preposition
opisō
Strong’sG3694
behind, after
stem opisō-35 times in the New Testamentin 10 of 27 booksnever changes form
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
ὀπίσω basically means behind, back — describing position or direction in space: turning back, looking behind, the parts behind or the direction "backwards" 1234. In the New Testament this literal, spatial sense appears as a plain adverb, as in turning back or fleeing to what is behind 1.
The word is also used as a preposition governing a noun in the genitive, meaning after — either after someone in place, i.e. following behind a person, or after someone or something in time, i.e. coming subsequently 13. This preposition-like use, matching a Hebrew idiom for "after," is common in the Greek Old Testament and carries over into New Testament usage, covering both someone walking behind another and one person or event coming after another in sequence 1.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
ὀπίσω,
adv. of place and time,[in LXX chiefly for אַחֲרֵי, אַחַר and cogn. forms;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G3694 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidop-is'-o
to the back, i.e. aback (as adverb or preposition of time or place; or as noun)
Fromfrom the same as G3693 with enclitic of direction;
King Jamesafter, back(-ward), (+ get) behind, + follow.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
Epic dialect ὀπίσσω, the former rare in Refs 8th c.BC+; Aeolic dialect ὐπίσσω Refs 7th c.BC+:— adverb:
I of Place, backwards, opposed to to πρόσω, Refs 8th c.BC+; to προπρηνές,Refs 8th c.BC+ contraction τοὐπίσω, τὸ ὀ. φεύγειν Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰ ὀ. the hinder parts, LXX+1st c.BC+ on the back (of the papyrus), Refs 1st c.BC+; τἀπίλοιπα ὀ. Refs 2nd c.BC+
I.2 back, back again, of movement, ἀπήνυσαν οἴκαδ᾽ ὀπίσσω Refs 8th c.BC+; ἐν τῇ ὀ. κομιδῇ on his way back, Refs
I.3 back again, again, of action that reverses an action or occurrence, ἀνακτᾶσθαι ὀ. τὴν τυραννίδα Refs; σφραγίζεις λύεις τ᾽ ὀπίσω Refs 5th c.BC+
I.4 with genitive, δεῦτε ὀ. μου come after me, follow me, NT
II of Time, hereafter, since the future is unseen and was therefore regarded as behind us, whereas the past is known and therefore before our eyes, ἡμῖν τεκέεσσί τ᾽ ὀπίσσω πῆμα λίποιτο Refs 8th c.BC+; Τρῳαὶ δέ μ᾽ ὀπίσσω πᾶσαι μωμήσονταιRefs 8th c.BC+; where ὀπίσσω and πρόσσω are opposed, πρόσσω must be the past and ὀπίσσω the future, οἶδε νοῆσαι ἅμα πρόσσω καὶ ὀπίσσω Refs 8th c.BC+; οὔτ᾽ ἐνθάδ᾽ ὁρῶν οὔτ᾽ ὀπίσω neither present nor future, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.2 ἐν τοῖσι ὀ. λόγοις in the books yet to come, in the following books, Refs 5th c.BC+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
35 occurrences, every one of them listed
opisō34×
Matthew 3:11… en hude eis metanoian; tos de opisō mu erchorōntos ischuroteros mu atō, hou …… you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful …
Matthew 4:19kai legatō autoi; Deute opisō mu, kai poiami vin halievoin anthrōpoiu.“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will …
Matthew 10:38“after”… labatō ton stauron autou kai akolouthatō opisō mu, ouk atō mu axios.… does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
Matthew 16:23… de strefirantos legata to Petro; Hupagasōr opisō mu, Satanor; skandalem asō mu, hoti …… turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling …
Matthew 16:24… toi mathētoi autou; Ei tinos thelatō opisō mu erchara, aparnetar heauton kai airatar …… disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and …
Mark 1:7… kērussate legarōntos; Erchotō tos ischuroteros mu opisō mu, hou ouk amō hikanos kuptarantos …And he proclaimed: “After me will come One more powerful …
Mark 1:17kai legata autoi tos Iēsus; Deute opisō mu, kai poiami vin genera halievoin …“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will …
Mark 1:20“after”… te ploie meta toiu misthōtoiu aperchala opisō autou.… Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.
