devote onself to

ἐφέπω (ἐφέπεις; -έπων: impf. ἔφεπε（ν): aor. med. ἐπέσποντο.)

προσέρχομαι mid. dep.; impf. προσηρχόμην; fut. προσελεύσομαι; 2 aor. προσῆλθον (also προσῆλθα B-D-F §81, 3; Mlt-H. 208); pf. προσελήλυθα; plpf. 1 pl. προσεληλύθειμεν (Just., A II, 2, 3) (Aeschyl., Hdt.+) prim. ‘come, go to, approach’.

① to move towards

ⓐ of physical movement come/go to, approach (esp. oft. in Mt, about 50 times; s. JEdwards, JBL 106, ’87, 65–74) w. dat. of pers. (X., Cyr. 1, 4, 27; Aelian, VH 9, 3, end; En 14:25; Jos., Ant. 12, 19; Just., D. 2, 4 al.) Mt 5:1; 8:5; 9:14 al.; Lk 23:52; J 12:21; Ac 9:1; 10:28 ‘visit’; 18:2; MPol 16:1; GJs 20:4 (deStrycker; without dat. Tdf.). W. dat. of place (Herodian 2, 6, 5) Hb 12:18, 22; AcPl Ha 11, 13; εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ 8, 30. Abs. Mt 4:11; Lk 9:42; Ac 8:29; 20:5 v.l. (s. CMaurer, TZ, 3, ’47, 321–37). MPol 4. Uncertain AcPl Ha 2, 2. The ptc. is freq. used w. verbs denoting an activity, to enliven the narrative προσελθὼν εἶπεν (cp. BGU 587, 2 [II B.C.]; Jos., Ant. 9, 194) Mt 4:3; 8:19; 18:21; see also 13:10; 15:12; 25:20, 22, 24; Mk 6:35; 14:45; Lk 9:12. πρ. προσεκύνει Mt 8:2; 9:18 v.l., et al. πρ. ἔπεσεν 26:39 v.l.; cp. Mk 14:35 v.l., et al. (s. προέρχομαι 1). Foll. by inf. denoting purpose (1 Macc 2:23) προσῆλθον οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπιδεῖξαι his disciples came up to show Mt 24:1. προσερχομένου αὐτοῦ κατανοῆσαι Ac 7:31. Cp. 12:13.

ⓑ of approach to or entry into a deity’s presence, transf. sense of 1a: approach (Cass. Dio 56, 9, 2 τοῖς θεοῖς προσερχώμεθα; PGiss 20, 24=Mitt-Wilck. I/2, 94; Jer 7:16; Sir 1:28 μὴ προσέλθῃς αὐτῷ [=τῷ κυρίῳ] ἐν καρδίᾳ δισσῇ; Philo, Plant. 64, Deus Imm. 8; Tat. 18, 2; Ath. 18, 1) πρ. τῷ θεῷ Hb 7:25; 11:6; cp. 1 Cl 23:1; 29:1. W. dat. of place τῷ θρόνῳ τῆς χάριτος Hb 4:16. Also abs. προσέρχεσθαι means come to God in a cultic sense. 10:1, 22. Some hold that πρ. in Hb may connote the forensic idea ‘appear in court’ (POxy 40, 4 [II/III A.D.]; 2783, 25 [III A.D.]; PRyl 234, 6 [II A.D.]). The cultic aspect prob. furnishes the clue to the abs. πυκνότερον προσερχόμενοι 2 Cl 17:3.—To Jesus 1 Pt 2:3 (of proselytes, FDanker, ZNW 58, ’67, 95f; w. πρός as Lucian, Ver. Hist. 2, 28; Ex 34:32; Josh 14:6).

ⓒ of inanimate things, come upon transf. sense of 1a (Soph. et al.; cp. Eur., Or. 859 προσῆλθεν ἐλπίς; BGU 614, 21) πρ. τινί someth. comes upon or over someone φρίκη μοι προσῆλθεν Hv 3, 1, 5. ὑμῖν ἰσχυρότης 3, 12, 3. Without a dat., which is easily supplied fr. the context m 5, 1, 3.

② to apply oneself to someth., turn to, occupy oneself with a thing (Diod S 1, 95, 1 τοῖς νόμοις; Plut., Cato Min. 764 [12, 2]; Epict. 4, 11, 24; pap; Sir 4:15 v.l.; 6:19, 26; Philo, Agr. 123, Migr. Abr. 86 ἀρετῇ; Just., D. 112, 5 τοῖς προφητικοῖς λόγοις; PYale 83, 15) οὐ προσελεύσῃ ἐπὶ προσευχήν σου D 4:14; devote onself to εἴ τις μὴ προσέρχεται ὑγιαίνουσιν λόγοις 1 Ti 6:3 (s. προσέχω 2b). πρ. τῷ θελήματι αὐτοῦ (=τοῦ θεοῦ) 1 Cl 33:8.—M-M. TW.