Lexical Definition

‎μετά‎ metá (met-ah') with/after ^G:PREP
a primary preposition (often used adverbially)

after(-ward), X that he again, against, among, X and, + follow, hence, hereafter, in, of, (up-)on, + our, X and setting, since, (un-)to, + together, when, with (+ -out).

• properly, denoting accompaniment
• "amid" (local or causal)
• modified variously according to the case (genitive association, or accusative succession) with which it is joined
• occupying an intermediate position between ‎ἀπό‎ or ‎ἐκ‎ and ‎εἰς‎ or ‎πρός‎
• less intimate than ‎ἐν‎ and less close than ‎σύν‎)

Abbott-Smith

μετά (before vowel μετ’; on the neglect of elision in certain cases, V. WH, App., 146b), prep. c. gen., acc. (in poet, also c. dat.), [in LXX for אֵת, עִם, אַחַד, etc.;].
I. C. gen.,
1. among, amid: Mk 1:13, Lk 22:37 (LXX, ἐν) 24:5, Jo 18:5, al.; διωγμῶν, Mk 10:30.
2. Of association and companionship, with (in which sense it gradually superseded σύν, than which it is much more freq. in NT; cf. Bl., § 42, 3): c. gen. pers., Mt 8:11 20:20, Mk 1:29 3:7, Lk 5:30, Jo 3:22, Ga 2:1, al. mult.; εἶναι μετά, Mt 5:25, Mk 3:14, al.; metaph., of divine help and guidance, Jo 3:2, Ac 7:9, Phl 4:9, al.; opp. to εἶναι κατά, Mt 12:30, Lk 11:23; in Hellenistic usage (but v. M, Pr., 106, 246 f.), πολεμεῖν μετά = cl. π., c. dat., to wage war against (so LXX for נִלְחַם עִם, I Ki 17:33), Re 2:16, al.; c. gen. rei, χαρᾶς, Mt 13:20, Mk 4:16, al.; ὀργῆς, Mk 3:5, al.
II. C. acc.,
1. of place, behind, after: He 9:3.
2. Of time, after: Mt 17:1, Mk 14:1, Lk 1:24, Ac 1:5, Ga 1:18, al.; μετὰ τοῦτο, Jo 2:12, al.; ταῦτα, [12](/btb/interlinear/41%20-%20Mark/16/Mark.16.12.html)], Lk 5:27, Jo 3:22, al; c. inf. artic. (Bl., § 71, 5; 72, 3), Mt 26:32, Mk 1:14, al.
III. In composition,
1. of association or community: μεταδίδωμι, μετέχω, etc.
2. Exchange or transference: μεταλλάσσω, μετοικίζω, etc.
3. after: μεταμέλομαι.

Abbott-Smith References

Liddell-Scott-Jones

μετά [ᾰ,

but ᾱ in [Refs 5th c.BC+]], poetry μεταί, uncertain, only in μεταιβολί; Aeolic dialect, Doric dialect, [Refs 4th c.AD+]: preposition with genitive, dative, and accusative (Cf. Goth. mip, OHG. miti, mit 'with'.)

