Greek word · G1726

ἐναντίον

enantion

in front of

'Before the Lord, in the Lord's presence.' In the Hebrew Bible this phrase is often tied to the sanctuary, the place where Israel stood before God's face. It can also simply mean praying or acting with God as the one addressed and the witness.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἐν-αντίος, -α, -ον

(ἀντίος, set against), [in LXX: ἐξ ἐναντίας, for נֶגֶד, etc.; ἐναντίον, for פָּנִים etc. ;]

over against, opposite, contrary: ἄνεμος, Matthew 14:24, Mark 6:48, Acts 27:4; ἐξ ἐναντίας (ellipse obscure, see Bl., § 44,1; Mozley, Psalms 42:1-11), with genitive, Mark 15:39. Metaphorical, opposed, hostile: 1 Thessalonians 2:15, Acts 26:9 28:17; ὁ ἐξ ἐ., Titus 2:8. Neuter., -ίον, adv., as prep. with genitive, before, in the presence of: Luke 1:6 20:26 24:19 Acts 7:10 (ἔναντι, T), Acts 8:32 (LXX).†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Baruch 1:5

Range of meaning

'Before the Lord, in the Lord's presence.' In the Hebrew Bible this phrase is often tied to the sanctuary, the place where Israel stood before God's face. It can also simply mean praying or acting with God as the one addressed and the witness.

Against the English

'Before the Lord' is accurate. What modern readers may miss is that 'Lord' here stands for the divine name YHWH, and that 'before' carries the weight of temple worship.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Hebrew phrase lifnê YHWH appears often for worship at the sanctuary (Lev 1:5; Judg 20:26; 1 Sam 1:12). Solomon's prayer expects exiles to pray 'toward the land' and the temple, and asks God to hear from heaven (1 Kgs 8:46–50). Daniel prays toward Jerusalem from Babylon (Dan 6:10).

From the study of Luke 24:19

Range of meaning

Before, in front of, in the sight of. In the Septuagint, "before God" usually means that God sees and judges, and so approves or condemns.

Against the English

"Before God" can sound to modern readers like "in God's presence" in a worship sense. "In the sight of God" (NASB) brings out the sense of God as witness and judge better.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke 1:6 says Zechariah and Elizabeth were "righteous before God" (enantion tou theou). The phrase is frequent in the Septuagint, where "in the sight of the LORD" translates Hebrew lifnei YHWH.

Similar words

Where it appears

Luke · 3

  1. Luke 1:6 ἐναντίον in front of

    Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.

    Here: 'In God's sight.' Their righteousness was not just a good reputation with neighbours. God himself counted them righteous. The phrase echoes the Greek Old Testament's wording about Noah (Gen 7:1).

  2. Luke 20:26 ἐναντίον before

    And they were unable to trap Him in His words before the people. And amazed at His answer, they fell silent.

  3. Luke 24:19 ἐναντίον before

    “What things?” He asked. “The events involving Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet, powerful in speech and action before God and all the people.

    Here: "In the sight of." It is a Septuagint phrase meaning that God sees and approves (cf. Luke 1:6). The same word covers the people too: both God and the nation were witnesses.

Acts · 2

  1. Acts 7:10 ἐναντίον before

    and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.

    Here: 'In front of' or 'in the eyes of' Pharaoh. The favor and wisdom are seen and valued in the king's presence and by his judgment.

  2. Acts 8:32 ἐναντίον before

    The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

    Here: In the presence of, face to face with, the one handling it.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.