To share or participate; by implication, belong to, eat (or drink)
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G3348 describes having a share in something, partaking of it, or belonging within the relation named by the clause. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul uses it for the worker's expected share in a harvest and for sharing a right to material support, even as he explains why he did not use that right.
Reader summary
Full entry for μετέχω (G3348) · Open the biblical lexicon
G3348 describes having a share in something, partaking of it, or belonging within the relation named by the clause. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul uses it for the worker's expected share in a harvest and for sharing a right to material support, even as he explains why he did not use that right.
The BSB source-word alignment has 8 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include belonged to (1), have (1), lives on (1), partake (1), partake [in the meal] (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at 1 Corinthians 9:10. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (5), Hebrews (3).
G3348 describes having a share in something, partaking of it, or belonging within the relation named by the clause. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul uses it for the worker's expected share in a harvest and for sharing a right to material support, even as he explains why he did not use that right. In chapter 10, partaking of one loaf belongs to Paul's account of the many being one body, participation at the Lord's table cannot be joined to participation at a demonic table, and thankful eating appears within a discussion of conscience and another person's good.
Hebrews applies the verb differently. The Son shared in flesh and blood because the children have them; an immature person partakes only of milk; and the priestly discussion says Jesus belonged to another tribe. These eight verses do not make every kind of sharing morally equal or sacramentally identical. The object, relationship, and surrounding argument establish whether the participation concerns rights, food, bodily solidarity, maturity, tribal belonging, or incompatible worship.
Eight governed forms describe sharing in a harvest or right, partaking of bread or a table, sharing flesh and blood, living on milk, and belonging to a tribe.
Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf.
Common partaking serves Paul's one-body statement in this paragraph.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.
The object of participation makes the two table relations incompatible.
Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,
The Son's bodily solidarity serves the saving purpose stated in the same sentence.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. to share or participate; by implication, belong to, eat (or drink)
to partake of, share in: ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι τοῦ μετέχειν, 1Co.9:10; with genitive of thing(s), 1Co.9:12 10:21 10:30, Heb.2:14; in sacramental sense, ἑκ τ. ἐνὸς ἄρτου μ., 1Co.10:17 (cf. MM, xvi); metaphorically, γάλακτος, Heb.5:13; of belonging to a tribe, Heb.7:13.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
8 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I participate in, share
Read verseI participate in, share
Read verseI participate in, share
Read verseI participate in, share
Read verseI participate in, share
Read verseI participate in, share
Read verseI participate in, share
Read verseI participate in, share
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.
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 8 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
μετέχω is built from these roots:
G3348 teaches that participation is never morally or theologically empty. A worker may have a real share and still waive its use for the gospel. A congregation's shared loaf belongs to Paul's account of one body, while a rival table relation is incompatible with loyalty to the Lord. The Son's sharing in flesh and blood is not a vague statement about empathy but part of Hebrews' claim that He entered the human condition to defeat death.
Milk and tribal belonging show still other relations. Preaching should therefore resist using the word share as automatic approval. Ask what is shared, what allegiance or benefit accompanies it, and what love requires. This approach can honor communion, rights, embodiment, and restraint without coercing participation or confusing distinct biblical claims.
1Cor.10.21
The eight forms include infinitives, present indicatives, an aorist, a participle, and a perfect. English renderings vary among share, partake, have, live on, and belong because the verb describes participation in different objects and relations. Grammar and context must identify the relation before application.
Israel's shared meals, priestly portions, and tribal priesthood provide canonical settings for participation and belonging. Hebrews draws the tribal question into its explicit priesthood argument, while 1 Corinthians warns the church through Israel's wilderness participation earlier in chapter 10. These are passage connections, not one undifferentiated doctrine of sharing.