noun · neuter
prosōpem
Strong’sG4383
the face, countenance, surface
stem prosōp-76 times in the New Testamentin 15 of 27 books5 of 6 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
πρόσωπον most basically means the face or countenance of a person 1234. It is used literally of someone's face, including phrases like falling on one's face, or being unknown by face 1.
From this it extends to mean presence or being present in person, as opposed to being absent or acting only in spirit: expressions built on this word describe standing face to face with someone, being in someone's presence, coming from someone's presence, or going before someone 123. In this sense it can also simply mean a person 123.
The word also covers outward appearance or form, as distinct from the heart or inner reality — for example, boasting or judging "by appearance" rather than by what is truly inside. This underlies the idiom of "regarding a person's face," i.e. showing favoritism or judging by external circumstances rather than by truth 13.
Applied to things rather than people, πρόσωπον can mean the face or appearance of an object (such as the sky), and also the surface of something, such as the ground 124.
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
πρόσωπον, -ου, τό
(< πρός, ὤψ), [in LXX chiefly and very freq. for פָּנִים;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4383 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidpros'-o-pon
the front (as being towards view), i.e. the countenance, aspect, appearance, surface; by implication, presence, person
Fromfrom G4314 and ὤψ (the visage, from G3700);
King James(outward) appearance, X before, countenance, face, fashion, (men's) person, presence.
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
plural πρόσωπα, Epic dialect (Aeolic dialect accusative to Refs 8th c.BC+ προσώπατα Refs 8th c.BC+:— face, countenance (compare μέτωπον), Refs 8th c.BC+ always in plural, even of a single person, Refs 8th c.BC+, and usually in later writers; π. κλιθὲν προσώπῳ Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐς π. τινὸς ἀφικέσθαι come before him,LXX+2nd c.BC+; κατὰ πρόσωπον in front, facing, Refs 5th c.BC+; κατὰ π. Αἰγύπτου facing, fronting Egypt, LXX; opposed to κατὰ νώτου, Refs 2nd c.BC+; κατὰ π. ἄγειν, opposed to κατὰ κέρας ὑπεραίρειν, Refs; κατὰ π. in person, ἡ κατὰ π. ἔντευξις Refs 1st c.AD+; κατὰ π. παραμυθήσασθαι, opposed to διὰ τοῦ ψαφίσματος, Refs 4th c.BC+; also πρὸς τὸ π. Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐπὶ προσώπου Ἰεριχώ in front of Jericho, LXX+3rd c.BC+; βλέπειν εἰς π. τινός regard his countenance, LXX+NT: of the ibis, Refs 5th c.BC+; of dogs, ἀπὸ τῶν π. φαιδραί Refs 5th c.BC+; of horses, Refs 4th c.BC+; of deer,Refs; of fish, Refs 4th c.BC+; face of the moon, Refs 5th c.BC+
2 front, façade, Refs 5th c.BC+; κατὰ π. τοῦ ἱεροῦ, τῆς νεώς, Refs 3rd c.BC+
II one's look, countenance, Refs 4th c.BC+; οὐ τὸ σὸν δείσας π. Refs 5th c.BC+
II.2 Astrology texts, decan considered as the domain of a planet, ἐν ἰδίοις π. Refs 2nd c.AD+
III ={προσωπεῖον}, mask, Refs 4th c.BC+; ὀθόνινον π. probably in Refs 5th c.BC+; of the Roman imagines, Refs 2nd c.BC+; bust or portrait, Refs 3rd c.AD+
III.2 dramatic part, character, Refs 1st c.BC+; κωφὸν π. Refs 1st c.BC+; character in a book, τὸ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ὄνομα καὶ π. Refs 2nd c.BC+; τὸ τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως π. Refs 1st c.BC+; also ἀστοχεῖν τοῦ π., of an author,Refs 2nd c.AD+
IV person, Refs 1st c.BC+; προσώπῳ, οὐ καρδίᾳ in person, in bodily presence, NT; ποιεῖν or πληροῦν τὸ π. τινός to represent a person, Refs 4th c.AD+; λαμβάνειν π. τινός admit a person to one's presence, εἰ προσδέξεταί σε, εἰ λήψεται πρόσωπόν σου LXX; hence, ={προσωποληπτεῖν}, NT; μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ π. μου, i.e. do not reject my prayer, LXX; θαυμάσαι π. ἀσεβοῦςLXX; ὁ θεὸς ὁ μέγας.., ὅστις οὐ θαυμάζει π. οὐδὲ οὐ μὴ λάβῃ δῶρονLXX
IV.2 legal personality, Refs 2nd c.BC+
IV.3 Grammars, person, Refs 2nd c.BC+; γυναικεῖα π. Refs 6th c.AD+
IV.4 π. πόλεως a feature of the city, of a person, Refs 1st c.BC+
IV.5 falsa lectio in Refs 4th 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.
