"to speak to, address, Mt. 11:16; Lk. 7:32; 13:12; to address, harangue, Acts 22:2; to call to one’s self, Lk. 6:13"
Definition and meaning
to speak to, address, Mt. 11:16; Lk. 7:32; 13:12; to address, harangue, Acts 22:2; to call to one’s self, Lk. 6:13
In the original Greek the word is written: προσφωνέω
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of prosphoneo (G4377) across the King James Bible.
But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them.
And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,
(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
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Common questions
Strong's G4377 (prosphoneo) is a Greek word that means: to speak to, address, Mt. 11:16; Lk. 7:32; 13:12; to address, harangue, Acts 22:2; to call to one’s self, Lk. 6:13 It appears 7 times in the King James Bible.
The word prosphoneo (G4377) appears 7 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G4377 is prosphoneo, a Greek word defined as: to speak to, address, Mt. 11:16; Lk. 7:32; 13:12; to address, harangue, Acts 22:2; to call to one’s self, Lk. 6:13. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
prosphoneo is a Greek word found in the New Testament.