μέλλω G3195
To be about to, be on the point of doing something; as participle, coming or future; also to intend, be ready, or delay
A versatile auxiliary verb that anchors the New Testament's language of imminent futurity and divine destiny. At its core, it signals that something is about to happen — Herod is about to search for the child (Matt 2:13), the Son of Man is about to be delivered (Matt 17:22). When used as a participle modifying nouns, it takes on an adjectival force meaning 'coming' or 'future,' as in the age to come (Matt 12:32) or the wrath to come (Matt 3:7). Spanish a punto de and German im Begriff sein both capture this sense of standing on the threshold. Two isolated uses push the semantic boundaries: readiness or willingness in 2 Peter 1:12 and hesitation or delay in Acts 22:16.
3. sense 3 — A sense of readiness, willingness, or intentional preparedness. In 2 Peter 1:12, the author says 'I will always be ready to remind you' — here the verb conveys not imminence but deliberate readiness. English 'I will be ready' and Spanish estaré dispuesto both point away from temporal imminence toward volitional preparedness. This usage appears to draw on the classical Greek sense of intending or purposing. 1×
AR["سَأَكونُ"]·ben["আমি-করব"]·DE["im-Begriff-sein"]·EN["I-will-be-ready"]·FR["être-sur-le-point-de"]·heb["אֶתְכַוֵּן"]·HI["मैं-चाहूँगा"]·ID["aku-akan-selalu"]·IT["stare-per"]·jav["badhé-kula"]·KO["할-것이다"]·PT["estarei-pronto"]·RU["буду"]·ES["estaré-dispuesto"]·SW["nitakuwa-tayari"]·TR["niyetliyim"]·urd["میں-چاہوں-گا"]
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
1. be about to / be on the point of — The core periphrastic sense: to be about to, be on the point of, be going to do something. This overwhelmingly dominant usage creates a near-future construction, signaling imminence. It appears across all persons, tenses, and moods — from narrative (Matt 2:13, Jesus about to be betrayed in Matt 17:22) to apocalyptic revelation (the things about to happen). Spanish a punto de and German wird both reflect this prospective aspect. The construction often carries overtones of divine necessity or destined outcome. 87×
AR["آتٍ","المُزْمِعَ","سَأُدَافِعُ","سَتَكُونُ","سَتُبْحِرُ","سَوْفَ","سَيَذْهَبُ","سَيَكونُ","سَيَكُونُ","سَيُمَدِّدُونَ","لِأَنَّ-سَوْفَ","مُزمِعًا","مُزْمِعٌ","مُزْمِعُونَ"]·ben["আসতে-যাচ্ছে","আসবেন","ফিরতে-যাওয়া","যাইতেছ","যাইতেছিল","যাইতেছে","যাচ্ছে","হতে-চলেছে","হতে-যাওয়া"]·DE["wird"]·EN["Is-about","about","about-to","being-about","is-about","to-be-about"]·FR["être-sur-le-point-de"]·heb["עֲתִיד","עֲתִידָה","עֲתִידוֹת","עָתִיד","עוֹמְדִים","עוֹמֵד"]·HI["अअने-वअलअ","करने-वाला","करने-वाला-था","चाहता-है","वालाहूँ","वालाहै","वाली","वालीहै","वाले","वालेथे","होने-वल-है","होनेवाला-था","होनेवाला-है","होनेवाले"]·ID["Akan","akan","yang-akan"]·IT["stare-per"]·jav["Badhé","badhé"]·KO["장차","장차-올-것이다","하려-하다","하려는","하려는-것처럼"]·PT["Está-para","estando-para","estar-para","está-para","que-está"]·RU["Намерен","будет","будущего","быть","вот-вот","имеющего","имеющий","намеревается","намерен","собиравшегося","собираться","собирающийся","собирающихся","собираясь"]·ES["Está-a-punto","a-punto","a-punto-de","de-cosas-futuras","estando-a-punto","estando-a-punto-de","estando-a-punto-de-","estar-a-punto","estar-a-punto-de","está-a-punto","está-a-punto-de","que-va-a","va-a"]·SW["Anakaribia","a-taka-ye-","akikusudia","alipokuwa-akikusudia","anakaribia","asiwe","atakayekuwa-karibu","atakuwa-karibu","iliyokuwa-karibu","itakuwa","mkikusudia","nikiwa-karibu","utakuja","wakikusudia","wakitaka","yatakayotokea"]·TR["gelecek","niyetinde","olacak","olmak-üzere","Üzeredir","üzere","üzere-olan","üzere-olanlar","üzere-olduğunu"]·urd["آنے-والا","آنے-والا-ہے","جانے-والے","والا","والا-تھا","چاہتا-ہے","چاہتے-ہوئے","چاہنے-والا","چاہنے-والے","ہونے-والا","ہونے-والا-ہے","ہونے-والی","ہونے-والے"]
Matt 2:13, Matt 11:14, Matt 16:27, Matt 17:12, Matt 17:22, Luke 19:11, Luke 21:7, Luke 22:23, Luke 24:21, John 6:6, John 6:71, John 7:35 (+38 more)