Biblang forms
Every form this word takes in Biblang, with the Greek it corresponds to and how often the New Testament uses it.
| Job in the sentence case | one singular | more than one plural |
|---|---|---|
| subject or object direct | prosōpem4×πρόσωπον | prosōpeim2×πρόσωπα |
| of, belonging to genitive | prosōpeu18×προσώπου | prosōpeiu1×προσώπων |
| to, for dative | prosōpe7×προσώπῳ | prosōpei |
Tinted cells are forms the New Testament never uses, so there is no Greek to show against them — but they are still correct Biblang, built from the slots below like any other.
Why these forms, and no others — the slots that make them
prosōpe 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.
76 occurrences, every one of them listed
prosōpem“face”subject or objectdirect singular4×
Matthew 17:2… metamorfita emprosthen autoiu, kai lampata tem prosōpem autou hōs tos hēlios, teim de …… He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His …
Luke 9:53“face”kai ouk dechela auton, hoti tem prosōpem autou ate poreuorōntem eis Ierousalēm.But the people there refused to welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem.
1 Peter 3:12… kai oueim autou eis deēsian autoiu, prosōpem de kuriou epi poiarōntoin kakoseim.… inclined to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those …
Revelation 10:1… epi tan kefalan autou, kai tem prosōpem autou hōs tos hēlios, kai tois …… a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun, and his …
prosōpeu“face”of, belonging togenitive singular18×
Matthew 11:10“face”… mis apostelamō ton angelon mu pro prosōpeu su, hos kataskeuazati tan hodan su …This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’
Mark 1:2“face”… Idou apostelamō ton angelon mu pro prosōpeu su, hos kataskeuazati tan hodan su;… the prophet: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way.”
Luke 7:27“face”… Idou apostelamō ton angelon mu pro prosōpeu su, hos kataskeuazati tan hodan su …This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’
Luke 9:29… te proseuchorō auton tem eidem teu prosōpeu autou heterem kai tos himatismos autou …… was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became radiantly …
Luke 9:52“face”kai apostelata angeloin pro prosōpeu autou. kai poreuirantois eiserchala eis kōman …He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the …
Luke 10:1“face”… apostelata autoin ana duo duo pro prosōpeu autou eis pantan polan kai topon …… others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place He was …
Acts 2:28… zōau, plērasi min eufrosunēau meta teu prosōpeu su.… fill me with joy in Your presence.’
Acts 3:20hopōs an erchaleia kairois anapsuxiau apo prosōpeu tou kuriou kai apostelateia ton procheirizorēnton …… of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He …
Acts 5:41“presence”tois men oun poreuole chairarōntois apo prosōpeu teu sunedrieu hoti kataxiila huper teu …… apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
Acts 7:45“presence”… ethneiu heiu exōthata tos theos apo prosōpeu toiu patroiu nu heōs taiu hēmeraiu …… dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time …
Acts 13:24“[the] presence”prokērussarantou Iōannou pro prosōpeu tau eisodau autou baptismem metanoiau panto …Before the arrival of Jesus, John preached a baptism of repentance to all the people …
Acts 17:26“face”… pantem ethnem anthrōpoiu katoikarō epi panteu prosōpeu tau gēau, horizarantos prostassorēntoin kairoin kai …… He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries …
2 Corinthians 3:7“face”… prosōpem Mōusou dia tan doxan teu prosōpeu autou tan katargorōntan,… at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory,
2 Thessalonians 1:9hotinois dikan tinali olethron aiōnion apo prosōpeu tou kuriou kai apo tau doxau …… of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory …
James 1:11“appearance”… autou ekpiptata kai tas euprepeias teu prosōpeu auteu apoleta; houtōs kai tos plousios …… the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will …
Revelation 6:16… epi nin kai kruptavar nin apo prosōpeu tou kathorōntou epi tou thronou kai …… us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the …
Revelation 12:14… kai kairoin kai hēmisuem kairou apo prosōpeu tou ofiou.… great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place …
Revelation 20:11… kathorōnton epi autou, hou apo teu prosōpeu fugata tas gēas kai tos ouranos, …… Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for …
prosōpe“face”to, fordative singular7×
2 Corinthians 2:10… ei tinem charizomē, dia vin en prosōpe Christou,… I have forgiven it in the presence of Christ for your sake,
2 Corinthians 3:18“face”nis de pantois anakaluptorēnte prosōpe tan doxan kuriou katoptrizorōntois tan autan …And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being …
2 Corinthians 4:6… gnōsiau tau doxau tou theou en prosōpe Christou.… the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:12“appearance”… nu, hina echaveiō pros toin en prosōpe kauchorōntoin kai mē en kardia.… proud of us, so that you can answer those who take pride in appearances rather than in the heart.
