Dechomai describes welcoming people, accepting a message or reality, and taking what is offered or given.

The attested uses most often concern welcoming a person, whether a messenger, visitor, child, or guest; they also show acceptance of words, proclamations, and other stated realities, and the taking of letters, a cup, gifts, or other items.

1. Welcoming or receiving persons · dominant

   Present and aorist middle forms occur where people are welcomed or refused: in Luke 10:8 the APB renders a town's response to those entering it as receiving them, while Luke 9:53 reports that a village did not receive him. In Matthew 10:40, receiving the messengers is linked in the clause to receiving both the speaker and the one who sent him; Hebrews 11:31 describes Rahab's reception of the spies in peace.

   Luke 10:8Luke 9:53Matthew 10:40Hebrews 11:31Galatians 4:14Colossians 4:10
2. Accepting a word, message, or stated reality · common

   The aorist middle ἐδέξαντο in Acts 17:11 occurs with receiving the word eagerly before examining the writings daily. Related clauses concern receiving the word of God in Acts 11:1, receiving the implanted word in James 1:21, and not receiving the love of the truth in 2 Thessalonians 2:10; in 1 Corinthians 2:14 the APB renders the present form in the statement that the natural person does not receive the things of God's Spirit.

   Acts 17:11Acts 11:1James 1:212 Thessalonians 2:101 Corinthians 2:14Luke 18:17
3. Taking something offered, sent, or held · occasional

   This use has concrete objects in its clause. In Acts 22:5, the aorist middle participle describes receiving letters for the journey to Damascus; in Luke 22:17 it accompanies taking a cup before giving thanks, and in Philippians 4:18 it accompanies receiving gifts from Epaphroditus. The imperative in Luke 16:6 is presented by the APB as taking the document and altering it.

   Acts 22:5Luke 22:17Philippians 4:18Luke 16:6Acts 7:38Acts 28:21

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB commonly uses "receive," while it also uses "accepted" and "take" where the surrounding clause concerns a message or an object. Because the APB is a whole-verse translation, those English choices show the verse-level presentation rather than a fixed rendering in every instance.