verb
proagamō
Strong’sG4254
I lead forth, go before
stem proag-20 times in the New Testamentin 7 of 27 books13 forms occur
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
προάγω has two related but distinct senses in the Greek Bible.
Used transitively, it means to lead or bring someone forward, for example bringing a person out or forth, including bringing someone before a court or official 124. Strong's notes that this leading is done with authority, as one in charge might lead or bring someone forth 2.
Used intransitively, it means to go before, precede, that is, to lead the way ahead of others, whether in place (walking in front of a crowd or group) or in time (coming earlier) 124.
A further, distinct intransitive use is to go on, advance — to progress or press forward beyond a proper point, as opposed to standing still in what one has been taught 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
προ-άγω,
[in LXX: I Ki 17:16 (נגשׁ), Wi 19:11, al.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4254 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
future -άξω: perfect active προῆχα Refs 4th c.BC+ —middle, see below: perfect passive in middle sense, see below Refs:—lead forward or onward, μιν ἐς τὰ οἰκία Refs 5th c.BC+; escort on their way, Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, to be led on, προαγομένης τῆς πόλεως ἐπὶ συμφοράς Refs 5th c.BC+
2 carry on, αἱμασιάν Refs 4th c.BC+; produce, Refs 3rd c.AD+ —passive, [τάξις] εἰς ὀξὺ προηγμένη brought to a point, Refs 2nd c.AD+
2.b bring on in age, etc., προῆγεν αὐτὸν ὁ χρόνος εἰς ὥραν Refs 5th c.BC+ —passive, ἐπὶ πλείω προῆκται τῆς κατ᾽ ἰητρικὴν ἐπιμελείας belong to more advanced medical study, Refs 5th c.BC+
2.c increase, raise a dose, ἐπὶ ἓξ κοτύλας Refs 2nd c.AD+
3 bring forward, νεκρόν εἰς τὸ φανερόν, τι εἰς τὸ πρόσθεν, Refs 5th c.BC+; οἱ προαγαγόντες εἰς φῶς, ={οἱ γονεῖς}, Refs 2nd c.AD+; call up an apparition, Thessal. in Refs
3.b bring before a tribunal, Refs 2nd c.BC+; π. δάνειον Refs 3rd c.AD+
4 lead on, induce, persuade, δόλῳτινὰς π. Refs 5th c.BC+infinitive added, κινδυνεύειν τινὰ π.Refs 6th c.BC+; τὰς συγγενείας εἰς ἔχθραν, εἰς ἄνοιαν τὴν πόλιν, Refs 5th c.BC+; τινὰ ἐπ᾽ ἀρετήν, opposed to προτρέψασθαι, Refs 5th c.BC+ —middle, ἐς γέλωτα προαγαγέσθαι τινά move one to laughter, Refs 5th c.BC+: c.infinitive, τοῦτο πολεμίους προάγεται ἁμαρτάνειν Refs 5th c.BC+:—frequently in passive, προαχθέντας εἰς φιλοποσίαν Refs 5th c.BC+: with infinitive, οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγε προαχθείην ἂν εἰπεῖν Refs 4th c.BC+
5 carry forward, advance, π. τὴν πόλιν lead it on to power, Refs 5th c.BC+; π. αὐτὴν (i.e. τὴν ἀρχὴν) ἐς τόδε Refs 5th c.BC+; οὕτω μέχρι πόρρω προήγαγον [τὴν ἔχθραν] carried it so far, Refs 4th c.BC+; τὴν πραγματείαν π. εἰς τὸ πρόσθεν promote the study, Refs 4th c.BC+; [τὰ μαθήματα] Refs 4th c.BC+; π. καὶ διαρθρῶσαι τὰ καλῶς ἔχοντα τῇ περιγραφῇ carry on and complete.., Refs:—middle, ἐς τοῦτο [τὰ Περσέων πρήγματα] προηγάγοντο Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, increase, become rife, Refs 4th c.BC+
5.b of persons, promote or prefer to honour, δᾶμος εἰς ἀριστοκρατίαν ἄνδρας αἰ προάγοι καλῶς Refs 3rd c.BC+; τινὰς εἰς δόξαν, ἐφ᾽ ἡγεμονίας, Refs 1st c.AD+
5.c prefer in the way of choice, especially in passive, αἱ προηγμέναι φυλαί Refs 1st c.AD+ distinguished, outstanding, ὥρα Refs 2nd c.AD+
6 in Stoic Philos., of things neither good nor bad but promoted or advanced above the zero point of indifference, προηγμένον.. ὃ ἀδιάφορον [ὂν] ἐκλεγόμεθα Refs 4th c.BC+; compare ἀποπροάγω.
