτ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔμελλε στρέψεσθ᾽ ἐκ χώρης [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὁ μέν μιν ἔμελλε γενείου.. ἁψάμενος λίσσεσθαι (perhaps present infinitive), ὁ δ᾽ αὐχένα μέσσον ἔλασσε [Refs 8th c.BC+]; δειπνήσειν μέλλομεν, ἢ τ; [Refs 5th c.BC+]present infinitive, τί μέλλεις δρᾶ; [μέλλω μαίνεσθαι “Lyrica Alexandrina Adespota” 1.23 ">Refs 5th c.BC+]: more rarely with aorist infinitive, παθεῖν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀναλαβεῖν, λιπεῖν, θανεῖν, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀπολέσαι, λαβεῖν, [Refs 5th c.BC+] —The infinitive is sometimes omitted, τὸ μέλλειν ἀγαθά (i.e. πράσσειν or πράξειν) the expectation of good things, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__III to be always going to do without ever doing: hence, delay, put off, frequently in Trag. (also in middle μέλλομαι, see infr. IV near the end): in this signification usually followed by present infinitive, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τοὺς ξυμμάχους.. οὐ μελλήσομεν τιμωρεῖν· οἱ δ᾽ οὐκέτι μέλλουσι κακῶς πάσχειν we shall not delay to succour our allies, for their sufferings are not being delayed, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: rarely followed by aorist infinitive, [Refs]infinitive is frequently omitted, τί μέλλει; why delayest thou? [μέλλωμεν ἔτι 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Leges” 712b ">Refs 5th c.BC+]; μέλλον τι.. ἔπος a hesitating word, which one hesitates to speak, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μέλλων σφυγμός a hesitating pulse, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__IV participle μέλλων is used quasi-adjectivally, ὁ μ. χρόνος the future time, [μέλλων">Refs 5th c.BC+] the future tense, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; ἡ μ. αὐτοῦ δύναμις his future power, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὸν μ. βλαστόν (καρπόν codices) [Refs 4th c.BC+] things to come, the future, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; opposed to to what is simply future (τὸ ἐσόμενον), [Refs 4th c.BC+]; εἰς τὸ μέλλον (i.e. ἔτος) [NT+1st c.AD+]middle, τὰ ἰσχυρότατα ἐλπιζόμενα μέλλεται your strongest pleas are hopes in futurity, [Refs 5th c.BC+] — but
__V passive μέλλομαι, ὡς μὴ μέλλοιτο τὰ δέοντα that the necessary steps might not be delayed, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν ὅσῳ ταῦτα μέλλεται while these delays are going on, [Refs 4th c.BC+]future μελλήσομαι uncertain reading in [Refs 6th c.AD+]perfect participle μεμελλημένος, = {μέλλων, σφυγμός} [Refs 2nd c.AD+]

_{LSJ Scripture Refs: Matt.24.6 ☩ Luke.13.9}