to pay respects to
aspazomai denotes greeting or conveying respects to people, and can describe acknowledging what is seen from afar.
The term most often marks greetings or respects exchanged in person, requested for named people or groups, or conveyed through others in a message. In Hebrews 11:13, it also describes the faithful acknowledging promises that they saw from afar.
Senses in use
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Greeting or conveying respects · dominant
The term is used for direct greetings and for respects sent through others: in Romans 16:3 the APB renders the plural aorist form, addressed to readers, “Greet Prisca and Aquila,” while in 1 Corinthians 16:19 it renders present plural forms as assemblies and named persons who “pay respects to you.” Participial forms mark greetings made on arrival or before a following action: in Acts 21:19, after greeting those present, he begins recounting what God had done; in Acts 21:7, after greeting the brothers, the travelers stay one day. It can also occur in a hostile display, as Mark 15:18 describes people beginning to pay respects while saying, “Hail, king of the Jews.”
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Acknowledging from afar · rare
In Hebrews 11:13, the aorist middle participle describes people who had not received the promises but had seen them from afar and greeted them; the APB places this acknowledgment alongside their confession that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB variously uses “greet,” “pay respects,” and “sends you greetings” across these verses. In Hebrews 11:13 it renders the term “greeted” for promises seen from afar; these renderings reflect whole-verse translation.