Galatians 1:22ome de agnoorōntos te prosōpe tai ekklēsai tau Ioudaiau tai en …I was personally unknown, however, to the churches of …
1 Thessalonians 2:17… aporfanizirantois apo vu pros kairon hōrau, prosōpe ouk kardia, perissoterōs spoudazana tem prosōpem …… you for a short time (in person, not in heart), our desire to …
Hebrews 9:24… auton ton ouranon, nun emfanizira te prosōpe tou theou huper nu;… appear on our behalf in the presence of God.
prosōpeim“faces”subject or objectdirect plural2×
Revelation 9:7… hōs stefanois homoiois chruso, kai teim prosōpeim autaiu hōs prosōpeim anthrōpoiu,… gold on their heads; and their faces were like the faces of men.
Revelation 9:7… chruso, kai teim prosōpeim autaiu hōs prosōpeim anthrōpoiu,… and their faces were like the faces of men.
prosōpeiu“persons”of, belonging togenitive plural1×
2 Corinthians 1:11“persons”… nu ta deēsia, hina ek polleiu prosōpeiu tem eis nin charismem dia polloiu …… you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the favor shown us in answer to their prayers.
prosōpem39×
Matthew 6:17… aleifesar su tan kefalan kai tem prosōpem su niptesar,… anoint your head and wash your face,
Matthew 16:3… gar stugnazarōntos tos ouranos. tem men prosōpem tou ouranou gnōskavō diakrinarō, teim de …… You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the …
Matthew 17:6“faces”kai akouarantois tois mathētois piptala epi prosōpem autoiu kai fobila sfodra.When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown in …
Matthew 18:10… en ouranoi dia pantou blepalō tem prosōpem tou patrou mu tou en ouranoi.… angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.
Matthew 22:16“person”… peri oudenou, ouk gar blepasō eis prosōpem anthrōpoiu;They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance.
Matthew 26:39“face”kai proercharantos mikrem piptata epi prosōpem autou proseuchorōntos kai legarōntos; Patror mu, …Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it …
Matthew 26:67tote emptuala eis tem prosōpem autou kai kolafizala auton, tois de …Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him
Mark 12:14“person”… peri oudenou, ouk gar blepasō eis prosōpem anthrōpoiu, alla epi alētheiau tan hodan …… teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or not?”
Mark 14:65… emptuarō auto kai perikaluptarō autou tem prosōpem kai kolafizarō auton kai legarō auto; …… received Him with slaps in His face.
Luke 2:31“presence”hem hetoimazasa kata prosōpem pantoiu toiu laoiu,which You have prepared in the sight of all people,
Luke 5:12“face”… kai horarantos ton Iēsun piptarantos epi prosōpem dita autou legarōntos; Kurior, ean thelaseiō …… When he saw Jesus, he fell facedown and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can …
Luke 9:51“face”… tau analēmpsiau autou kai autos tem prosōpem stērizata teu poreuorō eis Ierousalēm,… Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
Luke 12:56hupokritoir, tem prosōpem tau gēau kai tou ouranou oidavē …… You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky. Why …
Luke 17:16“face”kai piptata epi prosōpem para toin podoin autou eucharistarōntos auto; …He fell facedown at Jesus’ feet in thanksgiving to Him — and he …
Luke 20:21“personal”… legasō kai didaskasō kai ouk labasō prosōpem, alla epi alētheiau tan hodan tou …… that You speak and teach correctly. You show no partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Luke 21:35… gar epi pantoin toin kathorōntoin epi prosōpem pantau tau gēau.… upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth.
Acts 3:13“presence”… vis men paradōava kai arneva kata prosōpem Pilatou, krinarantou ekeinou apoluarō;… servant Jesus. You handed Him over and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had decided to release Him.
