Looking (4328) (prosdokao from prós = towards - adds the idea of “mental direction” to the already existing meaning of the verb + dokáo = look for denoting direction of one's mind toward something) means literally to look forward toward, to wait for, to look for, to anticipate. It means to give thought to something that is in the future and the context indicates whether one does this looking/waiting in a hopeful sense, with a longing, with fear (wait with anxiety, live in suspense), or in a neutral state of mind. It describes the attitude saints should have as anticipating, waiting with watchfulness, being in expectation. It is notable that this is the third time Peter uses prosdokao in this chapter! Peter continually links waiting with watching. Prosdokao is in the present tense indicating that this is one's habit or lifestyle. Are you continually looking for the return of your Lord? It will radically impact what you are living for! Thayer writes that prosdokao... denotes mental direction; from Aeschylus and Herodotus down; to expect (whether in thought, in hope, or in fear); to look for, wait for: when the preceding context shows who or what is expected Prosdokao is variously translated "expecting", "look eagerly for", "waiting for", "live expecting". There are several words with meaning closely related to prosdokao: Prosdechomai (4327) earnestly expect, look forward to, wait for, wait anxiously (Click in depth study) Apekdechomai (553) to wait for with hope and patience (Click in depth study) Anemeno (362) to wait for with patience and confident expectancy (Click in depth study) Prosdokao: 16x in 15v - Mt 11:3; 24:50; Lk 1:21; 3:15; 7:19, 20; 8:40; 12:46; Acts 3:5; 10:24; 27:33; 28:6; 2Pe 3:12, 13,1 4: NAS = expect, 2; expecting, 2; look, 4; looking, 2; state of expectation, 1; waited, 1; waiting, 2; watching, 1. Prosdokao occurs 5 times in the Septuagint (LXX) (Deut 32:2; Ps 69:20; 104:27; 119:166; Lam 2:16) and the focus is on God and His acts. For example the psalmist writes... I hope (LXX = prosdokao = wait for expectantly) for Thy salvation, O LORD, and do Thy commandments. (Psalm 119:166) John the Baptist's disciples came to Jesus... and said to Him, "Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for (prosdokao) someone else?" (Mt 11:3) Luke uses prosdokao to describe the attitude of the people while Zacharias was in the Temple... And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. (Luke 1:21) (Comment: Here the waiting is coupled somewhat with fear and anticipation). Luke records that... Now while the people were in a state of expectation (prosdokao) and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he might be the Christ, (Luke 3:15) (Comment: How wonderful if Christ's church in America were in such a state! How much saltier salt and brighter light the church might be in a land growing spiritually darker each day!) In Acts 3 Luke uses prosdokao again recording the attitude of the lame man (who had been lame from his mother's womb) toward Peter... And he began to give them his attention, expecting (prosdokao) to receive something from them. (Acts 3:5) Prosdokao describes the attitude of those on the isle of Malta when Paul was smitten by the viper and they waited and watched expecting him to swell up. (Acts 28:6) But they were expecting (prosdokao) that he was about to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god. In this context the waiting is with apprehension concerning impending danger or trouble. The point is that they watched expectantly because they knew it was a certainty (that Paul would fall over dead) and that it could happen any time! That's the idea inherent in the verb "looking." It's an attitude of expectancy and pictures one whose mind is continually turning to the future while enduring the present evil age around them. A characteristic mark of the genuine believer is that of habitual expectation of the "parousia" (of Christ & of the Day of God) and which produces a powerful motive to holiness and godliness. Fanny Crosby (who ironically was physically blind!) caught the "vision" of expectant living in this stanza from Blessed Assurance -- "Perfect submission, all is at rest; I in my Savior am happy and blest, Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with his goodness, lost in his love." (Play hymn) Read that third line again and ponder how the various actions and attitudes are interrelated. If a blind saint can have this Godward "eyesight", how much more should those of us who can see the majestic mountains, the glorious sunsets, the countless stars, etc? Study and be motivated by the following "real life" examples of Godward, godly "looking" -- Jacob as he prepares to die (Ge 49:18) Job - blameless, upright, fearing the LORD, turning away from evil (Job14:14) Isaiah, the prophet (Isa 8:17) Micah, the prophet (Mic 7:7) Simeon, righteous and devout (Lk 2:25) Anna the prophetess (Lk 2:38) Joseph of Arimathea (Mk 15:43) The present tense of prosdokao calls for this to be a continual expectant looking -- the habit of our lives should be to keep "looking up for our redemption draweth night". Are you eagerly awaiting the day of the Lord, but even more importantly are you living like it could be today? Godward looking... motivates godly living Instead of living in fear of the future and fear of judgment and fear of the day of the Lord, you live in holy eagerness, you live with that 1Cor 16:22 word Maranatha on your lips, come, Lord, living constantly in desirous expectation. J. Vernon McGee adds Today we see a lot of careless, slipshod living, but also a great emphasis on prophecy. (Ed note: consider the "Left Behind" Series popularized in 2000-2003) I hear people say, “Oh, I’m waiting for the Lord to come!” Brother, my question is not whether you are looking for the Lord to come, but how are you living down here? How you live down here determines whether or not you are really looking for the Lord to come. The purpose of prophetic truth is not speculation but motivation! It is unfortunate when people run from one prophetic conference to another, filling their notebooks, marking their Bibles, drawing their charts, and yet not living their lives to the glory of God. In fact, some of the saints battle each other more over prophetic interpretation than perhaps any other subject. Beloved, things ought not to be this way. AND HASTENING: ka speudontas (PAP): Hastening (4692) (speudo) can have two meanings, both possible within the context. One meaning conveys the idea of doing something hurriedly and of causing something to happen or come into being by exercising special effort (i.e., hastening). The other meaning is that of earnestly desiring which would make good sense in the context and which is certainly easier to explain then the first meaning. If Peter intends the former meaning, then it appears he is urging his readers to be God's instruments in furthering the divine purpose. What this specifically means is the subject of considerable speculation, but suffice it to say that it seem reasonable to say that it calls for holy lives that open the door for holy lips in evangelism and intercession. Hastening can mean eagerly desiring that something will happen. looking for and earnestly desiring (ASV) expecting and earnestly longing for the coming of the day of God (Phillips) wait and earnestly long for (Amplified) looking for and truly desiring (BBE) look forward to the day of God and eagerly wait for it to come (GWT 0 wait for the day of God and look forward to its coming (Int'l Children's Bible) Christians are not to fear the future day of God, but eagerly hope for it. One of the greatest motives for holy conduct and godliness is EXPECTATION John Piper adds this thought: We don't hasten the Day in an absolute sense because Acts 1:7 teaches that the Father has fixed the times and seasons by his own authority and Jesus said in Mk 13:22 that the Father knows the hour of the Son's return. But from our vantage point we can hasten the Day by fulfilling the pre-conditions of Christ's return, namely the preaching of the gospel to all the nations (Mk. 13:10) and the repentance of the full number of the Gentiles who must come in before the end (Ro 11:25-note). Evidently Peter believes that lives of holiness and godliness will indeed fulfill these conditions and hasten the Day of God. Lenski offers a word about trying to understand 'hastening: We need not labor the sense by taking speudo in the sense of "hasten", speed up the coming of the day of the Lord so that it will come sooner than it would otherwise come....This verb is widely used in the sense of "to be eager", which fits perfectly here as the intensifying synonym of "expecting". "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/2_peter_38-13.htm#looking