Lexical Definition

‎πρότερος‎ próteros (prot'-er-os) before ^G:A
comparative of ‎πρό‎

former.

• prior or previous

Abbott-Smith

A. Compar., πρότερος, -α, -ον, [in LXX for לִפָנִים, רִאשׁוֹן, etc.;]
before, of time, place, rank, etc.; in NT always of Time, before, former: Eph 4:22. Adverbially, πρότερον, before, aforetime, formerly: Jo 7:50, II Co 1:15, He 4:6; opp. to ἔπειτα, He 7:27; τὸ π., Jo 6:62 9:8, Ga 4:13, I Ti 1:13; αἱ π. ἡμέραι, He 10:32; αἱ π. ἐπιθυμίαι, I Pe 1:14.†

Abbott-Smith References

Liddell-Scott-Jones

πρότερος

and πρῶτος, comparative and superlative formed from πρό, opposed to ὕστερος, ὕστατος. comparative πρότερος, α, ον,

__I of Place, before, in front, π. πόδες the fore-feet, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; π. ἵπποι horses in front, [Refs 5th c.BC+] — but mostly,
__II of Time, former, earlier, ἄνδρες [Refs 8th c.BC+]; οἱ π. men of former times, [Refs 8th c.BC+]: also, older, opposed to ὁπλότερος, [Refs]; but παῖδες π. children by the first or a former marriage, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τῇ προτέρῃ (i.e. ἡμέρᾳ) on the day before, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἠοῖ τῇ π. [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τοῦ π. ἐνιαυτοῦ the year before, [Refs]; τοῖς π. Παναθηναίοις the preceding P., [Refs]; τὰ π. what has preceded, [Refs 3rd c.AD+]:—frequently used predicatively, sometimes where we should expect the adverb (which is never used by [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__II.2 as regular comparative, with genitive, ἐμέο πρότερος [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τῇ π. ἡμέρᾳ τῆς τροπῆς the day before.. , [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__III of Rank, Worth, and generally of Precedence, superior, τῷ γένει, τῇ δυνάμει, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; π. τινὸς πρός τι superior to him in.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; π. τι ἄγειν, π. ποιήσασθαι τὰ σὰ πράγματα, [Refs 4th c.AD+]
__IV after [Refs 8th c.BC+] frequently as adverb, before, earlier, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὀλίγον π. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πολλοῖσι ἔτεσι π. τούτων[Refs 4th c.BC+]; also πρὸ τῶν Περσικῶν δέκα ἔτεσι π. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τούτου π. [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with infinitive, π. ἢ βασιλεῦσαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; by πρὶν ἤ with verb in Indic., [Refs]; also οὐ π. εἰ μὴ.. [Refs 1st c.AD+]; οὐ π. ἕως.., or ἕως ἂν.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]., also, for the first time, Ep. Gal.[Refs 5th c.BC+]: the adverb is frequently put between Article and substantive, ὁ π. βασιλεύς [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__B superlative πρῶτος, η, ον, Doric dialect πρᾶτος (which see):
__B.I as adjective,
__B.I.1 of Place, foremost, πρώτοισιν ἐνὶ προμάχοισι μιγέντα [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐν πρώτοις, μετὰ πρώτοισι alone, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τῆς πρώτης τάττειν (i.e. τάξεως) [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν π. ῥυμῷ at the front or end of the pole, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; πρώτῃσι θύρῃσιν at the outermost doors, [Refs]; π. ξύλον the front bench, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; οἱ π. πόδες, like{πρόσθιοι}, [Refs]
__B.I.2 of Time, στάντα πρὸς π. ἕω looking towards first dawn, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__B.I.3 of Order, serving as ordinal to εἷς, ἄεθλα θῆκε.. τῷ πρώτῳ· ἀτὰρ αὖ τῷ δευτέρῳ.., αὐτὰρ τῷ τριτάτῳ.., κτλ., [Refs 8th c.BC+]; opposed to τελευταῖος, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; opposed to τανύστατος, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπὶ τοῦ π. [ἱερείου] first-offered, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν τοῖς π. λόγοις in the earlier books, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἐν πρώτοις among the first, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; hence, above all, especially, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; in Attic dialect, ἐν τοῖς πρῶτοι (see. ὁ, ἡ, τό [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__B.I.3.b Philos., first in order of existence, primary, αἱ π. οὐσίαι [Refs 4th c.BC+]; primitive, simple, οἰκία π., ἡ π. πόλις, [Refs]; ὁ π. συλλογισμός normal, typical, [Refs]; τὰ π. σώματα, μόρια,= τὰ ὁμοιομερῆ, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; πρῶτα κατὰ φύσιν, e.g. health, perception, [Refs]
__B.I.3.c in Mathematics texts, πρῶτοι ἀριθμοί prime numbers, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; but also, first numbers (= 1 to 100,000,000) in the notation of [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
__B.I.3.d πρῶτος is sometimes used where we should expect πρότερος, Αἰνείας δὲ πρῶτος ἀκόντισεν [Refs 8th c.BC+]: in late Greek followed by genitive, πρῶτός μου ἦν [NT+2nd c.AD+]; ἀλόχου πρῶτος before his wife, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__B.I.4 of Rank or Dignity, μετὰ πρώτοισιν among the first men of the state, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; διαβάλλειν τοὺς π. