προμεριμνάω (G4305) — Greek Lexicon

προμεριμνάω

promerimnáō

G4305 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To be anxious or concerned in advance; to give forethought or worry ahead of time about something. Primarily connotes the act of engaging in concern or preoccupation before an expected event or circumstance, with an emphasis on anticipatory anxiety or planning.

Semantic Range

to be anxious in advance, to worry beforehand, to be preoccupied with in anticipation, to give anxious thought ahead of time

Root / Etymology

From πρό (before, in advance) and μεριμνάω (to be anxious, to be concerned). Thus, the compound means to have anxiety or care beforehand. No direct borrowing from Hebrew or other languages; formed within Greek morphological patterns.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The verb προμεριμνάω appears rarely in extant Greek literature, with its main attestation in Christian writings (notably the New Testament, e.g., Mark 13:11). In classical Greek, the base verb μεριμνάω is used chiefly in the sense of 'worry' or 'being anxious,' and the prefix πρό intensifies this to indicate anxiety before something happens. In the context of the New Testament, especially in reference to persecution or anticipated hardship (as in the Synoptic Gospels), προμεριμνάω refers to being preoccupied with what one will say or do in the future, often in situations of potential danger or examination. English translations usually render this as 'be anxious beforehand' or 'take thought beforehand,' but the nuance is specifically on anticipatory concern as distinct from mere planning. In Hellenistic and Jewish Greek sources, this word is uncommon, and its usage is shaped by the context of guidance against needless worry about future speech or defense, contrasting with a reliance on divine guidance. The word's rarity and its presence in advice literature suggest a particular emphasis on avoiding the habit of anxious foreplanning.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from πρό and μεριμνάω; to care (anxiously) in advance:--take thought beforehand.

Root Family

μεριμν- (amérimnos) — to be anxious, to care, to be concerned

Root μεριμν- to be anxious, to be concerned

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
G275	ἀμέριμνος	unworried ones
G3309	μεριμνάω	anxious care

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G4305-01`	προμεριμνᾶτε	promerimnate	`V PRS ACT IMP 2P PL`	worry beforehand	be anxious beforehand	be anxious beforehand	1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G4305-01`	Mark 13:11	προμεριμνᾶτε	promerimnate	`V PRS ACT IMP 2P PL`	worry beforehand	be anxious beforehand	be anxious beforehand

← G4304 Greek Lexicon G4306 →