7 in perfect passive with middle sense, οὕτω προῆκται τοὺς παῖδας ὥστε.. has had them brought up in such a way that.., Refs 4th c.BC+: also in passive sense, ἐπιεικῶς τοῖς ἔθεσι προηγμένοι Refs 4th c.BC+
8 pronounce a discourse, κατὰ θεωρίαν π. πάντα Refs 2nd c.AD+
II intransitive, lead the way, go before, πρόαγε δή Refs 5th c.BC+: of a commander, lead an advance, push forward, Refs 2nd c.BC+
II.2 metaphorically, ὁ προάγων λόγος the preceding discourse, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.3 go on, advance, ἐπὶ πολὺ προάγει τῇ τε βίᾳ καὶ τῇ ὠμότητι Decrees cited in Refs 4th c.BC+ (ν) is variant for{προσῆγε} in NT+5th c.BC+; reach, attain to, εἰς τὰς ὀκτὼ μυριάδας Refs 1st c.BC+
II.4 excel, τινος Refs 1st c.AD+
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.
3 rarer renderings are not shown; every occurrence below carries the English it was given there.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| proagatōπροάγει | happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular | going ahead of | 2× |
| proagalōπροάγουσιν | happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural | going … aheadof | 1× |
| proagateπροῆγεν | was happening · he/she/itimperfect active indicative 3rd person singular | led | 1× |
| proagamiπροάξω | will happen · Ifuture active indicative 1st person singular | go ahead of | 2× |
| proagamaπροήγαγον | happened · Iaorist active indicative 1st person singular | brought | 1× |
| proagarōπροάγειν | happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive | go ahead of | 2× |
| proagaraπροαγαγεῖν | happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive | bring … out | 2× |
| proagarōntosπροάγων | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine | goes beyond | 2× |
| proagarōntauπροαγούσης | happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive singular feminine | former | 1× |
| proagarōntoisπροάγοντες | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine | in front | 3× |
| proagarōntaisπροάγουσαι | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural feminine | preceding | 1× |
| proagarōntainπροαγούσας | happening now · objectpresent active participle accusative plural feminine | previously made | 1× |
| proagarantosπροαγαγὼν | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine | brought | 1× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 86, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 7 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | proagamō | proagame | proagami2×προάξω | proagama1×προήγαγον | proagamē | proagamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | proagasō | proagase | proagasi | proagasa | proagasē | proagaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | proagatō2×προάγει | proagate1×προῆγεν | proagati | proagata | proagatē | proagatelē |
| we 1st person plural | proaganō | proagane | proagani | proagana | proaganē | proaganelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | proagavō | proagave | proagavi | proagava | proagavē | proagavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | proagalō1×προάγουσιν | proagale | proagali | proagala | proagalē | proagalelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | proagameiō | proagameia | proagameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | proagaseiō | proagaseia | proagaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | proagateiō | proagateia | proagateiē |
| we 1st person plural | proaganeiō | proaganeia | proaganeiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | proagaveiō | proagaveia | proagaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | proagaleiō | proagaleia | proagaleiē |
Commands — imperative mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | proagasōr | proagasar | proagasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | proagatōr | proagatar | proagatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | proagavōr | proagavar | proagavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | proagalōr | proagalar | proagalēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | proagamoiō | proagamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | proagasoiō | proagasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | proagatoiō | proagatoia |
| we 1st person plural | proaganoiō | proaganoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | proagavoiō | proagavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | proagaloiō | proagaloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 4 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | proagarō2×προάγειν | proagari | proagara2×προαγαγεῖν | proagarē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 9 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | proagarōntos8×προάγων | proagarintos | proagarantos1×προαγαγὼν | proagarēntos |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
proag is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
20 occurrences, every one of them listed
proagatō“going ahead of”happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular2×
Matthew 28:7… Egerita apo toiu nekroiu, kai idou proagatō vin eis tan Galilaian, ekei auton …… risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will …
Mark 16:7… mathētoi autou kai to Petro hoti Proagatō vin eis tan Galilaian; ekei auton …… His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will …
proagalō“going … aheadof”happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Matthew 21:31“going … aheadof”… hoti tois telōnois kai tais pornais proagalō vin eis tan basileian tou theou.… tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.
