δέχομαι G1209
To receive, welcome, or accept; extending hospitality to a person or accepting what is offered, taught, or given.
Dechomai is one of the New Testament's richest words for receptivity. Jesus uses it to define the stakes of mission: 'whoever receives you receives me' (Matt 10:40), making the act of welcoming a traveling disciple an encounter with Christ himself. The word stretches from physical hospitality — opening one's home to a guest — through intellectual acceptance of teaching (Luke 8:13, the seed that receives the word) to the simple act of taking a document into one's hands (Luke 16:6). Spanish recibir, French recevoir, and German annehmen all collapse these senses into one verb, but the Greek contexts carefully distinguish whether what is received is a person, a message, or an object.
Senses
1. welcome, receive hospitably — To welcome or receive a person with hospitality, extending acceptance and care to someone who arrives. This is the characteristic sense in Jesus' mission discourses: 'whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me' (Matt 10:40). It appears in contexts of towns receiving apostles (Luke 9:53), Zacchaeus welcoming Jesus (Luke 19:6), and early churches hosting traveling ministers (3 John 1:10). German nimmt auf ('takes in') and Spanish recibir both capture the warmth of personal welcome. 27×
AR["اسْتَقْبَلَ", "اقبَلوا", "اِقْبَلوني", "قابِلُ", "قابِلُكُم", "قَبِلوا", "قَبِلَ", "قَبِلَني", "قَبِلُوا", "يَقبَلُ", "يَقبَلُكُم", "يَقْبَلوهُ", "يَقْبَلُ", "يَقْبَلُكُمْ", "يَقْبَلْ"]·ben["গ্রহণ-কর", "গ্রহণ-করল", "গ্রহণ-করলেন", "গ্রহণ-করে", "গ্রহণ-করেছে", "গ্রহণ-করো", "তোমরা-গ্রহণ-কর"]·DE["annehmen", "nimmt-auf"]·EN["one-receiving", "receive", "received", "receives", "they-received", "welcomed"]·FR["recevoir"]·heb["יְקַבֵּל", "מְקַבֵּל", "קִבְּלוּ", "קַבְּלוּ"]·HI["अपनयेग", "और-न", "ग्रहण-करनेवाला", "ग्रहण-करे", "ग्रहण-करेगा", "ग्रहण-करो", "ग्रहण-किया", "सविकअरो", "स्वागत-किया"]·ID["menerima", "menyambut", "mereka-menerima", "sambutlah", "terimalah"]·IT["accogliere"]·jav["nampani", "nampeni", "nampi", "nampi,", "tampanana", "tampinana", "tampènana"]·KO["받아들였다", "받아들이지", "받아라", "받으라", "받으리라", "영접하는-자는", "영접하라", "영접하면", "영접하지", "영접하지-않았다", "영접했다"]·PT["o-receberam", "que-recebe", "recebei", "recebei-me", "receber", "receberam"]·RU["примет", "примите", "принимает", "принимающий", "приняли"]·ES["lo-recibieron", "os-reciba", "reciba", "recibid", "recibidlo", "recibidme", "recibiendo", "recibiere", "recibieron"]·SW["a-pokea-ye", "a-pokea-ye,", "ampokee", "anampokea", "anipokee", "atakayempokea", "hawakumpokea", "kupokea", "mpokea", "mpokeeni", "nipokeni", "pokeeni", "upokee", "wa-pokea", "walilipokea", "walimpokea", "walipokea", "wasipowapokea"]·TR["kabul-eden", "kabul-ederse", "kabul-ederse,", "kabul-edin", "kabul-etmezse", "kabul-etti", "kabul-ettiler"]·urd["قبول-کرنے-والا", "قبول-کرو", "قبول-کرے", "قبول-کیا"]
Matt 10:14, Matt 10:40, Matt 10:40, Matt 10:41, Matt 10:41, Matt 18:5, Mark 6:11, Mark 9:37, Mark 9:37, Mark 10:15, Luke 2:28, Luke 9:48 (+15 more)
2. receive, accept — To receive or accept something offered — a teaching, message, testimony, or spiritual gift. Paul speaks of receiving the word with joy (1 Thess 1:6), and Jesus asks whether people will 'accept' the truth about John the Baptist (Matt 11:14). The object shifts from a person to an idea or proclamation, making this a cognitive and volitional act. French recevoir serves both this and the hospitality sense, but the Greek contexts consistently distinguish accepting a message from welcoming a messenger. 26×
