ἀπολαμβάνω G0618
To receive or obtain; receive back what was lost or owed; take aside physically
At its core, this verb means to receive from another, but context determines whether something is newly obtained or recovered. In Luke 16:25, Abraham tells the rich man he 'received' his good things in life -- a first-time receipt. But in Luke 15:27, the father 'received back' his prodigal son safe and sound, emphasizing restoration. Spanish consistently uses 'recibir' for both senses, while the one surprising usage in Mark 7:33 -- where Jesus 'took aside' a deaf man from the crowd -- shifts the word entirely from economic exchange to physical gesture. The multilingual evidence shows French and German similarly flatten the distinction between receiving and recovering, making the Greek nuance worth noting.
Senses
1. receive, obtain — To receive or obtain something -- a reward, promise, or recompense -- without implying prior possession. Used broadly of receiving wages, blessings, or consequences. In Luke 16:25, Abraham reminds the rich man he received his good things; in Gal 4:5, believers receive adoption as sons. Spanish 'recibamos' and German 'empfangen' both treat this as straightforward reception, confirming the unmarked, default sense. 7×
AR["تَنالوا","سَتَنالونَ","نائِلينَ","نَنالَ","نَنالُ","نِلْتَ","يَأخُذُ"]·ben["তোমরা-পাও","তোমরা-পাবে","পাই।","পাচ্ছে।","পেয়েছ","ফিরে-পাবে","ἀπολαμβάνομεν-আমরা-পাচ্ছি"]·DE["empfangen","ἀπέλαβες","ἀπολάβῃ","ἀπολαμβάνομεν"]·EN["receiving-back","we-are-receiving","we-might-receive","will-receive","you-receive","you-received","you-will-receive"]·FR["recevoir"]·heb["יְקַבֵּל","מְקַבְּלִים","נְקַבֵּל","קִבַּלְתָּ","תְּקַבְּלוּ","תְקַבְּלוּ"]·HI["तुम-पओगे","तुम-पाओ।","पअयेइन.","पाएगा","पाते-हुए","पाते-हैं","पाया-तूने"]·ID["akan-menerima","engkau-menerima","kami-terima","kamu akan menerima","kamu-terima.","kita-terima","menerima."]·IT["apelabes","apolabe","apolabēte","apolabōmen","apolambanomen","apolēmpsesthe","ricevere"]·jav["badhe-nampi","kita-tampi.","nampani.","nampi","panjenengan-badhé-tampi","panjenengan-sampun-nampi","panjenengan-tampi"]·KO["너희-가-받도록","너희가-받을-것이다","받고-있다","받도록.","받았느니라","받았다","받지"]·PT["recebais.","recebendo","recebereis","recebeste","recebêssemos"]·RU["получаем","получая","получил","получили","получит","получите"]·ES["reciba","recibamos","recibiendo","recibimos","recibiréis","recibiste","recibáis"]·SW["atapokea","mpokee","mtapokea","tunapokea","tuupokee","ulipokea","wakipokea."]·TR["alacak","alacaksiniz","alalım","alarak","alasınız.","aldın","alıyoruz"]·urd["پاؤ-گے","پاؤ۔","پائے-گا","پاتے-ہوئے","پاتے-ہیں","پایا","ہم-پائیں"]
2. receive back, recover — To receive back or recover something or someone previously possessed, lost, or lent, emphasizing restoration. In the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:27), the father 'received back' his son alive, and in Luke 6:34, lenders expect to 'receive back' the same amount. Spanish 'recibio' does not distinguish this from Sense 1, but the Greek prefix ἀπο- combined with context of prior loss marks the recovery nuance clearly. 2×
AR["اِسْتَرَدَّهُ","يَستَرِدّوا"]·ben["পায়","ফিরে-পেয়েছেন"]·DE["ἀπέλαβεν","ἀπολάβωσιν"]·EN["he-received-back","they-might-receive-back"]·FR["recevoir"]·heb["קִבֵּל","שֶׁיְקַבְּלוּ"]·HI["वापस-पाया।","वापस-लें"]·ID["ia-menerima-kembali","mereka-terima-kembali"]·IT["apelaben","apolabosin"]·jav["nampi-wangsul","nampi-wangsul."]·KO["도로-받았기-때문이다","돌려받도록"]·PT["recebeu-de-volta"]·RU["получил-обратно","получить-обратно"]·ES["reciban","recibió"]·SW["amemrudisha","wapokee"]·TR["geri-aldı","geri-alsınlar"]·urd["برابر","پایا"]
3. take aside, take hold of — To take someone aside physically, implying active initiative rather than passive reception. In Mark 7:33 Jesus 'took' the deaf man aside from the crowd before healing him. Spanish renders this 'habiéndolo tomado aparte,' capturing the physical separation that sets this sense apart from the economic exchange senses. Only one NT occurrence, but the semantic shift from receiving to actively taking is significant. 1×
AR["أَخَذَهُ"]·ben["একপাশে-নিয়ে"]·DE["empfangen"]·EN["taking"]·FR["recevoir"]·heb["לָקַח"]·HI["देखकर"]·ID["mengambil"]·IT["apolabomenos"]·jav["sasampunipun-mendhet"]·KO["데리고서"]·PT["tomando-o"]·RU["отведя"]·ES["habiéndolo-tomado-aparte"]·SW["akimchukua"]·TR["alarak"]·urd["لے-کر"]
Related Senses
H5414 1. give, bestow (1855×)H3947 1. take, seize, grasp (Qal) (940×)G2192 1. possess / have (680×)G1325 1. give, bestow (336×)H5159 1. inherited land or property (170×)G2983 1. receive, obtain (134×)H3423 1. Qal: take possession of land (130×)G2983 2. take, take up (113×)G2398 1. one's own, belonging to oneself (91×)G3860 1. hand over, deliver to custody (78×)H7998 1. spoil, plunder, booty (74×)G1325 2. be given, be granted (70×)H5414 2. put, place, set (68×)H7999a 1. pay, repay, recompense (63×)H7069 1. Buy, purchase (59×)H1892 1. vanity, futility, absurdity (58×)H5159 2. heritage as covenant portion (52×)H6299 1. redeem or ransom (Qal active) (49×)H4376 1. Sell (Qal active) (47×)H1350a 1. Redeem, buy back (46×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀπολαμβάνω, future -λήψομαι, in Refs 5th c.BC+ -λάμψομαιRefsperfect ἀπείληφα, passive ἀπείλημμαι, Ionic dialect ἀπολέλαμμαι: in active aorist 2 ἀπέλαβον, but in passive aorist 1 ἀπελήφθην, Ionic dialect ἀπελάμφθηνRefs 5th c.BC+:— take or receive from another, correlated to ἀποδιδόναι, Refs 5th c.BC+; οὐδὲν ἀ. τοῦ βίου χρηστόν (variant{ἀπολαύ-}) Refs 1st c.AD+ __2 receive what is one's due,…