Quick Definition
προέχω v. I excel, surpass
Strong's Definition
middle voice from 4253 and 2192; to hold oneself before others, i.e. (figuratively) to excel
KJV Usage: be better
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | ἔχω
65.47 · (προέχομαι) · Value · Advantageous, Not Advantageous
to have a greater benefit, to experience a superior advantage to experience superior benefit or advantage, implying some type of comparison In indicating ‘a superior advantage’ it may be necessary to be quite specific about the basis for the comparison. For example, in 1CO 8:8 it may be necessary to translate as ‘if we do eat, we will be no better off than if we did not eat,’ and in ROM 3:9 one may translate ‘what then; are we decidedly better off than the others are?’
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
προέχω [(fr. Hom. down)]: pres. mid. 1 pers. plur. προἐχόμεθα; to have before or in advance of another, to have pre-eminence over another, to excel, to surpass; often so in prof. auth. fr. [Soph. and] Hdt. down; mid. to excel to one’s advantage (cf. Kiihner § 375, 1); to surpass in excellences which can be passed to one’s credit: Ro. iii. 9; it does not make against this force of the middle in the present passage that the use is nowhere else met with, nor is there any objection to an interpretation which has commended itself to a great many and which the context plainly demands. [But on this difficult word see esp. Jas. Morison, Crit. Expos. of the Third Chap. of Rom. p. 93 sqq-; Gifford in the ‘Speaker’s Com.’ p. 96; W.§38, 6; § 39 fin., cf. p. 554 (516).]
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
προέχω proechō 1x
to have or hold before; intrans. and mid. to excel, surpass, have advantage or preeminence, Rom. 3:9*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
προ-έχω,
[in LXX: Jb 27:6 A (חזק hi.)*;]
Trans., to hold before; mid., to hold something before oneself (Hdt.), hence, metaph., to excuse oneself: Ro 3:9, R, mg. (but v. Field, Notes, 152 f.; Lft., Notes, 266 f.; ICC and Vau., in l.).
Intrans. to project;
in running, to have the start, hence, metaph., to excel: pass., Ro 3:9, R, txt. (v. reff. supr.).†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
προέχω. Unfortunately we have as yet no such new light as F. B. Westcott (St. Paul and Justification, p. 158 ff.) hoped for from ‘‘some fortunate exhumed sherd, or strip of papyrus ” to help to explain the difficult προεχόμεθα of Rom 3°. He himself thinks the meaning must be ‘‘are we in better case?” but Field (Motes p. 152f.: cf. Lightfoot Notes p- 266 f., SH ad /.) inclines to treat the verb as pass. = “* are we excelled?”’ or ‘‘are we in worse case than they?” (RV), and cites (from Wetstein) a clear ex. of this usage from Plutarch II. p. 1038 C: ὥσπερ τῷ Ati προσήκει σεμνύνεσθαι ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ τε kal τῷ βίῳ, kal μέγα φρονεῖν. .. οὕτω τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς πᾶσι ταῦτα προσήκει, κατ᾽ οὐδὲν προεχομένοις ὑπὸ τοῦ Διός (cum nulla in re a Jove superentur). We may give a few miscellaneous exx. of the use of the verb in the act.: P Petr II. 12(4)® (B.C. 241) ὑπολόγησον ὃ προέχουσι, “take into account what they have already
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
προέχω (proechō) — to excel. προέχω, contraction προὔχω, as always in [Refs 8th c.BC+]future προέξω: aorist προέσχον, middle προεσχόμην, προὐσχόμην, compare προΐσχω:— hold before, τὴν ἀσπίδα τῆς κωλῆς [Refs 5th c.BC+]; especially so as to protect another, τὼ χεῖρε π. [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—middle, hold before oneself, προὔχοντο ἑκάστοθι ἐννέα ταύρους [Refs 8th c.BC+]; hold out before one, πρὸ δούρατ᾽ ἔχοντο [Refs 8th c.BC+]; προὐσχόμην σε held you out as a child (to do your needs), [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. metaphorically in middle, put forward as a pretext, τάδ᾽ ἂν προὔχοιο [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὅπερ μάλιστα προὔχονται εἰ καθαιρεθείη, μὴ ἂν γίγνεσθαι τὸν πόλεμον the cancellation of which is the chief consideration in return for which they pretend that war would not occur, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. b hold forth, offer, ἃ προείχοντο αὐτοῖς [Refs]
II. to be possessed or informed of a thing beforehand, π. τῶν Ἀθηναίων οὐ φιλίας γνώμας [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.2. have before, ἃ προεῖχεν μισθῷ ὁ.. Πτολεμαῖος had hitherto on lease, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; εἰς τοῦτο ὑπολόγησον ὃ προέχουσι what they have already received, [Refs 3rd c.BC+] the first recipient, [Refs 4th c.BC+] __B intransitive, jut out, project, in [Refs 8th c.BC+] in a local sense, of headlands, towers, hills, ὅθ᾽ ἀκρότατος πρόεχ᾽ ἀκτή [Refs 8th c.BC+]: generally, project, with genitive, προέχουσα κάρης εὐρεῖα καλύπτρη [Refs 3rd c.BC+] __B.II in running, to be the first, have the start, [Refs 8th c.BC+] keep ahead of them by a day's march, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; προέχων τῶν ἄλλων [ὁ ἵππος] getting before the rest, [Refs]; τῇ κεφαλῇ π. beat by a head, in racing, [Refs 5th c.BC+] started first by.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]: metaphorically, have the advantage of, τινὸς τῷ διπλασίῳ [Refs 5th c.BC+] __B.II.2 of rank, with genitive, δήμου προὔχουσιν they are the first or chief of the people, [Refs]; τοῦ Δωρικοῦ, τοῦ Ἰωνικοῦ [γένεος], [Refs 5th c.BC+]: absolutely, to be superior, [Refs 5th c.BC+]to all that is eminent, [Refs]; οἱ προὔχοντες the chief men, [Refs]; οἱ π. [βίοι] the principal kinds of lives, [Refs 4th c.BC+] __B.II.3 surpass, excel, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; π. δυνάμει, πλήθει καὶ ἐμπειρίᾳ, [Refs 5th c.BC+] to be preferred to him in honour, [Refs 5th c.BC+] __B.II.3.b rarely with accusative person, [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—passive, to be excelled, οὐθὲν π. ὑπὸ τοῦ Διός [Refs 1st c.AD+]; to be in worse case, [NT] __B.III impersonal, οὔ τι προέχει it is of no advantage, with infinitive, [Refs 5th c.BC+]