πρότερον
próteros
before
Comparative form meaning 'earlier, former, previous'—denoting something occurring or existing before another in time or sequence. The core sense is relative temporal priority, referring to what precedes another event, time, or entity. In various contexts, it can reference earlier parts of a discourse, previous times or conditions, or someone/something previously mentioned or encountered.
John 6:62 · Word #12
Lexicon G4387
| Lemma | πρότερος |
| Transliteration | próteros |
| Strong's | G4387 |
| Definition | Comparative form meaning 'earlier, former, previous'—denoting something occurring or existing before another in time or sequence. The core sense is relative temporal priority, referring to what precedes another event, time, or entity. In various contexts, it can reference earlier parts of a discourse, previous times or conditions, or someone/something previously mentioned or encountered. |
Morphology ADJ.S ACC N SG
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | ADJ.S — Substantive Adjective — An adjective functioning as a noun |
| Case | ACC — Accusative — Direct object or extent |
| Gender | N — Neuter — Grammatical neuter |
| Number | SG — Singular — One |
Common Translation
| Phrase | before |
| Literal | former-first |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | πρότερος |
| Strong's | G4387 |
SIBI-P1 Translation G4387-02
earlier
| Morphological Notes | Substantive adjective; neuter, accusative, singular; comparative form of πρό. |
| Rendering Rationale | As the neuter accusative singular of a comparative adjective, it commonly functions adverbially, expressing relative temporal priority. "Earlier" preserves the comparative sense of something preceding in time or sequence. |
View full lexicon entry for G4387 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
earlier
| Same as P1 | Yes |
| Rationale | P1 'earlier' is the proper contextual rendering for πρότερον; it matches the SILEX definition and the context. |