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.
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 more senses below
Senses
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"]
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…