What does δεκτός (dektós) mean in the Bible?
Dektos describes what is acceptable or welcomed. The person receiving, the thing received, and the occasion matter in each passage.
Greek · G1184
δεκτός
Dektos describes what is acceptable or welcomed. The person receiving, the thing received, and the occasion matter in each passage.
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δεκτόςG1184
Pronunciationdektós
What does δεκτός (dektós) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for δεκτός (G1184) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1184?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include accepted (1), an acceptable (1), favor (1), of favor (1), welcomes (1).
Where does δεκτός (dektós) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 4:19. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (2), 2 Corinthians (1), Acts (1), Philippians (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Dektos describes what is acceptable or welcomed. The person receiving, the thing received, and the occasion matter in each passage. Jesus announces the year of the Lord's favor in Luke 4:19, then observes in verse 24 that a prophet is not accepted in his hometown. Acts 10:35 declares that God welcomes people from every nation who fear Him and do what is right; Peter immediately proclaims Jesus and forgiveness through faith in His name.
Paul quotes the time of favor in 2 Corinthians 6:2 to press the present urgency of receiving grace, and he describes the Philippians' material gift as an acceptable sacrifice in Philippians 4:18. The adjective connects these scenes through acceptance or favor. It does not make social popularity a proof of divine approval, turn giving into a purchase of salvation, or remove Christ from Peter's message.
How the Bible Uses It
The five direct passages describe an announced season of divine favor, a hometown's failure to welcome a prophet, God's impartial welcome, an appeal to receive grace now, and a gift received as a pleasing sacrifice.
- Luke.4.19
To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Jesus reads the promised year of the Lord's favor and announces its fulfillment; the surrounding proclamation identifies the mercy being offered.
- Luke.4.24
Then He added, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.
The same chapter contrasts proclaimed divine favor with a prophet's lack of acceptance among familiar hometown hearers.
- Acts.10.35
But welcomes those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.
Peter rejects national favoritism, then continues with the gospel of Jesus and forgiveness for everyone who believes in Him.
- 2Cor.6.2
For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!
Paul cites God's time of favor to urge a present response to grace rather than calculating a private calendar of favorable days.
- Php.4.18
I have all I need and more, now that I have received your gifts from Epaphroditus. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.
The Philippians' practical support of Paul becomes sacrificial language of acceptance before God, within their shared participation in gospel work.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itaccepted1×Luke 4:24
an acceptable1×Philippians 4:18
favor1×Luke 4:19
of favor1×2 Corinthians 6:2
welcomes1×Acts 10:35
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 4:19δεκτόνtofavorAdjective - Accusative Masculine SingularLuke 4:24δεκτόςtoacceptedAdjective - Nominative Masculine SingularActs 10:35δεκτὸςtowelcomesAdjective - Nominative Masculine Singular2 Corinthians 6:2δεκτῷtoof favorAdjective - Dative Masculine SingularPhilippians 4:18δεκτήνtoan acceptableAdjective - Accusative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowLuke 4:19
Aligned rows5
Books represented4
Luke2Acts12 Corinthians1Philippians1
Source forms
δεκτήν1xdektēnPhilippians 4:18
δεκτόν1xdektonLuke 4:19
δεκτός1xdektosLuke 4:24
δεκτὸς1xdektosActs 10:35
δεκτῷ1xdektō2 Corinthians 6:2
Parsing patterns
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular2xLuke 4:24, Acts 10:35
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular1xPhilippians 4:18
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular1xLuke 4:19
Adjective - Dative Masculine Singular1x2 Corinthians 6:2
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- A congregation can examine prejudice without treating every spiritual claim as equally authorized.
- Invite generous partnership freely while refusing promises that money purchases God's acceptance.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim rejection proves someone speaks for God, because Luke identifies Jesus and His mission before reporting rejection.
- Do not claim a donation buys forgiveness, because Peter locates forgiveness in believing in Jesus and Paul describes a gift as partnership.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Acceptable to God—emphasizing divine approval and reception rather than mere acceptability to humans
Strong'sG1184
Lexical occurrences5 versesGreek text appearances5 timesWord forms4 forms5 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkLuke 4:19Source Gloss
approved; (figuratively) propitious
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Acceptable to God—emphasizing divine approval and reception rather than mere acceptability to humans
verbal adj. of δέχομαι, [in LXX chiefly for רָצוֹן: Pro.11:1, al. ;] acceptable: Luk.4:19 (LXX) 24, Act.10:35, 2Co.6:2" (LXX), Php.4:18 (cf. εὐπροσδ-).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
5 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 4:19Adjective Accusative Singular Masculine
δεκτόν.dekton
acceptable, accepted
Read verseLuke 4:24Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
δεκτόςdektov
acceptable, accepted
Read verseActs 10:35Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
δεκτὸςdektov
acceptable, accepted
Read verse2 Corinthians 6:2Adjective Dative Singular Masculine
δεκτῷdektw
acceptable, accepted
Read versePhilippians 4:18Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
δεκτήν,dekthn
acceptable, accepted
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 4 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns4Aligned forms5Case patternAccusative (2)Number patternSingular (5)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · MasculineLuke 4:24 · Acts 10:352×
Dative · Singular · Masculine2 Cor 6:21×
Accusative · Singular · MasculineLuke 4:191×
Accusative · Singular · FemininePhil 4:181×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
The favorable or propitious year of the Lord proclaimed in messianic proclamation
Showing 1 selected witness from 5 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
δεκτός is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Acceptance has different subjects in these passages. A hometown can fail to receive a prophet even while that prophet announces the Lord's favor. God's welcome in Acts crosses national boundaries, but Peter does not stop speaking at that declaration: he tells of Jesus' death and resurrection and of forgiveness through His name. Paul's appeal to the time of favor likewise addresses a response to grace, while the Philippian gift is honored as generous participation rather than a payment that secures salvation.
Teaching dektos well means preserving these relationships. Ask who receives whom or what, and on what stated basis. The adjective can illuminate the scenes' common vocabulary of welcome without flattening their distinct gospel movement or suggesting that any human rejection announces God's verdict.
Anchor passage
Acts.10.35
Doctrinal connections
- Luke 4:18-21 locates the announced year of favor in Jesus' fulfilled mission.
- Luke 4:24-30 exposes resistance to a prophet among hearers who know His hometown.
- Acts 10:34-35 rejects national favoritism as a barrier to God's welcome.
- Acts 10:42-43 keeps divine judgment and forgiveness through faith in Jesus within Peter's proclamation.
- Second Corinthians 6:1-2 makes the quoted favor a present summons to receive grace.
- Philippians 4:14-20 honors material partnership as worship while directing glory to God.
Dektos is a Greek adjective expressing acceptability or welcome. Its inflected forms agree with their local referents, including the year, the prophet, the person, the time, and the sacrifice; those referents determine how the common sense works in each sentence.
From Old to New Testament
Isaiah 61:1-2 supplies the announced year of the Lord's favor read in Luke, and Isaiah 49:8 supplies Paul's cited time of favor. These are explicit textual connections, not an inference that every offering or every use of acceptable has an identical covenant setting.