δοχή
dochḗ
G1403 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A reception, gathering, or banquet where guests are welcomed and entertained, especially involving shared food or festive hospitality. The term primarily denotes the act of receiving guests or the occasion of communal dining, but can also refer to the event or gathering itself.
Semantic Range
reception, act of welcoming, banquet, feast, hospitality event, festive gathering
Root / Etymology
From the verb δέχομαι ('to receive, to accept'), with the suffix -ή indicating an event or act. Thus, δοχή properly means a 'receiving' or 'reception.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
δοχή appears rarely in surviving Greek literature, including Hellenistic and Koine sources, and exhibits a meaning focused on the social act of hosting and receiving guests, often in the context of communal meals or banquets. In the Septuagint and New Testament periods, such feasts frequently had social, cultic, or celebratory functions, distinguishing δοχή from terms like συμπόσιον (which refers more specifically to a drinking party or symposium). English translations such as 'feast' or 'banquet' can capture some but not all of the underlying sense of structured hospitality and reception embedded in the term. Later tradition sometimes narrows the meaning to a ritual meal, but in Koine contexts δοχή is more broadly a festive reception or banquet.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from δέχομαι; a reception, i.e. convivial entertainment:--feast.
Root Family
δοχή (dochē) — reception, welcoming, banquet, hospitality gathering
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1403-01 |
δοχὴν | dochen | N ACC F SG |
a feast | a reception banquet | a banquet reception | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1403-01 |
Luke 5:29 | δοχὴν | dochen | N ACC F SG |
a feast | a reception banquet | a banquet reception |
G1403-01 |
Luke 14:13 | δοχὴν | dochen | N ACC F SG |
a feast | a reception banquet | a reception banquet |