A primary particle; opposite, i.e. Instead or because of (rarely in addition to) -- for, in the room of. Often used in composition to denote contrast, requital, substitution, correspondence, etc.
1. properly, it seems to have signified over against, opposite to, before, in a local sense (Alexander Buttmann (1873) Gram., p. 412; (cf. Curtius, § 204)). Hence,
2. indicating exchange, succession, for, instead of, in place of (something).
a. universally, instead of: ἀντί ἰχθύος ὄφιν, Luke 11:11; ἀντί περιβολαίου to serve as a covering, 1 Corinthians 11:15; ἀντί τοῦ λέγειν, James 4:15 (ἀντί τοῦ with the infinitive often in Greek writings (Winers Grammar, 329 (309); Buttmann, 263 (226))).
b. of that for which anything is given, received, endured: Matthew 5:38; Matthew 17:27 (to release me and thyself from obligation); Hebrews 12:2 (to obtain the joy; cf. Bleek, Lünemann, or Delitzsch at the passage); of the price of sale (or purchase): Hebrews 12:16; λύτρον ἀντί πολλῶν, Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45. Then c. of recompense: κακόν ἀντί κακοῦ ἀποδιδόναι, Romans 12:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:15; 1 Peter 3:9,(Wis. 11:16 (15)). ἀνθ' ὧν equivalent to ἀντί τούτων, ὅτι for that, because: Luke 1:20; Luke 19:44; Acts 12:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:10 (also in secular authors (examples in Wetstein (1752) on Luke 1:20); cf. Herm. ad Vig., p. 710; (Winers Grammar, 364 (342), cf. 162 (153); Buttmann, 105 (92)); Hebrew אֲשֶׁר תַּחַת, Deuteronomy 21:14; 2 Kings 22:17).
d. of the cause: ἀνθ' ὧν wherefore, Luke 12:3; ἀντί τούτου for this cause, Ephesians 5:31.
e. of succession to the place of another: Ἀρχέλαος βασιλεύει ἀντί Ἡρῴδου in place of Herod, Matthew 2:22 (1 Kings 11:44; Herodotus 1, 108; Xenophon, an. 1, 1, 4). χάριν ἀντί χάριτος grace in the place of grace, grace succeeding grace perpetually, i. e. the richest abundance of grace, John 1:16 (Theognis, verse 344 ἀντ' ἀνιων ἀνιας (yet cf. the context verse 342 (vss. 780 and 778, Welcker edition); more appropriate are the references to Philo, i. 254, Mang. edition (de poster. Caini § 43, vol. ii. 39, Richter edition), and Chrysostom de sacerdot. l. 6 c. 13 § 622)).
3. As a prefix, it denotes a. opposite, over against: ἀντιπεραι, ἀντιπαρέρχεσθαι.
b. the mutual efficiency of two: ἀντιβάλλειν, ἀντικάλειν, ἀντιλοιδόρειν.
c. requital: ἀντιμισθία, ἀνταποδίδωμι.
d. hostile opposition: ἀντίχριστος.
e. official substitution instead of: ἀνθύπατος.