Preposition – πρός ‘to, towards’

ObjectivesLearning objectives

The syntax and semantics of the preposition πρός ‘to, towards’

VocabularyVocabulary

Greek	Gloss	Part of speech	Paradigm
ἡ στολή	the long robe	noun	B.a.α.i
ἄγω σε πρὸς τήν	(I) bring you to the (acc)	verb	C.a.ζ
πέμπω σε πρὸς τήν	(I) send you to the (acc)	verb	C.a.η
λύω τήν	(I) untie the (acc)	verb	C.a.α
ὁ πρεσβύτερος	the old man	noun	B.a.β.i
ὁ ἄγγελος	the messenger	noun	B.a.β.i

GrammarGrammar Topic: Preposition – πρός ‘to, towards’

A preposition (abbreviated prep) is a word that relates whatever comes after it (usually a noun) to something else in the clause. For example, the boy in the room specifies the location of the boy as being spatially related to the room (particularly, the boy is inside the room). Prepositions will have similar functions across languages, but the overlap will only be partial. Because of this, you should be cautious of associating the meaning of a Greek preposition with a particular English gloss. Prepositions in Greek also differ from English in that the noun following the preposition may appear in different cases, and the meaning of the preposition can change depending on the case of the noun that follows. Some meanings are associated with certain cases, such as movement towards something, which is usually associated with the accusative case:

(6) ἄγω σε πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον
I am leading you to the man

SyntaxSyntax: Preposition – πρός + accusative

Although πρός may be found with other cases (see 43.4.3), it is almost always found with a noun in accusative case, e.g. πρὸς τόν/τήν/τό.

SyntaxSyntax-Semantics: Preposition – πρός + accusative

Prepositions often have a wide range of interpretations. Oftentimes they are used in different domains of meaning, such as temporal, spatial, causal, etc. As we introduce each preposition, an exhaustive list of the range of uses will not be given, but the primary interpretations for each main domain will be given.

There are two primary parts of the context that determine the meaning of the preposition: the verb the preposition is used with and the noun that follows the preposition. Beginning with the latter, Greek is sensitive to the animacy of the noun after the preposition. Generally, πρός is used to indicate direction towards an animate object. Whereas ‘Bill is going πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον [to the person]’ is fine, Greek speakers do not normally use a construction like ‘Bill is going πρὸς τὸν οἶκον [to the house],’ as evidenced by the following example:

Example 7Movement towards a person

Command me to come πρός σε [to you] on the water (Matt 14:28)

This command from Jesus to Peter uses πρός, since Jesus is an animate destination.

While πρός does mean to or towards something with motion verbs in Greek, it also has other uses that are purely stative and do not indicate motion at all, particularly when the verb does not refer to motion:

Example 8In someone’s company

The word was πρὸς τὸν θεόν [with God] (John 1:1)

In this kind of stative context, πρός probably carries the idea of being in someone’s company or presence and not just spatially together.

Verbs of speaking are another context where πρός is used, marking the individual spoken to:

Example 9Individual spoken to

But we pray πρὸς τὸν θεόν [to God] (2 Cor 13:7)

Many prepositions also have temporal uses, and πρός is no exception. It usually refers to the temporal extent of something:

Example 10Temporal extent

But you wanted to rejoice πρός [for] a short while in its light (John 5:35)

Besides these uses, πρός is also used for more abstract ideas, such as to introduce the goal/aim of someone or something as well as to introduce a positive or negative relation:

Example 11Goal

These things were written πρός [for] your instruction (1 Cor 10:11)

Example 12Negative relation

For our struggle is not πρός [against] blood and flesh (Eph 6:12)

Example 13Positive relation

We have peace πρὸς τὸν θεόν [toward God] (Rom 5:1)

In all of these examples, the verb helps determine the interpretation of the preposition. It is not that πρός means both someone who is for someone else and someone who is against someone else. Rather, the preposition itself merely introduces a relation, and the context, especially the verb, tells us what kind of relation holds. The same can be said for stative and motion verbs: for stative verbs, it means in the company of someone, but for motion verbs, it means to or towards someone. This suggests that πρός does not itself require movement (despite the typical gloss of ‘to’ which is more strongly associated with movement). You should pay careful attention to the kinds of verbs used with each interpretation.

End of Chapter 2Take the Chapter 2 exam9 questions covering all 4 lessons in this chapter

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