Herod intends to search for the child

μέλλω (Hom.+) fut. μελλήσω; impf. ἔμελλον (all edd. J 6:6; Ac 21:27) and ἤμελλον (all edd. Lk 7:2; 19:4; J 4:47; 12:33; 18:32; Hb 11:8; s. B-D-F §66, 3; W.-S. §12, 3; Mlt-H. 188. In Att. ins the ἠ-appears after 300 B.C. [Meisterhans³-Schw. 169]. In IPriene ἐ-occurs only once: 11, 5 [c. 297 B.C.]).

① to take place at a future point of time and so to be subsequent to another event, be about to, used w. an inf. foll.

ⓐ only rarely w. the fut. inf., w. which it is regularly used in ancient Gk. (Hom. et al.), since in colloquial usage the fut. inf. and ptc. were gradually disappearing and being replaced by combinations with μέλλω (B-D-F §338, 3; 350; s. Rob. 882; 889). W. the fut. inf. μ. denotes certainty that an event will occur in the future μ. ἔσεσθαι (SIG 914, 10 μέλλει ἔσεσθαι; 247 I, 74 ἔμελλε … [δώσε]ιν; Jos., Ant. 13, 322; Mel., P. 57, 415) will certainly take place or be Ac 11:28; 24:15; 27:10; 1 Cl 43:6; cp. Dg 8:2.

ⓑ w. the aor. inf. (rarely in ancient Gk. [but as early as Hom., and e.g. X., Cyr. 1, 4, 16]; Herodas 3, 78 and 91; UPZ 70, 12 [152/1 B.C.]; PGiss 12, 5; POxy 1067, 17; 1488, 20; Ex 4:12; Job 3:8; 2 Macc 14:41; JosAs 29:3; ParJer 9:13; GrBar 4:15 [Christ.]; ApcMos13; s. Phryn. p. 336; 745ff Lob.; WRutherford, New Phryn. 1881, 420ff) be on the point of, be about to, μ. ἀποκαλυφθῆναι be about to be revealed Ro 8:18. τὸ δωδεκάφυλον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ μέλλον ἀπολέσθαι the twelve tribes of Israel that were about to be destroyed 1 Cl 55:6. ἤμελλεν προαγαγεῖν Ac 12:6. ἀποθανεῖν Rv 3:2. ἐμέσαι vs. 16. τεκεῖν 12:4.

ⓒ w. the pres. inf. So mostly (ca. 80 times in the NT.; oft. in lit., ins, pap, LXX; TestAbr B 4 p. 108, 14 [Stone p. 64]; ApcEsdr 6:23f p. 32, 2f Tdf.; EpArist; Demetr.: 722 Fgm. 7 Jac.; Just., A I, 51, 8; D. 32, 4 al.; Tat. 14, 1; Mel., P. 38, 263; Ath. 32, 1).

α. be about to, be on the point of ἤμελλεν τελευτᾶν he was at the point of death (Aristot. Fgm. 277 [in Apollon. Paradox. 27] and Diod S 6, 4, 3 μέλλων τελευτᾶν; cp. Jos., Ant. 4, 83; 12, 357) Lk 7:2. Also ἤμελλεν ἀποθνῄσκειν (Artem. 4, 24 p. 217, 5 γραῦς μέλλουσα ἀποθνῄσκειν; Aesop, Fab. 131 P.=202 H.; 233 P.=216 H.; 2 Macc 7:18; 4 Macc 10:9) J 4:47. ἤμελλεν ἑαυτὸν ἀναιρεῖν he was about to kill himself Ac 16:27. Of God’s eschat. reign μέλλειν ἔρχεσθαι 1 Cl 42:3. Of heavenly glory ἡ μέλλουσα ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι 1 Pt 5:1. Cp. Lk 19:4; J 6:6; Ac 3:3; 5:35; 18:14; 21:27; 22:26; 23:27.—Occasionally almost = begin ἤμελλον γράφειν Rv 10:4. ὅταν μέλλῃ ταῦτα συντελεῖσθαι πάντα when all these things are (or begin) to be accomplished Mk 13:4; cp. Lk 21:7; Rv 10:7.

