ἐνώπιον, neuter of the adjective
ἐνώπιος,
ἐνώπιον (equivalent to
ὁ ἐν ὠπι ὤν, one who is
in sight, Theocritus, 22, 152; the
Sept. Exodus 33:11;
ἄρτοι ἐνωπιοι,
Exodus 25:29); used adverbially it gets the force of a preposition (
Winers Grammar, § 54, 6;
Buttmann, 319 (274)), and is joined with the genitive (hardly to be found so in any secular authors),
before, in sight of anyone; time and again in the
Sept. for
בֲּעֵינֵי and
לִפְנֵי, also for
נֶגֶד and
לְנֶגֶד; among N. T. writings used most frequently by Luke and the author of the Book of Revelation, but never by Matthew and Mark. It is used:
1. of occupied place:
in that place which is before, or
over against, opposite, anyone and toward which another turns his eyes;
a. properly:
εἶναι ἐνώπιον τίνος,
Revelation 1:4;
Revelation 7:15; (
Revelation 14:5 Rec.)); so that
εἶναι must be mentally supplied before
ἐνώπιον,
Revelation 4:5;
Revelation 8:3;
Revelation 9:13; after
στῆναι,
Acts 10:30;
ἑστηκεναι,
Revelation 7:9;
Revelation 8:2;
Revelation 11:4;
Revelation 12:4;
Revelation 20:12;
παρεστηκέναι,
Luke 1:19;
Acts 4:10;
ἱσταναι,
Acts 6:6;
καθῆσθαι,
Revelation 11:16;
θύρα ἀνεῳγμένη ἐνώπιον τίνος, equivalent to a door opened for one (see
θύρα, c.
γ. (
Buttmann, 173 (150))),
Revelation 3:8; after verbs signifying motion to a place:
τιθέναι,
Luke 5:18;
ἀναβαίνειν,
Revelation 8:4;
βάλλειν,
Revelation 4:10;
πίπτειν or
πεσεῖν (of worshippers),
Revelation 4:10;
Revelation 5:8; (
Revelation 7:11);
προσκυνεῖν,
Luke 4:7;
Revelation 3:9;
Revelation 15:4 (cf.
Buttmann, as above; 147 (129);
Winers Grammar, 214 (201)).
b. in metaphorical phrases after verbs signifying motion:
βαστάζειν τό ὄνομα...
ἐνώπιον ἐθνῶν (see
βαστάζω, 3),
Acts 9:15;
σκάνδαλα βάλλειν ἐνώπιον τίνος, to cast stumbling-blocks (incitements to sin) before one,
Revelation 2:14; after
προέρχεσθαι, to go before one like a herald,
Luke 1:17; (after
προπορεύεσθαι,
Luke 1:76 WH). in phrases in which something is supposed to be done by one while standing or appearing in the presence of another (cf.
Buttmann, 176 (153)): after
ἀρνεῖσθαι,
Luke 12:9 (Lachmann
ἔμπροσθεν); (
ἀπαρνεῖσθαι, ibid.);
ὁμολογεῖν,
Revelation 3:5 (
Rec. ἐξομολογήσομαί);
κατηγορεῖν,
Revelation 12:10; (
ᾄδειν,
Revelation 14:3);
καυχᾶσθαι, to come before God and glory,
1 Corinthians 1:29;
δικαιοῦν ἑαυτόν,
Luke 16:15.
c. equivalent to apud (with);
in the soul of anyone:
χαρά γίνεται ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀγγέλων,
Luke 15:10 (others understand this of God's joy, by reverent suggestion described as
in the presence of the angels; cf.
ἐν οὐρανῷ,
Luke 15:7);
ἔσται σοι δόξα ἐνώπιον τῶν συνανακειμένων,
Luke 14:10 (others take this outwardly; cf. 2 below); after verbs of remembering and forgetting:
εἰς μνημόσυνον ἐνώπιον (
L T Tr WH ἔμπροσθεν)
τοῦ Θεοῦ,
Acts 10:4;
μνησθῆναι ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ,
Acts 10:31;
Revelation 16:19;
ἐπιλελησμένον ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ,
Luke 12:6 (cf.
Buttmann, § 134, 3).
2. before one's eyes; in one's presence and sight or hearing;
a. properly:
φαγεῖν ἐνώπιον τίνος,
Luke 24:43; this same phrase signifies a living together in
Luke 13:26 (
2 Samuel 11:13;
1 Kings 1:25);
σημεῖα ποιεῖν,
John 20:30;
ἀνακρίνειν,
Luke 23:14;
ἐνώπιον πολλῶν μαρτύρων,
1 Timothy 6:12; add Luke (
Luke 5:25);
Luke 8:47;
Acts 19:9,
19;
Acts 27:35; (
1 Timothy 5:20);
3 John 1:6;
Revelation 3:5; (
Revelation 13:13;
Revelation 14:10).
b. metaphorically:
πίστιν ἔχε ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, have faith satisfied with this that it is not hidden from the sight of God,
Romans 14:22;
ἁμαρτάνειν ἐνώπιον τίνος (see
ἁμαρτάνω at the end),
Luke 15:18,
21; especially in affirmations, oaths, adjurations:
ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ,
τοῦ κυρίου, etc.,
Galatians 1:20;
1 Timothy 5:21;
1 Timothy 6:13;
2 Timothy 2:14;
2 Timothy 4:1. Hence, those are said to do something
in the presence of one who have him present to their thought, who set him before their mind's eye:
προωρώμην (
πρωρωμην L T Tr WH)
τόν κύριον ἐνώπιον μου,
Acts 2:25;
ταπεινοῦσθαι ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου,
James 4:10 (Sir. 2:17).
c. at the instance of anyone,
by his power and authority:
Revelation 13:12,
14;
Revelation 19:20.
d. before the eyes of one, i. e.
if he turns his eyes thither:
Hebrews 4:13 (where
οὐκ ἀφανής ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ is explained by the following
γυμνά...
τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ; cf.
Job 26:6 γυμνός ὁ ᾅδης ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ,
before his look, to his view).
e. before one i. e.
he looking on and judging, in one's judgment (
Winers Grammar, 32;
Buttmann, 172 (150); § 133, 14):
ἐφάνησαν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν ὡσεί λῆρος,
Luke 24:11 (cf. Greek
ἡρακλειδη λῆρος πάντα δοκεῖ εἶναι); so especially
ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ,
τοῦ κυρίου, after the following words:
τά ἀρεστά,
1 John 3:22;
βδέλυγμα,
Luke 16:15;
δίκαιος,
Luke 1:6 (
T Tr WH ἐναντίον);
Acts 4:19;
δικαιοῦσθαι,
Romans 3:20;
εὐάρεστος,
Hebrews 13:21;
εὐθύς,
Acts 8:21 Rec.;
καλόν,
ἀπόδεκτον,
1 Timothy 2:3;
1 Timothy 5:4;
Romans 12:17;
2 Corinthians 8:21;
μέγας,
Luke 1:15;
πολυτελές,
1 Peter 3:4;
πεπληρωμένος,
Revelation 3:2;
ἀρέσκειν,
Acts 6:5 (
Deuteronomy 1:23 (
Alex.);
2 Samuel 3:36; (
Winers Grammar, § 33, f.));
in the sight of God i. e.
God looking on and approving:
Luke 1:75;
Acts 10:33;
2 Corinthians 4:2;
2 Corinthians 7:12.
in the sight of God, or with God:
εὑρίσκειν χάριν (
חֵן מָצָא often in the O. T.), to be approved by God, please him,
Acts 7:46.
THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
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