AR["تَقبَلوا", "تَقْبَلوا", "قَبِلتُموني", "قَبِلتُموهُ", "قَبِلْتُمْ", "يَقبَلونَ", "يَقبَلُ", "يَقْبَلوكُمْ", "يَقْبَلونَكُمْ", "يَقْبَلُ", "يَقْبَلُني", "يَقْبَلُونَكُمْ", "يَقْبَلُونِي"]·ben["গ্রহণ-করতে", "গ্রহণ-করলে", "গ্রহণ-করা", "গ্রহণ-করে", "গ্রহণ-করেছিলে", "তোমরা-গ্রহণ-করেছিলে"]·DE["annehmen", "nimmt-auf"]·EN["receive", "receives", "they-receive", "they-will-receive", "to-receive", "you-accepted", "you-received"]·FR["recevoir"]·heb["יְקַבְּלוּ", "לְ-קַבֵּל", "מְקַבְּלִים", "מְקַבֵּל", "קִבַּלְתֶּם"]·HI["अपनअत-है", "ग्रहण-करता", "ग्रहण-करता-है", "ग्रहण-करते-हैं", "ग्रहण-करना", "ग्रहण-करें", "ग्रहण-किया-तुमने", "ग्रहन-करन", "तुमने-ग्रहण-किया", "तुमने-ग्रहन-किय", "सविइकअर-किय"]·ID["ia-menyambut", "kamu-menerima", "kamu-menerimanya", "kamu-menyambut", "kamu-terima", "menerima", "mereka-menerima", "mereka-menyambut"]·IT["accogliere"]·jav["nampeni", "nampi", "nampi,", "nampi;", "panjenengan-nampi", "panjenengan-nampèni", "panjenengan-sami-nampi", "tampi"]·KO["너희가-받아들였다", "너희를-영접하면", "받는다", "받아들였다", "받아들이라", "받아들인다", "받지-말게", "영접하는-것이", "영접하는-것이고", "영접하는-것이니", "영접하는-것이다", "영접하는-것이요", "영접하도록", "영접하면", "영접한다", "영접했느니라", "영접했다"]·PT["aceitar", "aceitastes", "me-recebestes", "recebam", "recebe", "recebem", "receber", "receberem", "recebestes", "vos-recebam"]·RU["принимает", "принимают", "приняли", "принять"]·ES["aceptasteis", "me-reciban", "me-recibisteis", "os-reciban", "recibe", "reciben", "recibir", "recibisteis"]·SW["anampokea", "ananipokea", "anapokea", "anapokea;", "hamkupokea,", "hayapokei", "kupokea", "kupokea,", "kuwapokea", "mlikubali", "mlimpokea", "mlinipokea", "wanakubali", "wanipokee", "wasiowapokea", "watakapowapokea", "wawapokee"]·TR["alırlar", "kabul eder", "kabul-eder", "kabul-eder;", "kabul-ederlerse", "kabul-etmeyi", "kabul-etseler", "kabul-etsinler", "kabul-ettiniz", "sizi", "titreme"]·urd["تم-نے-قبول-کیا", "قبول-کرتا", "قبول-کرتا-ہے", "قبول-کرتے-ہیں", "قبول-کرنا", "قبول-کریں", "قبول-کیا"]
Matt 10:40, Matt 10:40, Matt 11:14, Matt 18:5, Mark 9:37, Mark 9:37, Luke 8:13, Luke 9:5, Luke 9:48, Luke 9:48, Luke 10:8, Luke 10:10 (+14 more)
3. take into one's hands — To take a physical object into one's hands or possession. In Luke 16:6–7, the steward tells debtors to 'take' their bills and rewrite them — a concrete, transactional use. Paul in 2 Corinthians 8:17 describes Titus 'accepting' the commission to collect funds. This is the most material sense of dechomai, stripped of the relational warmth of hospitality or the cognitive dimension of accepting teaching. 3×
AR["خُذْ", "قَبِلَ"]·ben["তিনি-গ্রহণ-করেছিলেন,", "নাও"]·DE["annehmen", "nimmt-auf"]·EN["Take", "he-received"]·FR["recevoir"]·heb["קִבֵּל", "קַח"]·HI["उसने-स्वीकार-की", "ले"]·ID["Ambillah", "ia-terima"]·IT["accogliere"]·jav["Tampina", "piyambakipun-nampèni"]·KO["받아라", "받았다"]·PT["Toma", "aceitou"]·RU["Возьми", "принял"]·ES["Toma", "recibió"]·SW["Pokea", "alipokea,"]·TR["Al", "kabul etti"]·urd["قبول-کی", "لے"]
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
δέχομαι, Ionic dialect, Aeolic dialect, Cretan dialect δέκομαι, Refs 7th c.BC+, imperfect ἐδεκόμην Refs 5th c.BC+future δέξομαι, Epic dialect also δεδέξομαι Refs 8th c.BC+; δεχθήσομαι (in passive sense) LXX: aorist ἐδεξάμην Refs 8th c.BC+; also ἐδέχθην (ὑπ-) Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect δέδεγμαι Refs 8th c.BC+; imperative δεδεξο Refs 8th c.BC+; Ionic dialect 3rd.pers. plural ἀπο-δεδέχαται Refs 8th…