β. in a weakened sense it serves simply as a periphrasis for the fut. (PMich III, 202, 8ff; 13ff [105 A.D.].—Mayser II/1, 226) ὅσα λαλῶ ἢ καὶ μ. λαλεῖν (=ἢ καὶ λαλήσω) what I tell or shall tell Hm 4, 4, 3. So esp. oft. in Hermas: μ. λέγειν v 1, 1, 6; 3, 8, 11; m 11:7, 17; Hs 5, 2, 1. μ. ἐντέλλεσθαι v 5:5; m 5, 2, 8. μ. κατοικεῖν Hs 1:1; 4:2. μ. χωρεῖν (=χωρήσω) IMg 5:1. μ. βασιλεύειν GJs 23:2.—Substitute for the disappearing fut. forms (inf. and ptc. B-D-F §356); for the fut. inf.: προσεδόκων αὐτὸν μέλλειν πίμπρασθαι Ac 28:6; for the fut. ptc.: ὁ μέλλων ἔρχεσθαι Mt 11:14. ὁ τοῦτο μέλλων πράσσειν the one who was going to do this Lk 22:23; cp. 24:21; Ac 13:34. οἱ μέλλοντες πιστεύειν those who were to believe (in him) in the future 1 Ti 1:16; 1 Cl 42:4; Hm 4, 3, 3. μέλλοντες ἀσεβεῖν those who were to be ungodly in the future 2 Pt 2:6 v.l. (s. 3, end). Of Christ ὁ μέλλων κρίνειν 2 Ti 4:1; 7:2. οἱ μέλλοντες ἀρνεῖσθαι = οἱ ἀρνησόμενοι Hv 2, 2, 8. πυρὸς ζῆλος ἐσθίειν μέλλοντος τοὺς ὑπεναντίους raging fire that will devour the opponents Hb 10:27.

γ. denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind μέλλει Ἡρῴδης ζητεῖν τὸ παιδίον Herod intends to search for the child Mt 2:13. οὗ ἤμελλεν αὐτὸς ἔρχεσθαι where he himself intended to come Lk 10:1. μέλλουσιν ἔρχεσθαι they intended to come J 6:15. Cp. vs. 71; 7:35; 12:4; 14:22; Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30; Hb 8:5; 2 Pt 1:12. τί μέλλεις ποιεῖν; what do you intend to do? Hs 1:5. οὐ μ. ποιεῖν I have no intention of doing MPol 8:2. μ. προσηλοῦν they wanted to nail him fast 13:3. μ. λαμβάνειν we wanted to take him out 17:2.

② to be inevitable, be destined, inevitable

ⓐ w. pres. inf. to denote an action that necessarily follows a divine decree is destined, must, will certainly … μ. πάσχειν he is destined to suffer Mt 17:12; B 7:10; 12:2; cp. 6:7. μ. σταυροῦσθαι must be crucified 12:1. μ. παραδίδοσθαι Mt 17:22; Lk 9:44; 16:5. ἔμελλεν ἀποθνῄσκειν J 11:51; 12:33; 18:32. ἐν σαρκὶ μ. φανεροῦσθαι B 6:7, 9, 14. Cp. Mt 16:27; 20:22; Ro 4:24; 8:13; Rv 12:5. οὐκέτι μέλλουσιν … θεωρεῖν they should no more see … Ac 20:38. τὰ μ. γίνεσθαι what must come to pass 26:22; cp. Rv 1:19. διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν those who are to inherit salvation Hb 1:14. μέλλομεν θλίβεσθαι that we were to be afflicted 1 Th 3:4.—Mk 10:32; Lk 9:31; J 7:39; Hb 11:8. ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἔμελλε θηριομαχεῖν on the day on which Paul was to fight the wild animals AcPl Ha 3, 9. ὡς μελλούσης τῆς πόλεως αἴρεσθαι in expectation of the city’s destruction 5, 16. ἄνωθεν μέλλω σταυροῦσθαι I (Jesus) am about to be crucified once more 7, 39.

