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μετά (meta)

meta

with/after

G3326 · Greek · New Testament · 445 verses

Quick Reference

Language
Koine Greek
Testament
New Testament
Occurrences
445 verses
Root
—

Word Overview

The preposition meta functions as a versatile connector in Greek, primarily indicating association or sequence. When joined with the genitive case, it signifies being "with" someone or something, often implying companionship or shared experience. This usage appears frequently in the New Testament to describe physical proximity, such as Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:10), or spiritual alignment, like Paul’s fellowship with other apostles (Galatians 2:2). It can also denote participation in an abstract quality, such as sharing in joy or anger.

When followed by the accusative case, meta shifts focus to time or order, meaning "after." This construction is common in narrative sequences, marking events that follow previous actions, as seen when John the Baptist speaks of one who will come after him (Matthew 3:11). The sources note that this preposition gradually replaced syn in many contexts of association, carrying a sense of being amidst or among a group rather than just alongside. Its extensive use in composition allows it to form verbs indicating exchange or change, reflecting its core idea of movement from one state or position to another.

Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).

What This Word Means for Your Faith

The Greek preposition meta captures the essence of shared presence. When it takes the genitive case, it describes companionship, such as Jesus dining with those society had rejected or standing alongside his weary disciples. This is more than physical proximity; it implies a bond of fellowship and mutual experience. In Matthew 9:11, the question arises why Jesus eats with tax collectors, highlighting that divine grace often enters through shared meals and ordinary moments of connection.

When meta shifts to the accusative case, it marks time or sequence, meaning 'after.' This usage helps us understand how God’s story unfolds in history. For instance, Matthew 1:12 traces the lineage 'after' the exile, showing that God remains faithful even when circumstances seem broken. Whether indicating who walks beside us or what comes next, this word reminds us that we are never isolated from God’s timing or His people.

In our daily lives, meta invites us to look for Christ in the company of others and to trust the sequence of events in our own journeys. It is a gentle assurance that we are held within a larger narrative of grace, where every 'with' and every 'after' serves a purpose in drawing us closer to Him.

How it's translated

How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 445 verses where it appears, by frequency.

  • with333×
  • after62×
  • After35×
  • [be] with12×
  • among4×
  • against4×
  • [is] with4×
  • in3×
  • along with3×
  • with the2×
  • toward2×
  • on [the]2×

Forms in the text

The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.

  • μετὰ276×
  • μετ᾽133×
  • μεθ᾽42×
  • Μετὰ22×

Key Verses

  • Matthew 9:11
    When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

    This verse uses the genitive case to highlight Jesus’ deliberate choice to share fellowship with outcasts, defining his ministry as one of inclusive presence.

  • Matthew 1:12
    After the exile to Babylon, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel became the father of Zerubbabel.

    Here the accusative case marks a historical sequence, showing how God’s covenant lineage continued after the disruption of the Babylonian exile.

  • Matthew 17:1
    After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves.

    The genitive usage emphasizes intimate companionship, as Jesus takes only Peter, James, and John into a private moment of revelation on the mountain.

  • Matthew 5:25
    Agree with your adversary quickly while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.

    This occurrence uses the genitive to describe an ongoing state of being 'with' an adversary, urging immediate reconciliation while the relationship is still active.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does meta mean in the New Testament?

Meta is a Greek preposition that generally means 'with' or 'after.' Its specific meaning depends on the grammatical case it governs. With the genitive, it indicates companionship or association. With the accusative, it typically denotes time or sequence, meaning 'after.'

How is meta different from syn?

While both can mean 'with,' syn often implies being together in a more unified or collective sense, whereas meta frequently suggests accompaniment or movement alongside. Over time, meta became the dominant preposition for indicating association in the New Testament, gradually replacing syn in many contexts.

Why does meta change meaning based on the case?

Greek prepositions often shift nuance based on the case of the noun they modify. For meta, the genitive case focuses on relationship or proximity (being with someone), while the accusative case focuses on motion or time (coming after something). This grammatical flexibility allows it to connect ideas in both spatial and temporal ways.

