verb
prosechamō
Strong’sG4337
I pay attention to, devote myself to
stem prosech-24 times in the New Testamentin 7 of 27 books7 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
προσέχω means to pay attention to, take heed, or be watchful 1234. It is used for turning one's mind or attention toward something, being on guard against a danger, or attending carefully to what is said or taught 123. It can also carry the sense of caring for or looking after someone, watching over them 1.
It also means to devote or attach oneself to something or someone — giving oneself over to a person, a teaching, or a practice 12. In this sense it can describe being given to a false teacher or "adhering" to doctrines, whether sound or misleading 12.
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
προσ-έχω,
[in LXX for קשׁב hi., שׁמר ni., etc.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4337 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidpros-ekh'-o
(figuratively) to hold the mind (3563 implied) towards, i.e. pay attention to, be cautious about, apply oneself to, adhere to
King James(give) attend(-ance, -ance at, -ance to, unto), beware, be given to, give (take) heed (to unto); have regard.
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
Refs 5th c.AD+ ποέχω (which see)) and προσίσχω: aorist προσέσχον:— hold to, offer, προσέσχε μαζὸν [δράκοντι] Refs 4th c.BC+; hold against, [τὴν ἀσπίδα] προσῖσχε πρὸς τὸ δάπεδον Refs 5th c.BC+; apply, χλιάσματα Refs 5th c.BC+
2 π. ναῦν bring a ship to port, προσσχόντες τὰς νέας Refs 5th c.BC+; τίς σε προσέσχε.. χρεί; brought thee to land here? Refs 5th c.BC+, put in, touch at a place, προσσχεῖν ἐς Τύρον, ἐς τὴν Σάμον, etc., Refs 5th c.BC+: with dative loci, π. τῇ γῇ Refs 5th c.BC+: absolutely, land, Refs 5th c.BC+: with words added, πλέων δι᾽ Ἑλλησπόντου π. ἐς Κύζικον Refs 5th c.BC+; ὡς γῇ προσέξων τὸ σῶμα, of a shipwrecked sailor, Refs 1st c.AD+
3 turn to or towards a thing, π. ὄμμα Refs 5th c.BC+ turn one's mind, attention to a thing, be intent on it, τοῖς ἀναπαίστοις Refs 5th c.BC+; π. τὸν νοῦν τινι give heed to him, pay court to him, Refs; ἑαυτῷ π. τὸν νοῦν to be thinking with himself, in a fit of abstraction, Refs 5th c.BC+; π. τὸν νοῦν μὴ.. take heed lest.., Refs 5th c.BC+; προσεχέτω τὸν νοῦν let him take heed, as a warning, Refs 5th c.BC+; also τὴν γνώμην π. Refs 5th c.BC+; but περὶ τούτου τῇ διανοίᾳ π. Refs 2nd c.BC+; π. τῇ διανοίᾳ εἰς τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου LXX
4 without τὸν νοῦν, μὴ πρόσισχε.. βουκόλοις Refs 5th c.BC+; σαυτῷ π. Refs 5th c.BC+; π. ἑαυτοῖς ἀπό τινος to be on one's guard against, NT; πρόσεχ᾽ οἷς φράζω attend to what I shall tell you, Refs 4th c.BC+; τοῖς χιλιάρχοις take orders from them, LXX+3rd c.BC+; προσέχων ἀκουσάτω attentively, NT+5th c.BC+; π. ἵνα μὴ μαστιγωθῇςLXX
4.b devote oneself to a thing, with dative, γυμνασίοισι Refs 5th c.BC+; τοῖς κοινοῖς, γεωργίᾳ καὶ εἰρήνῃ, Refs 5th c.BC+
5 continue, ἡ νοῦσος, ἡ ὀδύνη π., Refs 5th c.BC+
6 middle, attach oneself to a thing, cling, cleave to it, ὅ τι πρόσσχοιτο τοῦ πηλοῦ τῷ κοντῷ Refs 5th c.BC+
6.b metaphorically, devote oneself to the service of any one, especially a god, Refs 5th c.BC+
7 passive, to be held fast by a thing, ὑπό τινος Refs 5th c.BC+; to be attached to it, πρὸς τῷ στήθει Refs 5th c.BC+; πρὸς τῷ δένδρῳ προσέχεσθαι, of gum, stick to, Refs 4th c.BC+: metaphorically, to be implicated in, τῷ ἄγει Refs 5th c.BC+
II have besides or in addition, δεῖ καὶ τοῦτο προσέχειν τὸ μάθημα 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.
