Greek word · G4357

προσμένω

prosmenō

to remain/persist

To remain with or beside someone; to stay on in a place; to hold fast or keep on with something (prayers, a person, a cause).

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

προσ-μένω

[in LXX: Judges 3:25 A (חוּל hi.), Tobit 2:2 א, Wisdom of Solomon 3:9, 3Ma.7:17 * ;]

1. to wait longer, continue, remain still: Acts 18:18; before ἐν, 1 Timothy 1:3.

2. C. dative, to remain with: Matthew 15:32, Mark 8:32. Metaphorical, to remain attached to, cleave unto, abide in: τ. κυρίῳ, Acts 11:23 (R, txt.; ἐν τ. κ., R, mg., see supr.); τ. χάριτι τ. θεοῦ, Acts 13:43; τ. δεήσεσιν, 1 Timothy 5:5.†

(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 Acts 13:43

Range of meaning

To remain with or beside someone; to stay on in a place; to hold fast or keep on with something (prayers, a person, a cause).

Against the English

'Continue in' (KJV, BSB, WEB) is accurate but flat. YLT's 'remain in' keeps the sense of staying put. The pros- prefix ('toward, beside') gives a picture of sticking close by something, like a companion who doesn't leave.

Used elsewhere in the period

Acts 11:23: Barnabas exhorts the Antioch believers 'to remain with the Lord' (prosmenein tō kyriō). Acts 18:18: Paul 'stayed on' in Corinth. 1 Timothy 5:5: the widow 'continues in' prayers. It appears in ordinary Greek for staying with a person or position.

From the study of 1 Timothy 1:3

Range of meaning

To remain on, stay longer, keep staying. Figuratively, to persist or continue in something (Acts 13:43 'continue in the grace of God'; 1 Tim 5:5 'continues in prayers').

Against the English

KJV 'abide still' captures the 'keep on staying' sense well. 'Stay' (WEB) is fine but flatter.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used in Acts 18:18 of Paul 'staying on' many days in Corinth. Common in Koine for prolonging a stay.

From the study of 1 Timothy 5:5

Range of meaning

To remain with or at, stay on, persist in, remain devoted to. It is used of staying in a place (Acts 18:18; 1 Tim 1:3, 'remain in Ephesus') and of continuing in something (Acts 13:43, 'continue in the grace of God').

Against the English

'Continues' (KJV, BSB, WEB) is accurate. YLT's 'doth remain in' keeps the picture of staying put beside her prayers.

Used elsewhere in the period

It is close in sense to proskartereō, 'to devote oneself steadfastly', which Acts uses of the earliest believers being 'devoted to the prayers' (Acts 1:14; 2:42). Luke 2:37 says Anna 'did not depart from the temple, worshipping with fastings and petitions night and day'. This is the nearest parallel, sharing deēsis and 'night and day'.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 15:32 προσμένουσίν they continue

    Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may faint along the way.”

    Here: 'They are staying on with me.' The present tense describes something still going on. Elsewhere in the NT the word means staying loyal to someone or something (Acts 11:23; 13:43). The crowd has not drifted away.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 8:2 προσμένουσίν they continue

    “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat.

    Here: “They have been staying on with me.” The prefix pros- means “toward” or “beside,” so the word suggests sticking close to a person and holding on. The present tense, with “already” and a length of time, describes something that began in the past and is still going on.

Acts · 3

  1. Acts 11:23 προσμένειν to abide

    When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to abide in the Lord with all their hearts.

    Here: 'To keep staying with.' The verb describes an ongoing action: keep loyally close to the Lord and don't drift away. It is the word for staying by a person, like the crowds who 'remained with' Jesus three days (Matt 15:32).

  2. Acts 13:43 προσμένειν to continue

    After the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

    Here: To stay by something and not drift away from it. It assumes they have already come into contact with God's favor and are being urged to keep hold of it.

  3. Acts 18:18 προσμείνας having remained

    Paul remained in Corinth for quite some time before saying goodbye to the brothers. He had his head shaved in Cenchrea to keep a vow he had made, and then he sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.

    Here: 'Having stayed on'. The prefix pros- adds the idea of staying beyond a given point, here past the Gallio episode. Corinth is not named, but the context makes the place clear, which is why BSB adds 'in Corinth.'

1 Timothy · 2

  1. 1 Timothy 1:3 προσμεῖναι to remain

    As I urged you on my departure to Macedonia, you should stay on at Ephesus to instruct certain men not to teach false doctrines

    Here: 'To stay on', meaning to keep staying where he already was instead of leaving with Paul. It suggests Timothy may have wanted to go, or might have been expected to, and Paul asked him to stay behind.

  2. 1 Timothy 5:5 προσμένει she continues

    The widow who is truly in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day in her petitions and prayers.

    Here: Present tense: 'she keeps staying with' her prayers. The picture is of staying put beside something and remaining devoted to it, as a habit of life.

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