A compound verb indicating prior occurrence or existence. While classical Greek used it broadly for things that happened before (previous events, earlier generations, past wars), Paul's use in Romans 3:25 is forensically precise: speaking of sins previously committed before Christ's atoning work. The translations across languages emphasize the temporal priority—these were transgressions that had already occurred in the time before the cross, which God had passed over in his forbearance until the revelation of righteousness in Christ.