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ἐκδέχομαι

ekdéchomai

G1551 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To receive, accept, or welcome (something or someone) from another, often with an active sense of waiting or anticipation; to expect or await (with focus on receiving the awaited object, person, or event when it arrives). The word may refer simply to the action of taking something from someone, but in Koine Greek, especially in Hellenistic and New Testament contexts, it commonly conveys the nuance of waiting with expectation for someone or something to arrive, with an emphasis on the act of reception at the arrival.

Semantic Range

to receive from another, to accept, to welcome, to wait for with expectation, to expect, to look for, to be ready to receive

Root / Etymology

From the preposition ἐκ ('from, out of') and the verb δέχομαι ('to receive, accept'). The compound intensifies the sense of receiving by specifying reception from an external source or after a period of waiting.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἐκδέχομαι primarily meant 'to receive from' or 'to take over from another.' In Hellenistic and Koine contexts, including the Septuagint and New Testament, it developed the additional sense of 'to wait for, expect,' highlighting the anticipation preceding reception. This usage is evident in passages where individuals or groups are depicted waiting for persons (e.g., Acts 17:16), events, or fulfillment of promises. The nuance is more active than simply 'waiting,' implying readiness to receive when the awaited arrives. English translations frequently render the term as 'expect,' 'wait for,' or 'look for'; however, the sense of receiving is often present and sometimes lost in translation. Related verbs include προσδέχομαι ('to await, accept favorably'), but ἐκδέχομαι characteristically highlights the outcome: reception after expectation.

Translation Consistency

primary "await" 5 occurrences

ἐκδέχομαι most often carries the sense of waiting with expectation to receive or welcome someone/something. 'Await' naturally captures both the anticipating/waiting and the expected reception, matches the majority P2 renderings, and reads naturally across contexts.

Alternatives (1 occurrence):
"waits to receive" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἐκ and δέχομαι; to accept from some source, i.e. (by implication) to await:--expect, look (tarry) for, wait (for).

Root Family

ἐκδέχομαι (ekdechomai) — to receive, to accept, to await

Root δεχ- to receive, to accept, to await

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1551-02 ἐκδέχεται ekdechetai V PRS MID IND 3P SG waits is awaiting to receive waits to receive 1
G1551-01 ἐκδέχεσθε ekdechesthe V PRS MID IMP 2P PL wait for be awaiting to receive be awaiting to receive 1
G1551-06 ἐξεδέχετο exedecheto V IMPF MID IND 3P SG he was looking for was awaiting for himself was awaiting for himself 1
G1551-03 ἐκδέχομαι ekdechomai V PRS MID IND 1P SG I wait I am awaiting to receive I am awaiting to receive 1
G1551-04 ἐκδεχόμενος ekdechomenos V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG awaiting the one awaiting to receive awaiting to receive 1
G1551-05 ἐκδεχομένου ekdechomenou V PRS MID PTCP GEN M SG waiting of the one awaiting to receive awaiting to receive 1

Occurrences in Scripture

6 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1551-05 Acts 17:16 ἐκδεχομένου ekdechomenou V PRS MID PTCP GEN M SG waiting of the one awaiting to receive awaiting to receive
G1551-01 1 Corinthians 11:33 ἐκδέχεσθε ekdechesthe V PRS MID IMP 2P PL wait for be awaiting to receive be awaiting to receive
G1551-03 1 Corinthians 16:11 ἐκδέχομαι ekdechomai V PRS MID IND 1P SG I wait I am awaiting to receive I am awaiting to receive
G1551-04 Hebrews 10:13 ἐκδεχόμενος ekdechomenos V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG awaiting the one awaiting to receive awaiting to receive
G1551-06 Hebrews 11:10 ἐξεδέχετο exedecheto V IMPF MID IND 3P SG he was looking for was awaiting for himself was awaiting for himself
G1551-02 James 5:7 ἐκδέχεται ekdechetai V PRS MID IND 3P SG waits is awaiting to receive waits to receive
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