prōtos · first

What it means

prōtos (πρῶτος) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “first”.

Foremost.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. The one who comes before all others, in time or in order.
2. The most important.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

First, in time, in order or in importance; hence chief, leading. Abbott-Smith: foremost; chief; principal; at the first. Of the same family as πρωτότοκος, “firstborn”.

• “Which commandment is first of all?” Mark 12:28
• “Many who are first will be last” Matthew 19:30Mark 10:44
• “First take out the beam from your eye” Luke 6:42
• “The first heaven and the first earth had passed away” Revelation 21:1
• The leading men of a city Acts 13:50

How we translate it

“First” 141 times, “leading men” 5, “before” 3, “leading” 2, “best” 1. Of important persons, “leading men” (Acts 13:50).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• first ×141
• leading men ×5
• before ×3
• leading ×2
• belonging to the chief man ×1
• best ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×25
• Mark×17
• Luke×20
• John×13
• Acts×16
• Romans×7
• 1 Corinthians×7
• 2 Corinthians×1
• Ephesians×1
• Philippians×1
• 1 Thessalonians×1
• 2 Thessalonians×1
• 1 Timothy×6
• 2 Timothy×3
• Hebrews×10
• James×1
• 1 Peter×1
• 2 Peter×3
• 1 John×1
• Revelation×18

• Matthew 5:24

  leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

• Matthew 6:33

  But seek first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

• Matthew 7:5

  Hypocrite, first take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

• Matthew 8:21

  Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

• Matthew 10:2

  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee and John his brother;

• Matthew 12:29

  Or how can anyone enter into the strong man’s house and carry off his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

• Matthew 12:45

  Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So it will be also with this evil generation.”

• Matthew 13:30

  Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the darnel first and tie it in bundles to burn it, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

• Matthew 17:10

  And the disciples asked him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

• Matthew 17:27

  But so that we do not cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a stater. Take that and give it to them for me and you.”

• Matthew 19:30

  But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

• Matthew 20:8

  And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard says to his steward, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last up to the first.’

• Matthew 20:10

  And when the first came, they thought that they would receive more; and they also received the denarius each.

• Matthew 20:16

  So the last will be first, and the first last.”

• Matthew 20:27

  and whoever wants to be first among you will be your slave;

• Matthew 21:28

  But what do you think? A man had two children. He came to the first and said, ‘Child, go, work today in the vineyard.’

• Matthew 21:31

  Which of the two did the will of his father?” They say, “The first.” Jesus says to them, “Truly I tell you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going ahead of you into the kingdom of God.

• Matthew 21:36

  Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they did to them the same.

• Matthew 22:25

  Now there were among us seven brothers; and the first married and died, and not having offspring, he left his wife to his brother;

• Matthew 22:38

  This is the great and first commandment.

• Matthew 23:26

  Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean.

• Matthew 26:17

  Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”

• Matthew 27:64

  So order the grave to be made secure until the third day, so that his disciples may not come and steal him and say to the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”

• Mark 3:27

  But no one can enter into the strong man’s house and plunder his goods unless he first ties up the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.

• Mark 4:28

  By itself the earth bears fruit, first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head.

• Mark 6:21

  And an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and the commanders and the leading men of Galilee.

• Mark 7:27

  And he was saying to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

• Mark 9:11

  And they were asking him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

• Mark 9:12

  And he said to them, “Elijah does come first and restores all things. And how is it written about the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

• Mark 9:35

  And sitting down, he called the Twelve and says to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he will be last of all and servant of all.”

• Mark 10:31

  But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

• Mark 10:44

  and whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all.

• Mark 12:20

  There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and when he died he left no offspring;

• Mark 12:28

  And one of the scribes came up, having heard them debating, and seeing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is first of all?”

• Mark 12:29

  Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one;

• Mark 13:10

  And first the good news must be proclaimed to all the nations.

• Mark 14:12

  And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples say to him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”

• Mark 16:9

  Longer ending: Now having risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.

• Luke 2:2

  This was the first registration, when Quirinius was governing Syria.

• Luke 6:42

  How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the beam in your eye? Hypocrite, first take out the beam from your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the splinter that is in your brother’s eye.

And 113 more times.