προσπορεύομαι (prosporeuomai)
prosporeuomai
to approach
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb prosporeuomai means to draw near or approach someone. It appears only once in the New Testament, found in Mark 10:35. In this passage, James and John come to Jesus to ask for positions of honor. The word describes their physical movement toward Him as they initiate a serious conversation.
Its meaning comes from combining two parts: pros, indicating direction toward, and poreuomai, which means to go or travel. This combination creates a sense of purposeful approach rather than just wandering nearby. The sources note that the Greek Old Testament uses similar words for approaching God or leaders, highlighting a respectful movement into someone’s presence.
Translators usually render this as "came to" or "approached." While simple, it carries weight because it marks the beginning of a request that reveals the disciples’ misunderstanding of Jesus’ mission. The word itself is neutral, describing only the act of coming near, but the context shows how close physical proximity can precede significant spiritual lessons.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word προσπορεύομαι simply means to draw near or approach someone with purpose. In Mark 10:35, James and John use this action to initiate a serious conversation with Jesus. They physically moved toward Him to ask for positions of honor. This simple act of coming close marks the start of a moment that reveals their misunderstanding of His mission.
For your faith, this reminds us that approaching God requires intentionality. It is not about wandering nearby but moving directly toward Him. When we bring our requests to Jesus, we step into His presence with honesty. Even if our motives are unclear, He welcomes the conversation and uses it to teach us deeper truths about His kingdom.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- come up1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- προσπορεύονται1×
Key Verses
-
Mark 10:35
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came near to him, saying, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we will ask.”
This verse captures the physical act of drawing near to Jesus to initiate a request for honor, highlighting how proximity can precede significant spiritual instruction.