proagate“led”was happening · he/she/itimperfect active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Matthew 2:9“led”… asteros hon horala en ta anatola proagate autoin, heōs ercharantos stēita epanō hou …… and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child …
proagami“go ahead of”will happen · Ifuture active indicative 1st person singular2×
Matthew 26:32meta de tem egerira min proagami vin eis tan Galilaian.… after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
Mark 14:28alla meta tem egerira min proagami vin eis tan Galilaian.… after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
proagama“brought”happened · Iaorist active indicative 1st person singular1×
Acts 25:26… grafara to kurio ouk echamō; dio proagama auton epi vu kai malista epi …… sovereign about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and …
proagarō“go ahead of”happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive2×
Matthew 14:22“go ahead of”… toin mathētoin embainara eis ploiem kai proagarō auton eis tem peran, heōs hou …… Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He …
Mark 6:45… autou embainara eis tem ploiem kai proagarō eis tem peran pros Bēthsaidan, heōs …… disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He …
proagara“bring … out”happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive2×
Acts 12:6Hote de mellate proagara auton tos Hērōdos, ta nukta ekeina …… the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping …
Acts 17:5… epistēarantois ta oikia Iasōnou zētale autoin proagara eis ton dēmon;… of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people.
proagarōntos“goes beyond”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine2×
Mark 10:32… hoda anabainarōntois eis Hierosolumeim, kai ate proagarōntos autoin tos Iēsus, kai thambole, tois …… the road to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were amazed, but …
2 John 1:9“goes beyond”pantos tos proagarōntos kai mē menarōntos en ta didacha …… without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and …
proagarōntau“former”happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive singular feminine1×
Hebrews 7:18athetēsias men gar genotō proagarōntau entolau dia tem autau asthenem kai …So the former commandment is set aside because it …
proagarōntois“in front”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine3×
Matthew 21:9tois de ochlois tois proagarōntois auton kai tois akoloutharōntois krazale legarōntois; …The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were …
Mark 11:9kai tois proagarōntois kai tois akoloutharōntois krazale; Hōsanna; Eulogorēntos …The ones who went ahead and those who followed were shouting …
Luke 18:39“in front”kai tois proagarōntois epitimale auto hina sigateia; autos de …Those who led the way admonished him to be silent, but he cried out …
proagarōntais“preceding”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural feminine1×
1 Timothy 5:24“preceding”Tinoiu anthrōpoiu tais hamartais prodēlais alō, proagarōntais eis krisian, tinoi de kai epakolouthalō;The sins of some men are obvious, going ahead of them to judgment; but the sins of others do not …
proagarōntain“previously made”happening now · objectpresent active participle accusative plural feminine1×
1 Timothy 1:18“previously made”… paratithomō si, teknem Timotheor, kata tain proagarōntain epi sin profēteiain, hina strateuoseiō en …Timothy, my child, I entrust you with this command in keeping with the previous prophecies about you, so that by them you may fight the good …
proagarantos“brought”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine1×
Acts 16:30kai proagarantos autoin exō fēate; Kurioir, tinem min …Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what …