Acts 6:15… kathezorōntois en te sunedrie horala tem prosōpem autou hōsei prosōpem angelou.… Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an …
Acts 6:15… sunedrie horala tem prosōpem autou hōsei prosōpem angelou.… that his face was like the face of an angel.
Acts 20:25… mis oidamē hoti ouketi horevi tem prosōpem mu vis pantois en hoi dierchama …… preached the kingdom will see my face again.
Acts 20:38… ho legatelē hoti ouketi mellalō tem prosōpem autou theōrarō. propempale de auton eis …… that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to …
Acts 25:16… anthrōpon prin ē tos katēgororōntos kata prosōpem echatoiō toin katēgoroin topon tē apologiau …… he has had an opportunity to face his accusers and defend himself against …
1 Corinthians 13:12… dia esoptreu en ainigme, tote de prosōpem pros prosōpem; arti gnōskamō ek mereu, …… a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in …
1 Corinthians 13:12… en ainigme, tote de prosōpem pros prosōpem; arti gnōskamō ek mereu, tote de …… then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then …
1 Corinthians 14:25“face”… fanereim genotō, kai houtōs piptarantos epi prosōpem proskunati to theo, apangelarōntos hoti Ontōs …… made known. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is …
2 Corinthians 3:7… atenizara toin huioin Israēl eis tem prosōpem Mōusou dia tan doxan teu prosōpeu …… Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting …
2 Corinthians 3:13… kathaper Mōusos tithate kalummem epi tem prosōpem autou, pros tem mē atenizara toin …… would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing …
2 Corinthians 8:24“(the) presence”… huper vu eis autoin endeikorōntois eis prosōpem taiu ekklēsaiu.In full view of the churches, then, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our boasting about you.
2 Corinthians 10:1“person”… kai epieikeiau tou Christou, hos kata prosōpem men tapeinos en vi, apeiarōntos de …… the mildness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you — I, Paul, who am humble when face to face with you, but bold when …
2 Corinthians 10:7“appearance”Teim kata prosōpem blepavō. ei tinos peithatē heauto Christou …… outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to …
2 Corinthians 11:20… ei tinos eparotō, ei tinos eis prosōpem vin deratō.… himself or strikes you in the face.
Galatians 2:6“appearance”… hopoiois pote ale oudenem mi diaferatō; prosōpem theos anthrōpou ouk labatō mi gar …But as for the highly esteemed— whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism— those leaders added nothing to me.
Galatians 2:11… de erchata Kēfos eis Antiocheian, kata prosōpem auto antistēama, hoti katagnōskorēntos ate;… however, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
Colossians 2:1… Laodikeia kai hosois ouk horalē tem prosōpem mu en sarka,… all who have not met me face to face,
1 Thessalonians 2:17… prosōpe ouk kardia, perissoterōs spoudazana tem prosōpem vu horara en polla epithumia.… heart), our desire to see you face to face was even more intense.
1 Thessalonians 3:10… dorōntois eis tem horara vu tem prosōpem kai katartizara teim husterēmeim tau pistiau …… we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in …
James 1:23… poiētos, houtos eoikatē andro katanoarōnto tem prosōpem tau genesiau autou en esoptre,… a man who looks at his face in a mirror,
Revelation 4:7… kai tem tritem zōem echarōntos tem prosōpem hōs anthrōpou, kai tem tetartem zōem …… a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth …
Revelation 22:4kai horeli tem prosōpem autou, kai tem onomem autou epi …They will see His face, and His name will be on …
prosōpeim5×
Matthew 6:16… tois hupokritois skuthrōpois, afanizalō gar teim prosōpeim autoiu hopōs fanileia toi anthrōpoi nēsteuarōntois; …… the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting …
Luke 24:5… de generantaiu autaiu kai klinarōntaiu teim prosōpeim eis tan gēan legala pros autain; …As the women bowed their faces to the ground in terror, the …
Jude 1:16“people”… tem stomem autoiu lalatō huperonkeim, thaumazarōntois prosōpeim ōfeleiau charin.… lusts; their mouths spew arrogance; they flatter others for their own advantage.
Revelation 7:11“faces”… piptala enōpion tou thronou epi teim prosōpeim autoiu kai proskunala to theo,… And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God,
Revelation 11:16… toin thronoin autoiu piptala epi teim prosōpeim autoiu kai proskunala to theo,… thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,