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὁ π. τῆς πόλεως, as a title, [Refs]; ὁ π. τῆς νήσου [NT]; τῶν π. φίλων, title at the Ptolemaic court, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; τῶν π., as military title, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]: with genitive, ἐν πρώτοισι Μυκηναίων [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__B.I.5 of Degree, first, highest, μοῖρα [Refs]
__B.II as substantive in neuter plural πρῶτα, τά,
__B.II.1 (i.e. ἆθλα), first prize, τὰ π. λαβών [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__B.II.2 first part, beginning, τῆς Ἰλιάδος τὰ π. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν τοῖς π. [Refs]
__B.II.3 first, highest, in degree, τὰ π. τᾶς λιμῶ (Doric dialect) the extremities of famine, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φρενῶν ἐς τὰ ἐμεωυτοῦ π. οὔκω ἀνήκω I have not yet come to the highest development of my judgment, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of persons, ἐὼν τῶν Ἐρετριέων τὰ π. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Λάμπων.. Αἰγινητέων [ἐὼν] τὰ π. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐστὶν τὰ π. τῆς ἐκεῖ μοχθηρίας (of a person) [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__B.II.4 Philos., primary things, elements, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__B.II.5 in Logic, the first undemonstrable propositions, on which all future conclusions rest, [Refs]
__B.III in Adverbial phrases,
__B.III.1 τὴν πρώτην (i.e. ὥραν, ὁδόν) first, for the present, just now, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__B.III.2 with Preps., ἀπὸ πρώτης (i.e. ἀρχῆς) [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐκ π. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; παρὰ τὴν π. the first time, opposed to ἐπὶ τῆς δευτέρας, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__B.III.3 frequently as adverb in neuter singular and plural, πρῶτον, πρῶτα,
__B.III.3.a first, in the first place, πρῶτόν τε καὶ ὕστατον (vulgar form ὕστερον) [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τί π. τοι ἔπειτα, τί δ᾽ ὑστάτιον καταλέξ; [Refs 8th c.BC+]; frequently answered only by δέ, [Refs]; sometimes the answering clause must be supplied, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πρῶτα μὲν.., ἔπειτα δὲ.. X [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐπεί σε πρῶτα κιχάνω since my first meeting is with you, [Refs 8th c.BC+], first, in the first place, at the beginning, ὡς τὸ π. ὑπέστην καὶ κατένευσα [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τὸ μὲν οὖν π. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὸ π..., μετὰ ταῦτα.. [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__B.b too early, before the time, ἦ τ᾽ ἄρα καὶ σοὶ πρῶτα (variant for{πρωΐ}) παραστήσεσθαι ἔμελλε Μοῖρ᾽ ὀλοή [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__B.c ={πρότερον}, before, ἢν.. πρῶτον ἀπόλωμαι κακῶς [Refs 5th c.BC+]; θάλασσα π. ἦν ἢ γενέσθαι γῆν variant in [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__B.d first, for the first time, οὐ.. νῦν πρῶτα ποδώκεος ἄντ᾽ Ἀχιλῆος στήσομαι [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__B.e πρῶτον, πρῶτα are used after the relative pronoun and after relative adverbs, like Engl.once (= at all), οὐδ᾽ ἐνοσίχθων λήθετ᾽ ἀπειλάων, τὰς.. Ὀδυσῆϊ π. ἐπηπείλησε [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μοῖραν δ᾽ οὔ τινά φημι πεφυγμένον ἔμμεναι ἀνδρῶν.. ἐπὴν τὰ π. γένηται when once he is born,[Refs 8th c.BC+]; also ἐπεὶ τὸ (or τὰ) π. now that.. , ἀλλ᾽ ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ π. ἀνέκραγον, οὐκ ἐπικεύσω now that I have spoken up,[Refs 8th c.BC+]participle, τῷ ῥ᾽ Αἴας τὸ π. ἐφεζόμενος μέγ᾽ ἀάσθη (the rock) on which once seated Aeschylus blasphemed, [Refs 8th c.BC+]: the sense as soon as is never necessary in [Refs 8th c.BC+], but is possible in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; δινέμεν εὖτ᾽ ἂν πρῶτα φανῇ σθένος Ὠαρίωνος when once (or perhaps, as soon as), [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὅπως τις πρῶτα γένοιτο πάντας ἀποκρύπτεσκε as soon as each was born, [Refs]; ὡς τὸ π. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; αὖθίς με ἀνερέσθαι ὅταν ἐντύχῃς πρῶτον the first time you meet me, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__B.IV adverb πρώτως primarily, first in [Refs 4th c.BC+]; π. καθ᾽ αὑτό, opposed to κατὰ συμβεβηκός, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__B.IV.2 ὅτε π. ἐπεδήμησεν.. when he first visited.., [Refs 2nd c.AD+] —(From πρῶτος was formed a new _superlative_ πρώτιστος, which see)

_{LSJ Scripture Refs: John.1.15 ☩ Acts.28.7}