Every Occurrence (445 verses across 24 books)

Matthew 68 verses
Matthew 1:12

After the exile to Babylon, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel became the father of Zerubbabel.

Matthew 1:23

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall give birth to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel,” which is,…

Matthew 2:3

When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Matthew 2:11

They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening…

Matthew 4:21

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with…

Matthew 5:25

Agree with your adversary quickly while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the…

Matthew 5:41

Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

Matthew 8:11

I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the…

Matthew 9:11

When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Matthew 9:15

Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will…

Matthew 12:3

But he said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him:

Matthew 12:4

how he entered into God’s house and ate the show bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were…

Matthew 12:30

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t gather with me, scatters.

Matthew 12:41

The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, for they repented at the…

Matthew 12:42

The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, for she came from the…

Matthew 12:45

Then he goes and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The…

Matthew 13:20

What was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word and immediately with joy receives it;

Matthew 14:7

Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she should ask.

Matthew 15:30

Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down…

Matthew 16:27

For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will give to everyone according to…

Matthew 17:1

After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by…

Matthew 17:3

Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.

Matthew 17:17

Jesus answered, “Faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring…

Matthew 18:16

But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be…

Matthew 18:23

Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

Matthew 19:10

His disciples said to him, “If this is the case of the man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry.”

Matthew 20:2

When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Matthew 20:20

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling and asking a certain thing of him.

Matthew 21:2

saying to them, “Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with…

Matthew 22:16

They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach…

Matthew 24:29

“But immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the…

Matthew 24:30

and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will…

Matthew 24:31

He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the…

Matthew 24:49

and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards,

Matthew 24:51

and will cut him in pieces and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth…

Matthew 25:3

Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them,

Matthew 25:4

but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

Matthew 25:10

While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and…

Matthew 25:19

“Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and settled accounts with them.

Matthew 25:31

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his…

Matthew 26:2

“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

Matthew 26:11

For you always have the poor with you, but you don’t always have me.

Matthew 26:18

He said, “Go into the city to a certain person, and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand. I will keep the…

Matthew 26:20

Now when evening had come, he was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples.

Matthew 26:23

He answered, “He who dipped his hand with me in the dish will betray me.

Matthew 26:29

But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with…

Matthew 26:32

But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.”

Matthew 26:36

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and…

Matthew 26:38

Then Jesus said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me.”

Matthew 26:40

He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What, couldn’t you watch with me for one hour?

Matthew 26:47

While he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and…

Matthew 26:51

Behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high…

Matthew 26:55

In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to seize me? I…

Matthew 26:58

But Peter followed him from a distance to the court of the high priest, and entered in and sat with the officers, to…

Matthew 26:69

Now Peter was sitting outside in the court, and a maid came to him, saying, “You were also with Jesus, the Galilean!”

Matthew 26:71

When he had gone out onto the porch, someone else saw him and said to those who were there, “This man also was with…

Matthew 26:72

Again he denied it with an oath, “I don’t know the man.”

Matthew 26:73

After a little while those who stood by came and said to Peter, “Surely you are also one of them, for your speech makes…

Matthew 27:34

they gave him sour wine to drink mixed with gall. When he had tasted it, he would not drink.

Matthew 27:41

Likewise the chief priests also mocking with the scribes, the Pharisees, and the elders, said,

Matthew 27:53

and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.

Matthew 27:54

Now the centurion and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were…

Matthew 27:62

Now on the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered…

Matthew 27:63

saying, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’

Matthew 27:66

So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone.

Matthew 28:8

They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word.

Matthew 28:12

When they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers,

Matthew 28:20

teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”…

Mark 55 verses
Luke 63 verses
John 54 verses
Acts 65 verses
Romans 6 verses
I Corinthians 9 verses
II Corinthians 6 verses
Galatians 7 verses
Ephesians 6 verses
Philippians 7 verses
Colossians 1 verse
I Thessalonians 3 verses
II Thessalonians 4 verses
I Timothy 8 verses
II Timothy 4 verses
Titus 3 verses
Philemon 1 verse
Hebrews 23 verses
I Peter 1 verse
II Peter 1 verse
I John 5 verses
II John 2 verses
Revelation of John 43 verses