for'-werd for'-werd-nes (hale'ah, naca`; spoudaios): As an adverb "forward" has the meaning of "onward" in space or time, or in the movement of affairs. As an adjective it has the sense of "readiness," "willingness," etc. The adverb only is found in the Old Testament. It is the translation of hale'ah, "distance," "onward"; in space (Nu 32:19; 1Sa 10:3); in time (Eze 39:22, "from that day and forward"; Eze 43:27); once of halakh, "to go on" (Ge 26:13, "went forward," the King James Version margin, Hebrew "went going," the Revised Version (British and American) "grew more and more"); twice of ma`al, "above," "upward" (1Sa 16:13; 30:25, "from that day forward"); once of ya'al, "to cause to go up," "advance" (Job 30:13, "They set forward (advance or help on) my calamity"); twice of lephanim, "to the front" (Jer 7:24; Eze 10:22, "They went every one straight forward," literally, "on the side of their face"); once of qedhem, "before" (Job 23:8, "Behold, I go forward, but he is not there"); once with nakhah, "to smite" (2Ki 3:24); frequently in Nu, and once in Exodus, of naca`, "to lift up," "remove," "journey" (Ex 14:15, "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward"; Nu 1:51, "when the tabernacle setteth forward"; Nu 2:24 the King James Version, "They shall go forward," etc.); it is also the translation of natsach (Piel), "to be over," "to take the lead," "to superintend" (1Ch 23:4, "to set forward (to carry onward, to advance) the work of the house of the Lord," the King James Version margin and text of the Revised Version (British and American) "to oversee"; 2Ch 34:12, "to set it forward," the Revised Version (British and American) retains, margin, "to preside over it"; Ezr 3:8 margin, "set forward the work"). This word means also "to lead" in music, to precent; hence, in the title of many psalms, la-menatseach, "For the chief musician." Proerchomai, "to go forward," etc., is translated "went forward" (Mr 14:35); propempo, "to send forward" (3Jo 1:6, "bring forward," the Revised Version (British and American) "set forward"); proballo, "to throw or put forward" (Ac 19:33, "putting him forward"); as adjective it is the translation of thelo, "to wish," "will" (2Co 8:10, "to be forward a year ago"; the King James Version margin (Greek) "willing," the Revised Version (British and American) "to will"); of spoudaios, "speedy," "earnest" (2Co 8:17, "being more forward," the Revised Version (British and American) "very earnest"); of spoudazo, "to make haste," "to be earnest" (Ga 2:10, "which I also was forward to do," the Revised Version (British and American) "zealous to do").
"Forward" occurs several times in Apocrypha, e.g. 1 Esdras 1:27, "The Lord is with me hasting me forward" (epispeudo); 2 Esdras 3:6, "before ever the earth came forward" (adventaret), meaning, perhaps, before it was ready for planting.
Forwardness is the translation of spoude, "speed," "zeal," etc. (2Co 8:8, the Revised Version (British and American) "earnestness"); of prothumia "readiness of mind" (2Co 9:2, "the forwardness of your mind," the Revised Version (British and American) "your readiness"; The Wisdom of Solomon 14:17, "that by their forwardness (spoude) they might flatter," the Revised Version (British and American) "zeal").
For "forward" the Revised Version (British and American) has "forth" (Nu 2:24; compare 1Co 16:11); for "go forward" (Nu 10:5), "take their journey"; for "set forward" (Nu 21:10; 22:1), "journeyed"; "forward" for "ready" (De 1:41), for "forth" (Pr 25:6), for "farther" (Mt 26:39); "put forward" for "appointed" (Ac 1:23): "set forward according to" for "took" (Nu 10:12); "set forward" for "went" (Nu 10:14,34), for "departed" (Nu 10:33); "set me forward" for "bring me" (1Co 16:6).
W. L. Walker