Word Study for G4328 (προσδοκάω)

prosdokáō /pros-dok-ah'-o/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom πρός and dokeuo (to watch)

Meaningto anticipate (in thought, hope or fear); by implication, to await

KJV usage(be in) expect(-ation), look (for), when looked, tarry, wait for.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of prosdokáō — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word prosdokáō, represented by G4328, means to anticipate or await, often with a sense of expectation rooted in thought, hope, or fear. It appears 18 times across 15 unique verses in the Bible. The word implies an active state of looking for or tarrying for a future person or event.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, G4328 is used in several key contexts. It is central to the question of Jesus' Messianic identity, as when John the Baptist's disciples ask, "Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?" (Luke 7:20; Matthew 11:3). The word also carries a strong sense of eschatological hope, as believers are described as looking for new heavens and a new earth 2 Peter 3:13 and the coming of the day of God 2 Peter 3:12. Conversely, it is used in parables to warn of judgment, where a lord returns on a day when his servant looketh not for him, appointing his portion with the unbelievers Luke 12:46.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words expand upon the concept of anticipation and waiting:

G1260 dialogízomai (to deliberate, muse, reason): This word is used alongside G4328 to describe the crowd's internal state; as they were in expectation, they mused in their hearts whether John was the Christ Luke 3:15.
G2064 érchomai (to come or go): This verb often describes the object of expectation. The disciples of John ask if Jesus is "he that should come" or if they should look for another, directly linking the act of coming with the act of expecting Matthew 11:3.
G3952 parousía (coming, presence): This term for an advent or coming is the specific event believers are looking for G4328, as seen in the call to anticipate the coming of the day of God 2 Peter 3:12.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G4328 is significant, highlighting a required posture of faith.

Messianic Inquiry: The word frames the pivotal question of the gospels: identifying the awaited Christ. It is used by those actively seeking to know if Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy Luke 7:19.
Eschatological Hope: For believers, G4328 defines an active hope in God's promises. It is not passive waiting but an eager looking for the "new heavens and a new earth" 2 Peter 3:13 and being found blameless in him 2 Peter 3:14.
Vigilance and Judgment: The term serves as a stark warning. The unprepared servant who does not look for his master's return faces being cut asunder (Luke 12:46; Matthew 24:50), linking a lack of expectation with severe consequences.

Summary

In summary, G4328 conveys an active and consequential form of anticipation. It ranges from the crowd's hopeful but uncertain expectation concerning John the Baptist Luke 3:15 to the focused, eschatological hope of the believer looking for the Lord's return 2 Peter 3:12. The word underscores that how one awaits future events—whether with vigilance or unawareness—has profound spiritual implications.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 16 occurrences, inflected in 8 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Present Active Indicative 1st Plural 4×
Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine 3×
Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine 3×
Present Active Indicative 3rd Singular 2×
Imperfect Active Indicative 3rd Plural 1×
Present Active Participle Accusative Plural Masculine 1×
Present Active Participle Genitive Plural Masculine 1×
Present Active Participle Genitive Singular Masculine 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Genitive: Possession or source — often "of".
Accusative: The direct object of the verb.
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Active: The subject performs the action.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 15 verses across 4 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Luke (6 verses); never once in the other 23.

Matthew

Luke

Acts

2 Peter

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.