Greek word · G4328

προσδοκάω

prosdokaō

to look for

To wait for, expect, look forward to. It can describe hopeful anticipation or anxious foreboding. It is about waiting for something to happen or someone to arrive, not about searching.

Appears 16 times in 15 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

προσ-δοκάω, -ῶ

(the simple verb exists only in the forms δοκέω, -εύω) [in LXX: Psalms 104:27 (שָׂבַר pi.), etc. ;]

to await, expect: Matthew 24:50, Luke 3:15 12:46, Acts 27:33 28:6; with accusative of person(s), Matthew 11:3, Luke 1:21 7:19-20 8:40 Acts 10:24; with accusative of thing(s), 2 Peter 3:12-14; with accusative and inf., Acts 28:6; with inf., Acts 3:5.†

(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 Luke 7:20

Range of meaning

To wait for, expect, look forward to. It can describe hopeful anticipation or anxious foreboding. It is about waiting for something to happen or someone to arrive, not about searching.

Against the English

'Look for' (BSB, KJV, WEB, YLT, ESV) can now sound like 'go and search for'. 'Expect' (NIV) and 'wait for' are closer. The KJV's 'look we for another?' uses 'look for' in its older sense of 'expect'.

How it drifted

In older English, 'look for' meant 'expect' ('I look for his coming tomorrow'). In everyday modern English it mostly means 'search for'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke uses it more than any other New Testament writer: 6 times in Luke and 5 in Acts, out of 16 in the New Testament. The closest parallel is Luke 3:15: 'the people were in expectation (προσδοκῶντος), and all were wondering in their hearts about John, whether he might be the Christ.' The related verb προσδέχομαι describes Simeon 'waiting for the consolation of Israel' and those 'waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem' (Luke 2:25, 38). In the Greek Old Testament, Psalm 104:27 (LXX 103:27) says all creatures 'wait for' God to give them food.

From the study of Matthew 11:3

Range of meaning

To wait for, look forward to, expect. The expectation may be hopeful or fearful. It describes the inner state of someone waiting for something not yet here (BDAG: 'to wait for, look for, expect').

Against the English

KJV, ESV, WEB 'look for' and BSB 'look for someone else' were clear in older English, where 'look for' meant 'expect'. Today 'look for' usually means 'search for', which suggests John's disciples going off to hunt for another candidate. NIV 'expect' is closer.

How it drifted

In earlier English 'look for' commonly meant 'expect, await' ('we look for the resurrection of the dead'). In modern English the 'search' sense has taken over.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke 3:15: 'the people were in expectation (προσδοκῶντος) and all were wondering in their hearts about John, whether he might be the Christ'. Luke 2:25, 38 uses the related word προσδέχομαι for Simeon and Anna 'waiting for' Israel's consolation. 2 Peter 3:12–14 uses it for waiting for the day of God. In the Greek Old Testament, e.g. Psalm 103(104):27, all creatures 'wait' on God.

From the study of 2 Peter 3:13

Range of meaning

To wait for, look for, expect, with a sense of anticipation (or, for bad things, dread). It describes a forward-leaning attitude, not passive idleness.

Against the English

KJV and WEB "look for"; BSB "looking forward to"; ESV "waiting for"; YLT "we do wait". "Looking forward to" catches the eagerness. "Waiting for" can sound merely patient.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke 3:15 (the people "in expectation" of the Messiah); Luke 2:25, 38 share the same field of expectant waiting for Israel's consolation. Here it is used three times in a row: 3:12, 13, 14.

Similar words

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 11:3 προσδοκῶμεν;¶ are we to look for?

    to ask Him, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”

    Here: To wait for someone with expectation, to anticipate. The 'we' is John's circle, and behind them faithful Israel waiting for redemption. This spelling can be read either as 'are we waiting' or as 'should we wait' (see textual notes).

  2. Matthew 24:50 προσδοκᾷ he does expect

    The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate.

Luke · 6

  1. Luke 1:21 προσδοκῶν expecting

    Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple.

  2. Luke 3:15 Προσδοκῶντος When were expecting

    The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ.

  3. Luke 7:19 προσδοκῶμεν;¶ are we to look for?

    So John called two of his disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”

  4. Luke 7:20 προσδοκῶμεν; are we to look for?

    When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?’”

    Here: 'Are we to expect / should we wait for.' This is the anxious, hopeful waiting of a people who expect God to act. The form can be read either as 'do we wait' or 'should we wait'.

  5. Luke 8:40 προσδοκῶντες looking for

    When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.

    Here: "Waiting expectantly." The word means waiting with your attention fixed on someone who is expected to come. In Luke it often carries a note of anticipation (compare 3:15; 7:19–20).

  6. Luke 12:46 προσδοκᾷ he does expect

    The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

    Here: Present tense: 'he is not looking for (him)'. It answers his inner line in v. 45, 'My master is delaying.' He has stopped watching.

Acts · 5

  1. Acts 3:5 προσδοκῶν expecting

    So the man gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

  2. Acts 10:24 προσδοκῶν expecting

    The following day he arrived in Caesarea, where Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

  3. Acts 27:33 προσδοκῶντες watching

    Right up to daybreak, Paul kept urging them all to eat: “Today is your fourteenth day in constant suspense, without taking any food.

  4. Acts 28:6 προσεδόκων προσδοκώντων they were expecting, are waiting

    The islanders were expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

2 Peter · 3

  1. 2 Peter 3:12 προσδοκῶντας expecting

    as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat.

    Here: An ongoing, expectant waiting, like watching the road for someone who has said they are coming. The accusative plural form ties it back to 'you' in v. 11: this is part of the description of 'what sort of people you ought to be.'

  2. 2 Peter 3:13 προσδοκῶμεν, we are awaiting,

    But in keeping with God’s promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

    Here: Present tense: "we keep waiting expectantly". It is the same verb as in v. 12 and v. 14 (three times in three verses), so expectant waiting is the posture the passage stresses.

  3. 2 Peter 3:14 προσδοκῶντες expecting

    Therefore, beloved, as you anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at peace—spotless and blameless in His sight.

    Here: A present participle: 'since you are (continually) expecting.' It is the third use of this verb in three verses (3:12, 13, 14). The expectation is the reason for the effort that follows.

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