1. to come before, precede, anticipate: ἡμεῖς οὐ μή φθάσωμεν (see μή, IV. 2) τούς κοιμηθέντας, we shall not get the start of those who have fallen asleep, i. e. we shall not attain to the fellowship of Christ sooner than the dead, nor have precedence in blessedness, 1 Thessalonians 4:15; ἔφθασεν ἐπ' αὐτούς ἡ ὀργή, (God's penal) wrath came upon them unexpectedly, 1 Thessalonians 2:16; ἔφθασεν ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, the kingdom of God has come upon you sooner than you expected, Matthew 12:28; Luke 11:20; (but all the preceding examples except the first are referred by the majority of recent interpretations to the following heading; — a meaning especially common when the verb is construed with prepositions).

2. in the Alex. (and other later) writings the idea of priority disappears, to come to, arrive at: εἰς τί, Philippians 3:16; to reach, attain to, a thing, Romans 9:31; ἄχρι τίνος, 2 Corinthians 10:14; (τίνι, to a thing, Tobit 5:19; ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, Test xii. Patr., p. 530 (i. e. test. Rub. 5 at the end); ἡ μεγαλωσύνη σου ἐμεγαλύνθη καί ἔφθασεν εἰς τόν οὐρανόν, Daniel 4:19, Theod. (cf. 17, 25; φθάνειν ἕως τῶν οὐρανῶν, 2 Chronicles 28:9; ἔφθασεν ὁ μήν ὁ ἕβδομος, 2 Esdr. 3:1; Philo de mund. opif. § 1; de legg. alleg. 3:76; de confus. lingg. § 29; Plutarch, apotheg. Lacon. § 28; de Alex. s. virt. s. fort. orat. 2:5. Cf. Sophocles Lexicon, under the word; Geldart, Modern Greek, p. 206; Winer's Grammar, § 2, 1 b.)). (Compare: προφθάνω.)