Greek word · G4388

προτίθημι

protithēmi

to plan/present

To set before, display publicly, put on show; in the middle form, to propose to oneself, purpose, plan.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 24, 2026

What it means

προ-τίθημι

[in LXX: Exodus 40:4, 23, Leviticus 24:8 (עָרַךְ) Psalms 54:3 (שׂוּם), etc. ;]

1. to set before, set forth publicly; so also in mid.: with accusative of person(s), Romans 3:25 (for a suggested alt, rend., see MM, xxii).

2. Mid., to set before oneself, propose, purpose: with inf., Romans 1:13; with accusative of thing(s), Ephesians 1:9.†

(AS)

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

Range of meaning: To set before, display publicly, put on show; in the middle form, to propose to oneself, purpose, plan.
Against the English: KJV 'set forth', NASB 'displayed publicly', BSB 'presented', WEB 'sent'. WEB's 'sent' drops the sense of display.
Used elsewhere in the period: Paul uses the middle form for 'purpose, intend' in Rom 1:13 and Eph 1:9. In the LXX the related noun πρόθεσις is used for the 'bread of presentation' set out before God (e.g. Exod 40:23). In secular Greek the verb is used for putting things on public view, including laying out a corpse.

Range of meaning: Active voice: to set something before others, to display it publicly. Middle voice, as here: to set something before oneself, so to plan, purpose, or resolve.
Against the English: 'Purposed' (KJV, BSB, WEB, YLT, NASB) follows the middle-voice sense. ESV's 'set forth' keeps open the idea of public display.
Used elsewhere in the period: Rom 1:13 has 'I often purposed to come to you', meaning resolved. Rom 3:25 has 'whom God put forward', meaning displayed publicly. The related noun prothesis is 'purpose' in Eph 1:11 and 3:11. In the Greek Old Testament it is the 'bread of the Presence' (artoi tēs protheseōs), loaves set out before God.

Range of meaning: In the active voice, 'to set out, display, put forward publicly'. In the middle voice, 'to set before oneself', meaning to intend or propose.
Against the English: 'Planned' (BSB, WEB) and 'purposed' (KJV, YLT) are both accurate. 'Purposed' keeps more of the sense of a settled resolve.
Used elsewhere in the period: The middle sense 'intend' is common in classical and Hellenistic Greek (BDAG). Paul uses it again at Eph 1:9 of God's purpose. At Rom 3:25 the same verb describes God 'putting forward' Christ.

Romans · 2

Romans 1:13 προεθέμην I purposed

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, how often I planned to come to you (but have been prevented from visiting until now), in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

Here: Middle voice, which here means 'I set it before myself'. It describes a firm intention, not a vague hope. The aorist tense sums up the repeated occasions.
Romans 3:25 προέθετο set forth as

God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.

Here: A single past act of God: he 'set forth' or 'put on public display' Christ. The middle form suggests 'for himself, on his own initiative'. Elsewhere Paul uses the verb for 'to plan/intend' (Rom 1:13), so 'whom God purposed as…' is possible, but most read it as public display, in contrast to the hidden mercy seat behind the temple curtain.

Ephesians · 1

Ephesians 1:9 προέθετο He purposed

And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ

Here: Middle voice. It means 'he set it before himself', so 'he purposed' or 'he resolved'. A note of 'put on display' may also be present. The same root gives 'purpose' (prothesis) in v. 11.

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