Mark 8:33… autou epitimata Petro kai legatō; Hupagasōr opisō mu, Satanor, hoti ouk fronasō teim …… disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not …
Mark 8:34… autou legata autoi; Ei tinos thelatō opisō mu erchara, aparnetar heauton kai airatar …… them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and …
Luke 9:23… de pros pantoin; Ei tinos thelatō opisō mu erchorō, arnetar heauton kai airatar …… them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and …
Luke 14:27“after”… bastazatō ton stauron heautou kai erchotō opisō mu, ouk dunotō arō mu mathētos.… does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.
Luke 19:14… autou misale auton, kai apostelala presbeian opisō autou legarōntois; Ouk thelanō houton basilara …… hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not …
Luke 21:8“after”… kai; Tos kairos engizatē; mē poreuiveia opisō autoiu.… am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.
John 1:15… legarōntos; Houtos ate hon legama; Tos opisō mu erchorōntos emprosthen mu genatē, hoti …… whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He …
John 1:27tos opisō mu erchorōntos, hou ouk amō axios …He is the One who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals …
John 12:19… ouk ōfelavō oudenem; ide tos kosmos opisō autou aperchata.… how the whole world has gone after Him!”
Acts 5:37… hēmerai tau apografau kai apostēata laon opisō autou; kakeinos apoleta kai pantois hosois …… the census and drew away people after him. He too perished, and all …
Acts 20:30… lalarōntois diastreforēnteim teu aposparō toin mathētoin opisō heautoiu;… the truth to draw away disciples after them.
1 Timothy 5:15ēdē gar tinais ektrapila opisō tou Satanou.… some have already turned aside to follow Satan.
2 Peter 2:10“after”malista de toin opisō sarkau en epithumia miasmou poreuorōntoin kai …… reserved for those who indulge the corrupt desires of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they …
Jude 1:7“after”… homoion tropon houtoi ekporneuarantais kai apercharantais opisō sarkau heterau, prokeiolō deigmem pureu aiōnieu …… them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who sustain the punishment of eternal fire.
Revelation 1:10… en ta kuriaka hēmera, kai akouama opisō mu fōnan megan hōs salpingau… in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a …
Revelation 12:15“after”… tos ofios ek teu stomeu autou opisō tau gunaikau hudem hōs potamon, hina …Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent.
Revelation 13:3… therapeuita. kai thaumazita holas tas gēas opisō teu thēreu,… and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.
Matthew 24:18“back”… tos en to agro mē epistrefatar opisō airara tem himatiem autou.… no one in the field return for his cloak.
Mark 13:16“back”… ton agron mē epistrefatar eis teim opisō airara tem himatiem autou.… one in the field return for his cloak.
Luke 7:38kai stēarantas opisō para toin podoin autou klaiarōntas, tei …As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she …
Luke 9:62… epi arotrem kai bleparōntos eis teim opisō euthetos atō ta basileia tou theou.… to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of …
Luke 17:31“back”… agro homoiōs mē epistrefatar eis teim opisō.… his possessions. Likewise, let no one in the field return for anything he …
John 6:66… toiu mathētoiu autou aperchala eis teim opisō kai ouketi meta autou peripatale.… on many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.
John 18:6… autoi; Mis amō, aperchala eis teim opisō kai piptala chamai.… said, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
John 20:14houteim legarantas strefita eis teim opisō, kai theōratō ton Iēsun stēarēnton, kai …… she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But …
Philippians 3:13… logizomō katalabarē; henem de, teim men opisō epilathorōntos tei de emprosthen epekteinorōntos,… thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
Opisō1×
John 1:30houtos atō huper hou mis legama; Opisō mu erchotō andros hos emprosthen mu …… I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He …