2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| prosechaleπροσεῖχον | was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural | listened eagerly | 3× |
| prosechatēπροσέσχηκεν | has happened · he/she/itperfect active indicative 3rd person singular | served | 1× |
| prosechasōrπρόσεχε | happening now · youpresent active imperative 2nd person singular | give attention | 1× |
| prosechavōrπροσέχετε | happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural | beware | 11× |
| prosecharōπροσέχειν | happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive | beware | 4× |
| prosecharōntoisπροσέχοντες | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine | paying attention | 3× |
| prosecharōntoinπροσέχοντας | happening now · objectpresent active participle accusative plural masculine | addicted | 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, 4 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | prosechamō | prosechame | prosechami | prosechama | prosechamē | prosechamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | prosechasō | prosechase | prosechasi | prosechasa | prosechasē | prosechaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | prosechatō | prosechate | prosechati | prosechata | prosechatē1×προσέσχηκεν | prosechatelē |
| we 1st person plural | prosechanō | prosechane | prosechani | prosechana | prosechanē | prosechanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | prosechavō | prosechave | prosechavi | prosechava | prosechavē | prosechavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | prosechalō | prosechale3×προσεῖχον | prosechali | prosechala | prosechalē | prosechalelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | prosechameiō | prosechameia | prosechameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | prosechaseiō | prosechaseia | prosechaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | prosechateiō | prosechateia | prosechateiē |
| we 1st person plural | prosechaneiō | prosechaneia | prosechaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | prosechaveiō | prosechaveia | prosechaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | prosechaleiō | prosechaleia | prosechaleiē |
Commands — imperative mood, 12 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | prosechasōr1×πρόσεχε | prosechasar | prosechasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | prosechatōr | prosechatar | prosechatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | prosechavōr11×προσέχετε | prosechavar | prosechavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | prosechalōr | prosechalar | prosechalēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | prosechamoiō | prosechamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | prosechasoiō | prosechasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | prosechatoiō | prosechatoia |
| we 1st person plural | prosechanoiō | prosechanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | prosechavoiō | prosechavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | prosechaloiō | prosechaloia |
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 | prosecharō4×προσέχειν | prosechari | prosechara | prosecharē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 4 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | prosecharōntos4× | prosecharintos | prosecharantos | prosecharēntos |
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
prosech 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.
24 occurrences, every one of them listed
prosechale“listened eagerly”was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural3×
Acts 8:6“listened eagerly”prosechale de tois ochlois tei legorōntei hupo …The crowds all paid close attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they …
Acts 8:10“paid attention”ho prosechale pantois apo mikrou heōs megou legarōntois; …and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his …
Acts 8:11“listened eagerly”prosechale de auto dia tem hikano chrono …… attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his …
prosechatē“served”has happened · he/she/itperfect active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Hebrews 7:13… fulau heterau metechatē, apo hau oudenos prosechatē te thusiastērie;… from which no one has ever served at the altar.
prosechasōr“give attention”happening now · youpresent active imperative 2nd person singular1×
1 Timothy 4:13“give attention”heōs erchomō prosechasōr ta anagnōsia, ta paraklēsia, ta didaskalia.Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching.
prosechavōr“beware”happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural11×
Matthew 6:1“beware of”Prosechavōr de tan dikaiosunan vu mē poiarō …“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts …
Matthew 7:15Prosechavōr apo toiu pseudoprofētoiu, hotinois ercholō pros …Beware of false prophets. They come to …
Matthew 10:17prosechavōr de apo toiu anthrōpoiu; paradōali gar …But beware of men, for they will hand …
Matthew 16:6… de Iēsus legata autoi; Horavōr kai prosechavōr apo tau zumau toiu Farisaioiu kai …“Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees …
Matthew 16:11… hoti ouk peri artoiu legama vi? prosechavōr de apo tau zumau toiu Farisaioiu …… not telling you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees …
Luke 12:1… legarō pros toin mathētoin autou prōtem; Prosechavōr heautoi apo tau zumau, hotinas atō …… to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees …
Luke 17:3“be on … guard”prosechavōr heautoi. ean hamartateia tos adelfos su …Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him …
Luke 20:46Prosechavōr apo toiu grammatevoiu toiu thelarōntoiu peripatarō …“Beware of the scribes. They like to …
Luke 21:34“be on guard”Prosechavōr de heautoi mēpote barileia vu tais …But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation …
Acts 5:35“take care”legata tē pros autoin; Androir Israēlitoir, prosechavōr heautoi epi toi anthrōpoi houtoi tinem …“Men of Israel,” he said, “consider carefully what you are about to do to these men.
Acts 20:28“be on guard”prosechavōr heautoi kai pante te poimnie, en …… watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the …
prosecharō“beware”happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive4×
Matthew 16:12tote suniēkala hoti ouk legata prosecharō apo tau zumau toiu artoiu alla …… He was not telling them to beware of the leaven used in bread …
Acts 16:14… hau tos kurios dianoigata tan kardian prosecharō tei lalorōntei hupo tou Paulou.… The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
1 Timothy 1:4“pay attention”mēde prosecharō muthoi kai genealogiai aperantai, hotinais ekzētēsiain …… themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculation …
Hebrews 2:1Dia houtem datō perissoterōs prosecharō nin tei akouirantei, mēpote pararraneia.We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard …
prosecharōntois“paying attention”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine3×
1 Timothy 4:1“paying attention”… husteroi kairoi apostēeli tinois tau pistiau, prosecharōntois pneumei planei kai didaskaliai daimoneiu… that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,
Titus 1:14“paying attention”mē prosecharōntois Ioudaikoi muthoi kai entolai anthrōpoiu apostreforōntoiu …and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to …
2 Peter 1:19… ton profētikon logon, ho kalōs poiavō prosecharōntois hōs luchno fanarōnto en auchmēro topo, …… And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp …
prosecharōntoin“addicted”happening now · objectpresent active participle accusative plural masculine1×
1 Timothy 3:8“addicted”… semnoin, mē dilogoin, mē oino pollo prosecharōntoin, mē aischrokerdoin,… be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money.