into the (midst of the) district of Decapolis

ἀνά prep. w. acc. (Hom.+), lit. ‘up, up to’; rare in later Gk.

① ἀνὰ μέσον in a position in the middle (Aristot. et al.; Polyb., Diod S, ins, pap, LXX, En; TestAbr B 8, p. 112, 21 al.; JosAs 4:5f; ApcMos; EpArist [ELohmeyer, Diatheke 1913, 86, 1; Nägeli 30; Rossberg 34; Johannessohn, Präp. 170–73, esp. 170, 6]; Just., D. 107, 4 [on Jon 4:11]) w. gen.

ⓐ of position in an area among, in the midst of (PGM 36, 302) ἀ. μ. τοῦ σίτου Mt 13:25; ἀ. μ. τῶν ὁρίων Δεκαπόλεως into the (midst of the) district of Decapolis Mk 7:31; ἤλθωσιν ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς ὁδοῦ they had gone half way on their journey GJs 17:3.

ⓑ of pers. (in the middle) between (Diod S 11, 90, 3 ἀνὰ μέσον ποταμῶν δυοῖν; 12, 9, 2; 14, 80, 2; 17, 52, 1; Strabo 4, 4, 2; En 13:9) διαστεῖλαι ἀνὰ μέσον δικαίου καὶ ἁμαρτωλοῦ PsSol 2:34; cp. ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν δύο πυλῶν TestAbr B 8, p. 112, 21 [Stone p. 72]) GPt 4:10=ASyn. 344, 73; Hs 9, 2, 3; 9, 15, 2. With breviloquence—if the text is undamaged, which Mlt. 99 doubts—διακρῖναι ἀ. μ. τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ decide (a case) between members 1 Cor 6:5 (on the shortening cp. Sir 25:18 v.l. ἀ. μ. τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἀναπεσεῖται ὁ ἀνήρ. S. also μέσος 1b beg.—Lawsuits ἀ. μ. Ἑλλήνων: SEG IX, 8, 64; JosAs 28:6 κρινεῖ κύριος ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ ὑμῶν); in the midst of (non-Attic.: IBekker, Anecd. I 1814, 80, 24 ἀ. μέσον• ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐν μέσῳ. Cp. Diod S 1, 30, 4 ἀνὰ μ. τῆς Κοίλης Συρίας; PPetr III, 37a II, 18; Ex 26:28; Josh 16:9; 19:1) τὸ ἀρνίον τὸ ἀ. μ. τοῦ θρόνου in the center of the throne Rv 7:17. ἀ. μ. ἐκκλησίας in the midst of the congregation B 6:16.

② ἀνὰ μέρος lit. ‘up to a part’ or ‘according to a part’ following in sequence, in turn (Aristot., Pol. 1287a, 17; Polyb. 4, 20, 10 ἀνὰ μέρος ᾂδειν; Appian, Iber. 82 §357, Mithrid. 22 §83, Bell. Civ. 3, 44 §183; SEG IX, 8, 122) 1 Cor 14:27.

③ distributive, w. numbers, each, apiece (Aristoph., Ran. 554f; X., An. 4, 6, 4; SEG IX, 8, 27; PAmh II, 88 [128 A.D.]; POxy 819 [I A.D.] al.; Gen 24:22; 3 Km 18:13; 1 Ch 15:26; En 10:19; TestJob 44:5; JosAs; Jos., Ant. 8, 179; 17, 172; Rdm. 20) ἀνὰ δηνάριον a denarius apiece Mt 20:9f. ἀνὰ λαμπάδα a lamp apiece GJs 7:2. ἀνὰ ῥάβδον a staff apiece 8:3 (not pap). ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς ἀνὰ δύο he sent them out two by two Lk 10:1. κλισίας ὡσεὶ ἀνὰ πεντήκοντα by fifties 9:14; ἀνὰ μετρητὰς δύο ἢ τρεῖς two or three measures apiece J 2:6 (Diod S 3, 13, 2 ἀνὰ τρεῖς ἢ δύο). ἀνὰ ἑκατὸν καὶ ἀνὰ πεντήκοντα Mk 6:40 v.l. Lk 9:3; Rv 4:8; GPt 9:35=ASyn. 353, 81. ἀνὰ μέσον αὐτῶν ἀνὰ δύο παρθένοι between them (the maidens at the four corners) two maidens apiece Hs 9, 2, 3 (see MDibelius, Hdb. ad loc.).—In ἀνὰ δύο παρθένοι ἀ. has become fixed as an adverb. Likew. ἀνὰ εἷς ἕκαστος τῶν πυλώνων Rv 21:21 (B-D-F §204; 305; Rob. 571). On ἀνὰ δύο δύο Lk 10:1; cp. AcPh 142 (Aa II/2, 79, 6) and δύο b.—Special lit. on prepositions: B-D-F §203–40; Rdm.² p. 137–46; Mlt-H. 292–332; Rob. 553–649; Mayser II/2, p. 152–68; 337–543.—MJohannessohn, D. Gebrauch d. Präpositionen in LXX: NGG, Beiheft 1926.—PRegard, Contribution à l’Étude des Prépositions dans la langue du NT 1919.—FKrebs, D. Präpositionen b. Polybius, diss. Würzb. 1882; FKrumbholz, De praepos. usu Appianeo, diss. Jena 1885; PMelcher, De sermone Epict. (Diss. philol. Halenses 17, 1) 1905; JKäser, D. Präpos. b. Dionys. Hal., diss. Erl. 1915; HTeykowski, D. Präpositions-gebr. b. Menander, diss. Bonn ’40.—RGünther, D. Präpos. in d. griech. Dialektinschriften: IndogF 20, 1906, 1–163; ENachmanson, Eranos 9, 1909, 66ff.—The works of Kuhring and Rossberg on usage in pap.—GRudberg, Ad usum circumscribentem praepositionum graec.: Eranos 19, 1922, 173–206.—DELG. M-M.