προμαρτύρομαι G4303
to testify beforehand, to bear witness in advance, to predict or prophesy future events
A compound joining witness-bearing with temporal priority, used especially of prophetic testimony about future events. Peter uses it in 1 Peter 1:11 of the Spirit of Christ in the prophets testifying beforehand about the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. The verb captures the prophetic nature of Old Testament witness—not just recording past events but bearing advance testimony to what would happen in the Messiah. The ancient prophets were courtroom witnesses testifying about the future.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The glosses emphasize advance witness ('testifying beforehand,' 'testificando de antemano,' 'vorher bezeugen'). Peter's argument is that the Spirit was already bearing witness to Christ's passion and glory through the Old Testament prophets—their words were advance testimony. This makes prophecy a form of pre-authentication, divine witnesses sworn in centuries early to establish what would happen when Messiah came. 1×
AR["الشّاهِدُ-مُسبَقًا"]·ben["পূর্বসাক্ষ্য-দিচ্ছিল"]·DE["vorher-bezeugen"]·EN["testifying-beforehand"]·FR["προμαρτυρόμενον"]·heb["מֵעִידָה־מֵרֹאשׁ"]·HI["पहले-से-गवाही-देते-हुए"]·ID["memberitakan-terlebih-dahulu"]·IT["promarturomenon"]·jav["kang-nyeksekaken-rumiyin"]·KO["미리-증언하신"]·PT["predizendo"]·RU["предсвидетельствуя"]·ES["testificando-de-antemano"]·SW["akishuhudia-kabla"]·TR["önceden-tanıklık-eden"]·urd["پہلے-سے-گواہی-دیتے-ہوئے"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
προμαρτύρομαι [ῡ], bear witness to beforehand, τὰ εἰς Χριστὸν παθήματα NT