2. coming / future (adjectival attributive) — The adjectival or substantival participle: coming, future, forthcoming. Here the participle modifies a noun ('the coming wrath,' Matt 3:7; 'the coming age,' Matt 12:32) or stands alone ('the things to come,' Acts 24:25). This sense is closely related to sense 1 but has shifted from verbal auxiliary to modifier. Luke uses it frequently to characterize eschatological realities. Spanish venidero and cosas venideras capture this attributive function precisely. 21×
AR["آتِي","آتِيَة","الآتي","الآتياتِ","الآتِيَةَ","الآتِيَةِ","العتيدَةِ","المُسْتَقْبَلِ","الْآتِي","الْغَضَبِ-الْآتِي","الْمُسْتَقْبَلِيَّةِ","لِلعتيدينَ"]·ben["আসছে","আসছে-এমন","আসছে-যা","আসতে-যাচ্ছে","আসন্ন","আসন্ন,","আসন্ন।","আসন্নদের","আসন্নের","ভবিষ্যতে","ভবিষ্যত্","ভবিষ্যৎ","ভবিষ্যৎ,"]·DE["im-Begriff-sein","wird"]·EN["about","about-to","being-about","coming","coming-things","of-coming","things-to-come"]·FR["être-sur-le-point-de"]·heb["בָּאָה","הַבָּא","הַבָּאָה","הָ-עֲתִידָה","הָעֲתִידָה","הָעָתִיד","לֶ-עָתִיד-לָבֹא","עֲתִידָה","עֲתִידוֹת","עָתִיד","עוֹלָם-"]·HI["अअने-वअले","अअने-वअले-मेइन","अअने-वले","अअने-वलोन","आने-वाली","आने-वाले-वर्ष","आने-वालों,","आनेवाला","आनेवाले","आनेवाले-को","आनेवालेके","भविष्य","भविस्य","होने-वाली","होने-वाले"]·ID["akan","akan-datang","akan-datang.","hal-hal yang akan datang","masa-depan","murka","yang-akan","yang-akan-datang","yang-akan-datang,","yang-akan-datang;"]·IT["stare-per"]·jav["badhe-rawuh","badhé-rawuh","bakal-rawuh,","bakal-rawuh.","ingkang-badhe-dhateng;","ingkang-badhé","ingkang-badhé-dhateng","ingkang-badhé-rawuh","ingkang-badhé-rawuh,","ingkang-badhé-rawuh.","kang-badhé","ngajeng"]·KO["나타날","앞으로","오는","오실-자-의","올-것들의","올;","장래,","장래-의","장래-의-것들","장래-의.","장차","장차-오는","장차-오는-것들을","장차-올"]·PT["a-vir","aos-que-estão-para","coisas-futuras","de-coisas-vindouras","do-vindouro","futura","futuro","que-haveria-de-vir","que-vem","vindoura","vindouras","vindouro","vindouro;"]·RU["будущего","будущее","будущей","будущем","будущим","будущую","в-","готовящейся","грядущего","грядущем","грядущем;","грядущих"]·ES["a-los-que-iban-a","cosas-venideras","de-venidero","futuro","que-está-por","que-iba-a-venir","que-va-a-ser","venidera","venideras","venidero"]·SW["ajaye","ghadhabu","ijayo","itakayokuja","mwaka-ujao","ujao","ujao.","utakaokuja","wa-yajayo","yajayo","yajayo,"]·TR["gelecek","gelecek-olan","gelecek-olanda","gelecek-olanı","gelecek-olanın","gelecekler","geleceklerin","gelecekte"]·urd["آئندہ","آئندہ۔","آنے-والوں-کے-لیے","آنے-والی","آنے-والی-باتوں-کے","آنے-والی-چیزوں-کا","آنے-والے","آنے-والے-میں","مستقبل"]
Matt 3:7, Matt 12:32, Luke 3:7, Luke 13:9, Acts 24:25, Rom 5:14, Rom 8:18, Rom 8:38, 1 Cor 3:22, Gal 3:23, Eph 1:21, Col 2:17 (+9 more)
4. sense 4 — A sense of delay or hesitation, attested in Acts 22:16 where Ananias challenges Saul: 'Why are you delaying?' (ti melleis). Spanish esperas ('why do you wait?') captures the nuance well. This reversal — from 'about to act' to 'failing to act' — exploits the implication that someone on the verge of something has not yet done it. The classical Greek usage of mello for hesitation or procrastination underlies this New Testament instance. 1×
AR["تَتَأَخَّرُ"]·ben["তুমি-বিলম্ব-কর"]·DE["wird"]·EN["are-you-delaying"]·FR["être-sur-le-point-de"]·heb["מְהַסֵּס"]·HI["देरी-करते-हो"]·ID["menunggu?"]·IT["stare-per"]·jav["panjenengan-ngèntosi?"]·KO["너는-지체하느냐"]·RU["медлишь"]·ES["esperas"]·SW["unakawia"]·TR["bekliyorsun"]·urd["تُو-دیر-کرتا-ہے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
μέλλω, imperfect ἔμελλον and ἤμελλον (see. below), Epic dialect μέλλον Refs 8th c.BC+; Epic dialect, Ionic dialect μέλλεσκον Refs 3rd c.BC+: future μελλήσω NT+4th c.BC+: aorist ἐμέλλησα Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive and middle, see below see.—Only present and imperfect in Refs 8th c.BC+, Lyric poetry, and Trag.: aorist only in Prose (except Refs 6th c.BC+imperfect ἤμελλον with long augment is…