Contracted superlative of pro; foremost (in time, place, order or importance) -- before, beginning, best, chief(-est), first (of all), former.

see GREEK pro

1. either in time or place, in any succession of things or of persons;

a. absolutely (i. e. without a noun) and substantively; α. with the article: ὁ πρῶτος καί ὁ ἔσχατος, i. e. the eternal One, Revelation 1:17; Revelation 2:8; Revelation 22:13; ὁ πρῶτος, namely, τῶν κεκλημένων, Luke 14:18; the first of two (cf. Winers Grammar, § 35, 4 N. 1; (Buttmann, 32 (28))), John 19:32; 1 Corinthians 14:30; plural opposed to οἱ ἔσχατοι, Matthew 20:16, on which see ἔσχατος, 2 a. Neuter τό πρῶτον, opposed to τό δεύτερον, Hebrews 10:9; τά πρῶτα, opposed to τά ἔσχατα, one's first state, Matthew 12:45; Luke 11:26; 2 Peter 2:20; the first order of things, Revelation 21:4. β. without the article: Matthew 10:2 (πρῶτος, namely, of the apostles to be mentioned); plural, Matthew 19:30; Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30 (on the meaning of which three passages, see ἔσχατος, 2 a.); neuter ἐν πρώτοις (A. V. first of all), among the first things delivered to you by me, 1 Corinthians 15:3.

b. where it agrees with some substantive; α. anarthrous, and in place of an adjective: πρώτη (namely, ἡμέρα) σαββάτου, on the first day of the week, Mark 16:9; φυλακή, opposed to δευτέρᾳ, Acts 12:10; as a predicate Luke 2:2 (on which cf. Winers Grammar, § 35, 4 N. 1; (Buttmann, § 127, 31)). where it is added to the subject or the object of the verb (and we often use an adverb; Winers Grammar, § 54, 2; (Buttmann, § 123, 9)): εὑρίσκει οὗτος πρῶτος, John 1:41(42) (where L Tr WH πρῶτον); add, John 8:7; John 20:4, 8; Acts 27:43; Romans 10:19; 1 Timothy 1:16; 1 John 4:19; opposed to εἶτα, 1 Timothy 2:13 πρῶτος ἐμβάς, John 5:4 (the article belongs to ἐμβάς (G T Tr WH omit the passage)); but Acts 26:23 πρῶτος ἐξ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν is to be translated as the first. By a later Greek usage it is put where πρότερος might have been expected with the genitive (cf. Herm. ad Vig., p. 717; Passow, under the word πρότερος, B. I. 2 c. ii, p. 1243a; (Liddell and Scott, ibid. B. I. 4 c.); Fritzsche, Ep. ad Romans, ii., 420f; Winers Grammar, § 35, 4 N. 1; Buttmann, § 123, 14): πρῶτος μου ἦν, John 1:15, 30 (οἱ πρῶτοι μου ταῦτα ἀνιχνευσαντες, Aelian nat. anim. 8, 12). β. with the article: (ὁ (ἡ, τό) πρῶτος (πρώτη, πρῶτον), in a series which is so complete, either in fact or in thought, that other members are conceived of as following the first in regular order; as, τόν πρῶτον λόγον, Acts 1:1; add, Mark 14:12; 2 Timothy 4:16; Revelation 4:1, 7; Revelation 13:12, etc.; (opposed to ὁ ἔσχατος), ἡ πρῶτος πλάνη, Matthew 27:64; add, Matthew 20:8, 10, 16; 1 Corinthians 15:45, etc.; also 'the first' of two, where Latin usage requires and the Vulg. ordinarily employs prior (cf. Winers Grammar (and Buttmann), as above): Matthew 21:28, 31 (L Tr WH ὕστερος); ἄλλους δούλους πλείονας τῶν πρώτων, Matthew 21:36; ἡ πρώτη διαθήκη, Hebrews 8:7, 13; Hebrews 9:15, 18; ἡ πρώτη, namely, διαθήκη, Hebrews 9:1 G L T Tr WH; σκηνή, Hebrews 9:1 Rec., 2, 6, 8; ἡ πρώτη γῆ, ὁ πρῶτος οὐρανός, Revelation 21:1; ἀνάστασις, Revelation 20:5, 6; ἄνθρωπος 1 Corinthians 15:47; followed by ὁ δεύτερος, τρίτος, etc.: Matthew 22:25; Mark 12:20; Luke 19:16; Luke 20:29; Revelation 8:7; Revelation 16:2; Revelation 21:19; followed by ἕτερος, Luke 16:5; ὁ πρῶτος, equivalent to the former, previous, pristine: τήν πρώτην πίστιν, the faith which they formerly plighted, 1 Timothy 5:12; ἡ πρώτη ἀγάπη, Revelation 2:4; τά πρῶτα ἔργα, Revelation 2:5.

2. first in rank, influence, honor; chief; principal: without the article, and absolutely, πρῶτος chief (opposed to δοῦλος), Matthew 20:27; Mark 10:44; opposed to ἔσχατος and διάκονος, Mark 9:35; added to a noun, principal, ἐντολή, Matthew 22:38; Mark 12:30 (T WH omit; Tr marginal reading brackets the clause); Ephesians 6:2; with a partitive genitive, Mark 12:28, 29 (see πᾶς, II. 2 b. γ.); 1 Timothy 1:15; with the article, Luke 15:22; Acts 17:4; οἱ πρῶτοι τῆς Γαλιλαίας, the chief men of Galilee, Mark 6:21: τοῦ λαοῦ, Luke 19:47; τῆς πόλεως, Acts 13:50; τῶν Ἰουδαίων, Acts 25:2; Acts 28:17; τῆς νήσου, Acts 28:7 (cf. Lewin, St. Paul, ii., p. 208f, but see Πόπλιος).

3. neuter πρῶτον as adverb, first, at the first;

a. in order of time: Luke 10:5; John 18:13; Acts 11:26 (here T Tr WH πρώτως, which see); followed by εἶτα, ἔπειτα, or δεύτερον, Mark 4:28; 1 Corinthians 15:46; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Timothy 3:10; followed by μετά ταῦτα Mark 16:9 cf. Mark 16:12; the first time, opposed to ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ (the second time), Acts 7:12, 13; τέ πρῶτον καί, first and also (or afterward), i. e. as well as, Romans 1:16 (but here L Tr marginal reading WH brackets πρῶτον); ; without τέ, 2 Corinthians 8:5; 2 Timothy 1:5; first i. e. before anything else is done; first of all: Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:1; John 7:51 L Tr WH; Romans 1:8; 1 Timothy 5:4; 2 Peter 1:20; 2 Peter 3:3; πρῶτον πάντων, 1 Timothy 2:1. first, i. e. before something else: Matthew 8:21; Mark 7:27; Mark 9:11, 12; Luke 11:38; Luke 14:28; Romans 15:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Peter 4:17, etc.; before other nations, Acts 3:26; Acts 13:46; before others (R. V. the first to partake etc.), 2 Timothy 2:6; followed by τότε or καί τότε, Matthew 5:24; Matthew 7:5; Matthew 12:29; Mark 3:27; Luke 6:42; John 2:10 (T WH omit; L Tr brackets τότε); ἐμέ πρῶτον ὑμῶν (Tdf. omits ὑμῶν) me before it hated you, John 15:18 (see 1 b. ἆ.). τό πρῶτον. at the first, i. e. at the time when one did a thing for the first time: John 10:40; John 12:16; John 19:39.

b. in enumerating several particulars; first, then, etc.: Romans 3:2; 1 Corinthians 11:18; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Hebrews 7:2; James 3:17.