__A WITH GEN. (in which use μ. gradually superseded σύν, which see),
__A.I in the midst of, among, between, with plural Nouns, μετ᾽ ἄλλων λέξο ἑταίρων [Refs 8th c.BC+] with one, [Refs 5th c.BC+], i.e. among no men, [Refs]
__A.II in common, along with, by aid of (implying a closer union than σύν), μ. Βοιωτῶν ἐμάχοντο [Refs 8th c.BC+]; συνδιεπολέμησαν τὸν πόλεμον μ. Ἀθηναίων [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μ. τῆς βουλῆς in co-operation with the council, [Refs 8th c.BC+] with, i.e. by aid of, Athena, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μ. τινὸς πάσχειν, δρᾶν τι, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μ. τινὸς εἶναι to be on one's side, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: generally, with, together with, with substantive in singular first in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; οἱ μ. τινός his companions, [NT+5th c.BC+] C. and the Athenians, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of things, in conjunction with, ἰσχύν τε καὶ κάλλος μετὰ ὑγιείας [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__A.III later, in one's dealings with, ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς μετ᾽ αὐτῶν [NT+2nd c.AD+]: even of hostile action, σὺ ποιεῖς μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ πονηρίαν [LXX+NT+2nd c.AD+]: to denote the union of persons with qualities or circumstances, and so to denote manner, τὸ ἄπραγμον.. μὴ μ. τοῦ δραστηρίου τεταγμένον [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ψυχὴν ὁσίως βεβιωκυῖαν καὶ μετ᾽ ἀληθείας [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also, by means of, μετ᾽ ἀρετῆς πρωτεύειν [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__A.III.2 serving to join two predicates, γενόμενος μ. τοῦ δυνατοῦ καὶ ξυνετός, i.e. δυνατός τε καὶ ξυνετός, 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 2.15; ὅταν πλησιάζῃ μ. τοῦ ἅπτεσθαι 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Phaedrus” 255b.
__A.IV rarely of Time, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μετ᾽ ἀνοκωχῆς during.., [Refs]
__B WITH DAT., only poetry, mostly Epic dialect:
__B.I between, among others, but without the close union which belongs to the genitive, and so nearly ={ἐν}, which is sometimes exchanged with it, μ. πρώτοισι.. ἐν πυμάτοισι [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__B.I.1 of persons, among, in company with, μετ᾽ ἀθανάτοισι [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μ. τριτάτοισιν ἄνασσεν in the third generation (not μ. τριτάτων belonging to it), [Refs 8th c.BC+]; of haranguing an assembly, μετ᾽ Ἀργείοις ἀγορεύεις [Refs]; between, of two parties, φιλότητα μετ᾽ ἀμφοτέροισι βάλωμεν [Refs]
__B.I.2 of things, μ. νηυσίν, ἀστράσι, κύμασιν, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__B.I.3 of separate parts of persons, between, μ. χερσὶν ἔχειν to hold between, i.e. in, the hands, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὅς κεν.. πέσῃ μ. ποσσὶ γυναικός, of a child being born, 'to fall between her feet', [Refs]
__B.II to complete a number, besides, over and above, αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ πέμπτος μ. τοῖσιν ἐλέγμην I reckoned myself to be with them a fifth, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Οὖτιν.. πύματον ἔδομαι μ. οἷς ἑτάροισι last to complete the number, i.e. after, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__B.III with dative singular, only of collective Nouns (or the equivalent of such, μεθ᾽ αἵματι καὶ κονίῃσιν [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__C WITH ACCUSATIVE
__C.I of motion, into the middle of, coming into or among, especially where a number of persons is implied, ἵκοντο μ. Τρῶας καὶ Ἀχαιούς [Refs 8th c.BC+]; of things, εἴ τινα φεύγοντα σαώσειαν μ. νῆας [Refs]; με μ... ἔριδας καὶ νείκεα βάλλει plunges me into them, [Refs]; of place, μ. τ᾽ ἤθεα καὶ νομὸν ἵππων [Refs]; δράγματα μετ᾽ ὄγμον πῖπτον into the midst of the furrow, [Refs]
__C.I.2 in pursuit or quest of, of persons, sometimes in friendlysense, βῆ ῥ᾽ ἰέναι μ. Νέστορα went to seek [Refs 8th c.BC+] to go after, pursue him, [Refs]; also of things, πλεῖν μ. χαλκόν to sail in quest of it, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἵκηαι μ. πατρὸς ἀκουήν in search of news of thy father, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; πόλεμον μέτα θωρήσσοντο they armed for the battle, [Refs]; ὡπλίζοντο μεθ᾽ ὕλην prepared to seek after wood, [Refs]
__C.II of sequence or succession,
__C.II.1 of Place, after, behind, λαοὶ ἕπονθ᾽, ὡς εἴ τε μ. κτίλον ἕσπετο μῆλα like sheep after the bell-wether, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μ. τὴν θάλασσαν beyond, on the far side of the sea, [Refs]
__C.II.2 of Time, after, next to, μ. δαῖτας [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μεθ᾽ Ἕκτορα πότμος ἑτοῖμος after Hector thy death is at the door, [Refs 8th c.BC+]thereupon, there-after, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μετ᾽ ὀλίγον ὕστερον shortly after, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; μ. χρυσόθρονον ἠῶ after daybreak, [Refs] by day, opposed to νυκτός, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μεθ᾽ ἡμέραν, opposed to νύκτωρ, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μ. τὸν ἑξέτη καὶ τὴν ἑξέτιν after the boy or girl has attained the age of six years, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__C.II.3 in order of Worth, Rank, etc., next after, following superlative, κάλλιστος ἀνὴρ.. τῶν ἄλλων Δαναῶν μετ᾽ ἀμύμονα Πηλεΐωνα [Refs 8th c.BC+]: where superlative is implied, ὃς πᾶσι μετέπρεπε.. μ. Πηλεΐωνος ἑταῖρον [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μ. μάκαρας next to the gods, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; also μάχεσθαι μ. πολλοὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων to be inferior in fighting to many.., [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__C.III after, according to, μ. σὸν καὶ ἐμὸν κῆρ as you and I wish, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__C.IV generally, among, between, as with dative (B.I), μ. πάντας ὁμήλικας ἄριστος best among all, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μ. τοὺς τετελευτηκότας including those who have died, [Refs 1st c.AD+]; μ. χεῖρας ἔχειν [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__D μετά with all cases can be put after its substantive, and is then by anastrophe μέτα, [Refs 8th c.BC+], but not when the ultima is elided, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__E absolutely as adverb., among them, with them, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; with him, οὐκ οἶον, μ. καὶ Γανυμήδεα [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
__E.II and then, next afterwards, opposed to πρόσθε, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__E.III thereafter,[Refs 5th c.BC+]; μ. γάρ τε καὶ ἄλγεσι τέρπεται ἀνήρ one feels pleasure even in troubles, when past, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μ. δέ, for ἔπειτα δέ, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__F μέτα, -μέτεστι, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__G IN COMPOSITION (joined with other words),
__G.I of community or participation, as in μεταδίδωμι, μετέχω, usually with genitive of things.
__G.I.2 of action in common with another, as in μεταδαίνυμαι, μεταμέλπομαι, etc., with dative person
__G.II in the midst of, of space or time, as in μεταδήμιος, μεταδόρπιος 1; between, as in μεταίχμιον, μεταπύργιον.
__G.III of succession of time, as in μεταδόρπιος 2, μετακλαίω, μεταυτίκα.
__G.IV of pursuit, as in μεταδιώκω, μετέρχομαι.
__G.V of letting go, as in μεθίημι, μεθήμων.
__G.VI after, behind, as in μετάφρενον, opposed to πρόσθε.
__G.VII reversely, as in μετατρέπω, μεταστρέφω.
__G.VIII most frequently of change of place, condition, plan, etc., as in μεταβαίνω, μεταβάλλω, μεταβουλεύω, μεταγιγνώσκω, etc.

_{LSJ Scripture Refs: Matt.26.47 ☩ Acts.14.27 ☩ Luke.10.36 ☩ LXX.Judg.11.27 ☩ Rev.12.7}