ⓑ w. aor. inf. ἀποκαλυφθῆναι that is destined (acc. to God’s will) to be revealed Gal 3:23.

③ The ptc. is used abs. in the mng. (in the) future, to come (Pind., O. 10, 7 ὁ μέλλων χρόνος ‘the due date’) ὁ αἰὼν μέλλων the age to come (s. αἰών 2b), which brings the reign of God (opp. ὁ αἰὼν οὗτος or ὁ νῦν αἰών) Mt 12:32; Eph 1:21; 2 Cl 6:3; Pol 5:2; cp. Hb 6:5. Also ὁ μ. καιρός (opp. ὁ νῦν κ.) 4:1. ἡ μ. ζωή (opp. ἡ νῦν ζ.) 1 Ti 4:8. ὁ μ. βίος (opp. ὁ νῦν β.) 2 Cl 20:2. ἡ μ. βασιλεία 5:5; ἡ οἰκουμένη ἡ μ. the world to come Hb 2:5. ἡ μέλλουσα πόλις (as wordplay, opp. [οὐ … ] μένουσα π.) 13:14. ἡ μ. ἐπαγγελία the promise for the future 2 Cl 10:3f. τὰ μ. ἀγαθά Hb 9:11 v.l.; Hv 1, 1, 8. ἡ μ. ἀνάστασις 1 Cl 24:1; τὸ κρίμα τὸ μ. the judgment to come Ac 24:25; cp. 1 Cl 28:1; 2 Cl 18:2; MPol 11:2. ἡ μ. ὀργή Mt 3:7; IEph 11:1. ἡ μ. θλῖψις Hv 4, 2, 5. τὰ μ. σκάνδαλα 4:9.—ἡ μέλλουσά σου ἀδελφή your future sister=the one who in the future will be your sister, no longer your wife Hv 2, 2, 3. Several times the noun can be supplied fr. the context: τύπος τοῦ μέλλοντος, i.e. Ἀδάμ Ro 5:14.—Subst. τὸ μέλλον the future (Aeneas Tact. 422; 431 al.; Antiphanes Com. [IV B.C.] 227 K.; Menand., Monostich. 412 [608 Jaekel] Mei.; Anacreont. 36; Plut., Caes. 14, 4; Herodian 1, 14, 2; SIG 609, 5; ViEzk 13 [p. 75, 12 Sch.]; Philo, Mel.) 1 Cl 31:3. εἰς τὸ μ. for the future (Jos., Ant. 9, 162) 1 Ti 6:19; specif. (in the) next year (PLond III, 1231, 4 p. 108 [144 A.D.] τὴν εἰς τὸ μέλλον γεωργείαν; s. Field, Notes 65) Lk 13:9. τὰ μ. the things to come (X., Symp. 4, 47; Aeneas Tact. 1050; Artem. 1, 36; Wsd 19:1; TestJob 47:9; JosAs 23:8; Philo; Just., D. 7, 1; Ath. 27, 2) Col 2:17; PtK 3 p. 15, 21. (Opp. τὰ ἐνεστῶτα the present as PGM 5, 295) Ro 8:38; 1 Cor 3:22; B 1:7; 5:3; 17:2. Ox 1081 39f (SJCh 91, 2) (s. ἀρχή 2). Uncertain 2 Pt 2:6 (if ἀσεβέσιν is to be retained, the ref. is to impending judgment for the impious).

④ delay τί μέλλεις why are you delaying? (cp. Aeschyl., Prom. 36; Eur., Hec. 1094; Thu. 8, 78; Lucian, Dial. Mort. 10, 13; Jos., Bell. 3, 494 τί μέλλομεν; 4 Macc 6:23; 9:1) Ac 22:16. οὐ μελλήσας without delay AcPl Ha 8, 4. The connection in AcPt Ox 849, 1 is uncertain.—B. 974. DELG. M-M. TW.