προστάσσω G4367
To command, order authoritatively; to appoint or designate in advance
The verb προστάσσω (from πρός + τάσσω, 'to arrange toward') means to command or give authoritative orders. In the New Testament it appears almost exclusively for directives from God, Jesus, or Moses — carrying the full weight of divine or Torah-based authority. Joseph obeys what the angel 'commanded' (Matt 1:24), Jesus tells the healed leper to do what Moses 'commanded' (Matt 8:4, Mark 1:44, Luke 5:14), and Cornelius sends for Peter because an angel 'commanded' him (Acts 10:33). A single occurrence in Acts 17:26 stretches the word from verbal directive to cosmic appointment: God 'appointed' the seasons and boundaries for the nations, an act of sovereign ordering rather than spoken command.
Senses
1. to command / to order — To issue a command or authoritative directive requiring compliance, used of orders given by God, Jesus, Moses, or angelic intermediaries. In Matt 1:24 Joseph does as the angel of the Lord 'commanded' him; in Matt 8:4, Mark 1:44, and Luke 5:14 Jesus tells the healed leper to offer what Moses 'commanded'; and in Acts 10:33 Cornelius gathers his household because of what God 'commanded' through an angel. The multilingual evidence — Spanish 'mandó/ordenó,' French 'ordonner,' German 'befehlen' — uniformly points to authoritative verbal instruction. Both active and passive voice occur, with the passive (προσταχθέν, 'having been commanded') emphasizing the recipient's obligation. 6×
AR["أَمَرَ","أَمَرَهُ","ٱلْمَأْمُورِ"]·ben["আজ্ঞা-দিয়েছিলেন","আজ্ঞা-দিলেন","আদেশ-দিয়েছিলেন","আদেশ-দিল","আদেশিত"]·DE["befehlen","befiehlt"]·EN["commanded","having-been-commanded","he-commanded"]·FR["ordonner"]·heb["מְצֻוֶּה","צִוָּה"]·HI["आज्ञा-दी","आज्ञा-दी-थी","आदेश-दिया-गया-है","तेरे"]·ID["diperintahkan","memerintahkan","yang-diperintahkan"]·IT["ordinare","prosetaxen"]·jav["Mrentahaken","dhawuh","dipun-dhawuhaken","dipundhawuhaken","ingkang-kaprentahaken","sampun-dipun-prentahaken"]·KO["명령했다","명받은","명하신","명했다"]·PT["ordenou"]·RU["повелел","повеленное"]·ES["mandadas","mandó","ordenó"]·SW["akaamuru","aliagiza","alivyoagiza","alivyomwagiza","aliyoamuru","yaliyoamriwa"]·TR["emredilenin","emretti","emrettiği"]·urd["حکم-دیا","حکم-دیا-ہوا"]
2. to appoint / to designate — To appoint, designate, or set in order beforehand, implying divine preordination or sovereign arrangement rather than a specific verbal directive. In Acts 17:26 Paul declares that God 'appointed' (προστάξας) the times and boundaries of the nations' habitations. Spanish 'señalados' ('designated, marked out') captures this sense distinctly from 'mandó' ('he commanded'), revealing the shift from verbal command to cosmic ordering. The nuance moves from speech act to sovereign disposition — God arranging the structure of history rather than issuing a spoken instruction. 1×
AR["مُعَيَّنَةً"]·ben["নির্ধারিত"]·DE["befiehlt"]·EN["appointed"]·FR["ordonner"]·heb["מְמֻנִּים"]·HI["नियत"]·ID["ditetapkan"]·IT["ordinare"]·jav["kang-dipun-tetepaken"]·KO["미리-정해진"]·RU["назначенные"]·ES["señalados"]·SW["zilizopangwa"]·TR["atanılmış"]·urd["مقررہ-کیے-ہوئے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
προστάσσω, Attic dialect προστάττω ; Doric dialect ποτιτάσσω Refs also ποιτάσσω Refs: perfect προστέταχα LXX:—passive, Refs aorist προσετάχθην (see. below), also Refs aorist προσετάγηνLXX __I with accusative person, __I.1 place or post at a place, χωρεῖτε οἷ προστάσσομεν (i.e. ὑμᾶς) Refs 5th c.BC+: —passive, προσταχθέντα.. πύλαις Refs 5th c.BC+ __I.2 attach to, πρὸς τοῖσι ἔθνεσι τοὺς πλησιοχώρους…