G4274 — πρόδρομος (prodromos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4274
Original: πρόδρομος
Transliteration: pródromos
Pronunciation: prod'-rom-os
Part of Speech: Adjective (used substantivally)
Root: πρό (pro, "before") + δρόμος (dromos, "a course/race," from τρέχω trechō G5143 "to run")
Occurrences: 1 in NT (1 token, 1 unique verse, 1 book)
First Occurrence: Heb 6:20 — "Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."
Hapax Legomenon: YES — this word appears only once in the entire NT

Lexicon Definition¶

A runner ahead, i.e. scout (figuratively, a precursor). From πρό (pro, "before") and the alternate of δραμεῖν (dramein, aorist of τρέχω, "to run"). Literally "one who runs before" — a forerunner or advance scout sent ahead of a main body.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 36 — Guide, Discipline, Follow
Subdomain: 36.001 — Guide, Lead
Gloss: forerunner
Other words in subdomain: ἀρχηγός (archēgos G747), ἡγέομαι (hēgeomai G2233), ὁδηγός (hodēgos G3595), παιδαγωγός (paidagōgos G3807), ποιμαίνω (poimainō G4165), προΐστημι (proistēmi G4291)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
the forerunner	1	100%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Hebrews	1	0.3

As a hapax legomenon, prodromos appears exclusively in Hebrews — the NT book most intensely concerned with Christ's priestly ministry and sanctuary access.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Priestly Forerunner — One Who Enters Ahead on Behalf of Others¶

Heb 6:20 — "Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."

This is the sole NT occurrence. The word is used substantivally (with the article ὁ implied by context) to describe Jesus as one who has entered the inner sanctuary ahead of believers, securing their future access. The construction ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ("for us" / "on our behalf") emphasizes the representative, vicarious nature of the forerunner's action. The forerunner enters not for his own sake but to open the way for those who follow.

The immediate context (Heb 6:19-20) places prodromos in a sanctuary-access framework: hope as an anchor enters "within the veil" (εἰσερχομένην εἰς τὸ ἐσώτερον τοῦ καταπετάσματος), and the forerunner has entered there on behalf of believers.

Morphological Note¶

The single occurrence in Heb 6:20 is parsed as Nominative Singular Masculine [A-NSM], functioning as a predicate nominative describing Jesus.

Common Collocations¶

As a hapax, no statistically meaningful co-occurrence data can be generated. The single verse (Heb 6:20) contains the following theologically significant words:

Word	Strong's	Relationship
εἰσέρχομαι (eiserchomai)	G1525	"entered" — the action of the forerunner
ἀρχιερεύς (archiereus)	G749	"high priest" — the office of the forerunner
Μελχισεδέκ (Melchisedek)	G3198	"Melchisedec" — the priestly order of the forerunner
αἰών (aiōn)	G165	"for ever" — the duration of the forerunner's priesthood
ὑπέρ (hyper)	G5228	"for us" — the representative nature of the forerunner's entry

Word Family / Cognates¶

G1408 δρόμος (dromos) — a race, course (noun; 3v — Acts 13:25, 20:24, 2 Tim 4:7). The noun from which prodromos derives its second element.
G5143 τρέχω (trechō) — to run (verb; 20v). The root verb behind dromos/prodromos.
G4390 προτρέχω (protrechō) — to run forward, outrun (verb; 2v — Luke 19:4, John 20:4). The verbal form of the same concept: running before/ahead.

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 36.001: Guide, Lead)¶

Word	Strong's	Total Verses	Primary KJV
ἄγω (agō)	G71	17	brought
ἀρχηγός (archēgos)	G747	3	Prince, captain, author
ἡγέομαι (hēgeomai)	G2233	8	count, have the rule
ὁδηγός (hodēgos)	G3595	4	guides, a guide
παιδαγωγός (paidagōgos)	G3807	3	a schoolmaster
ποιμαίνω (poimainō)	G4165	5	Feed, shall rule
προΐστημι (proistēmi)	G4291	4	to maintain, one that ruleth

G747 ἀρχηγός (archēgos) — leader, author, captain, prince (4v). Used of Jesus in Heb 2:10 ("captain of their salvation") and Heb 12:2 ("author and finisher of our faith"). Both archēgos and prodromos describe Jesus as a pioneer figure in Hebrews, but archēgos emphasizes origination/leadership while prodromos emphasizes preceding entry on behalf of others.
G4313 προπορεύομαι (proporeuomai) — to go before (2v — Luke 1:76, Acts 7:40). Used of John the Baptist going before the Lord. Verbal form conveying the same directional concept as prodromos.

Hebrew Source¶

No Hebrew source identified via LXX mapping. The word πρόδρομος does not appear as a standard LXX rendering of any Hebrew term in the alignment data.