Greek word · G4301

προλαμβάνω

prolambanō

to take beforehand

Literally 'take before'. It can mean to do something beforehand or anticipate it (Mark 14:8), to take something first (1 Cor 11:21), to overtake or surprise someone, and in the passive, to be caught, seized or found out.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

προ-λαμβάνω

[in LXX: Wisdom of Solomon 17:11 א2, Wisdom of Solomon 17:17 א2B * ;]

1. to take beforehand: with accusative, 1 Corinthians 11:21 (but see infr.).

2. to be beforehand, anticipate (in cl., with accusative, genitive or dative): with inf. (= cl. φθάνω, see Bl., § 69, 4; Swete, in l), Mark 14:8.

3. to overtake, surprise: pass., Galatians 6:1 (on the virtual disappearance of the temporal force of the preposi­tion in this compound here and perhaps also in 1Co, l.with, see MM, xxi).†

(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 Galatians 6:1

Range of meaning

Literally 'take before'. It can mean to do something beforehand or anticipate it (Mark 14:8), to take something first (1 Cor 11:21), to overtake or surprise someone, and in the passive, to be caught, seized or found out.

Against the English

KJV and YLT have 'overtaken', the picture of being surprised by a fault. BSB, WEB, ESV and NIV have 'caught', which modern ears hear as 'caught red-handed', found out by others.

How it drifted

Older English 'overtaken' meant 'come upon suddenly'. Modern 'caught' shifts the focus to being discovered. Both are possible meanings of the Greek, but they are different pictures.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Wisdom of Solomon 17:17 (LXX) the passive is used of a person 'seized' or overtaken by sudden darkness and unable to escape. BDAG gives the sense 'be overtaken, detected, caught' for this verse.

From the study of Mark 14:8

Range of meaning

Literally 'take before.' Senses include 'take in advance,' 'get ahead of,' 'be overtaken / caught' (Gal 6:1), and 'go ahead with' (1 Cor 11:21, eating one's own meal first). With an infinitive, as here, it is an idiom: 'do something beforehand, anticipate doing it' (BDAG s.v. προλαμβάνω).

Against the English

KJV 'she is come aforehand,' WEB/ESV/NASB 'beforehand,' NLT 'ahead of time,' BSB 'in advance,' YLT 'she anticipated.' All capture the idea of timing. BSB's single smooth sentence blurs the fact that this is a second, separate statement.

Used elsewhere in the period

The idiom with an infinitive is good Hellenistic Greek. This is the only place in the NT where προλαμβάνω takes an infinitive.

Where it appears

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 14:8 προέλαβεν She came beforehand

    She has done what she could to anoint My body in advance of My burial.

    Here: With an infinitive this is a Greek idiom for 'do something ahead of time,' so 'she got in early' or 'she anticipated.' She did now what would normally be done only after death.

1 Corinthians · 1

  1. 1 Corinthians 11:21 προλαμβάνει takes first

    For as you eat, each of you goes ahead without sharing his meal. While one remains hungry, another gets drunk.

Galatians · 1

  1. Galatians 6:1 προλημφθῇ shall be overcome

    Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

    Here: Literally 'be taken beforehand'. Either the person is overtaken by a lapse before they can avoid it, or they are caught, found out, in it. Both readings put the person on the receiving end. It is not a picture of someone carefully planning rebellion.

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