ἀσπάζομαι G0782
To greet or send greetings; to welcome or embrace warmly; to say farewell or take leave of someone.
Aspazomai is one of the most socially embedded verbs in the New Testament, appearing nearly sixty times and mapping the full arc of human encounter -- from initial greeting to warm embrace to final farewell. Paul's letters are saturated with it: the closing chapters of Romans alone contain over twenty greetings to named individuals, making aspazomai a window into early church social networks. Its range extends beyond mere words to physical embrace (Acts 21:7) and even to the faith-filled 'greeting from afar' of Hebrews 11:13, where the patriarchs welcomed God's promises without yet receiving them.
Senses
1. greet, send greetings — To greet someone or send greetings, especially in epistolary contexts. This overwhelmingly dominant sense (54 of 60 occurrences) fills the closing sections of Paul's letters: 'Greet Prisca and Aquila' (Rom 16:3), 'All the saints greet you' (2 Cor 13:13). Spanish consistently uses 'saludad/saludaos' (the imperative greeting command), French 'saluer,' and German 'grüssen.' Jesus invokes this social convention in Matthew 5:47: 'If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing?' -- suggesting that the act of greeting carried real social weight, not mere formality. 54×
AR["سَلِّموا", "سَلِّموا-عَلى", "سَلِّمُوا", "سَلِّمُوا-عَلَى"]·ben["অভিবাদন-কর", "অভিবাদন-করো", "অভ্যর্থনা-কর", "শুভেচ্ছা-জানাও"]·DE["gruessen"]·EN["Greet", "greet"]·FR["saluer"]·heb["בִּרְכוּ", "בַּרְכוּ", "הַשְׁאִילוּ"]·HI["नमस्कर", "नमस्कार-करो"]·ID["Berilah-salam", "Salamlah"]·IT["salutare"]·jav["Padha-salam", "Panjenengan-sami-salam", "Salamana", "Sumangga-kita-salam", "Uluk-salama", "panjenengan-sami-salam"]·KO["문안하라", "안부하라", "인사하라"]·PT["Saudai"]·RU["-возлюбленного", "-из-", "Персиду", "Приветствуйте", "приветствуйте"]·ES["Saludad", "Saludaos", "saludad", "saludaos"]·SW["Salimianeni", "Wasalimuni", "msalimuni", "salimianeni"]·TR["Selam-söyleyin", "Selamlayın", "selam-söyleyin", "selamlayın"]·urd["سلام-کرو", "سلام-کہو"]
2. welcome, embrace — To welcome or embrace someone or something with gladness upon arrival or from a distance. Acts 21:7 and 21:19 describe Paul being warmly received by believers, while Hebrews 11:13 extends the metaphor powerfully: the patriarchs 'greeted' the promises from afar, embracing them by faith without possessing them. Spanish shifts to 'habiendo saludado' or 'saludándolos' (emphasizing the completed welcoming action), and German introduces 'verabschiedet' in some renderings. The physical and emotional warmth of this sense distinguishes it from the routine epistolary greeting. 4×
AR["رَحَّبُوا-بِهَا", "سَلَّمَ-عَلَى", "سَلَّمَ-عَلَيْهِمْ", "سَلَّمْنَا-عَلَى"]·ben["অভিনন্দন-করে", "অভিবাদন-করে"]·DE["gruessen", "verabschiedet"]·EN["having-greeted"]·FR["saluer"]·heb["בֵּרְכוּ", "בֵּרַךְ", "נִפְרַד", "נִפְרַדְנוּ"]·HI["अभिवादन-करके,", "गले-लगाकर", "नमस्कार-करके"]·ID["memberi-salam", "menyambut,"]·IT["salutare"]·jav["salam", "sampun-salam", "uluk-salam"]·KO["문안하고", "반겼으니"]·PT["tendo-os-saudado", "tendo-saudado"]·RU["приветствовав"]·ES["habiendo-saludado", "saludando", "saludándolos"]·SW["akiliamkia", "akiwasifu", "tukiwasifu", "wakizikaribisha"]·TR["selamlayarak"]·urd["خوش-آمدید-کہہ-کر", "سلام-کر-کے"]
3. say farewell, take leave — To say farewell or take leave of someone at departure. Acts 20:1 describes Paul embracing the disciples and departing after the Ephesus riot, and Acts 21:6 records the tearful farewell at Tyre. Spanish renders it 'despidiéndose' and 'nos despedimos' (explicitly 'saying goodbye'), a clear departure from the greeting vocabulary used in sense 1. German similarly uses 'verabschiedet' (took leave). This farewell sense shows how aspazomai bookends a relationship -- the same verb that opens an encounter can also close it. 2×
AR["وَدَّعَهُمْ", "وَدَّعْنَا"]·ben["আমরা-বিদায়-নিলাম", "বিদায়-নিয়ে"]·DE["verabschiedet"]·EN["having-said-farewell", "we-said-farewell"]·FR["saluer"]·heb["נִפְרַד", "נִפְרַדְנוּ"]·HI["गले-लगाकर", "विदा-ली"]·ID["kami-berpamitan", "memberi-salam"]·IT["salutare"]·jav["kula-sedaya-pamit", "sampun-pamit,"]·KO["우리가-작별했다", "작별하고"]·PT["nos-despedimos", "tendo-se-despedido,"]·RU["попрощавшись,", "попрощались"]·ES["despidiéndose", "nos-despedimos"]·SW["akiwaaga", "tuliagana"]·TR["selamlayarak", "vedalaştık"]·urd["رخصت-کر-کے", "رُخصت-لی"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀσπάζομαι, Epic dialect aorist ἀσπάσσατοRefs:—welcome kindly, greet, τινάRefs 8th c.BC+; μεγάλως ἠσπάζοντο αὐτόν received him with great joy, Refs 5th c.BC+: frequently with no modal word, Refs 5th c.BC+; especially as the common form on meeting, Στρεψιάδην ἀσπάζομαιRefs 5th c.BC+; πόρρωθεν ἀ. salute from a distance, Refs 5th c.BC+; πρόσωθεν αὐτὴν ἁγνὸς ὢν ἀ. I salute her at a respectful…