διαδέχομαι (diadechomai)
diadechomai
to receive in turn
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb diadechomai means to receive something in succession or in one’s turn, typically from a predecessor. It describes a chain of transmission where an item, right, or responsibility passes from one person to another through an intermediary. In the New Testament, this word appears only once, in Acts 7:45.
Stephen uses it to describe how the Israelites brought the tabernacle into the land after Joshua’s time. The sources note that the term implies receiving what was left or bequeathed by a former holder. It is not merely taking possession, but inheriting a legacy through a line of custody. This usage highlights the continuity of God’s presence among His people across generations.
The word combines dia (“through”) and dechomai (“to receive”). Its rare occurrence in Scripture underscores its specific function: marking the transfer of sacred trust from one era to the next. Translators often render it as “received” or “took over,” capturing the sense of succession rather than mere acquisition.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word diadechomai captures a specific kind of receiving: inheriting a legacy through a line of custody. It is not merely taking possession, but receiving what was left or bequeathed by a former holder. This implies a chain of transmission where an item, right, or responsibility passes from one person to another through an intermediary.
In Acts 7:45, Stephen uses this term to describe how the Israelites brought the tabernacle into the land after Joshua’s time. The sources note that the term implies receiving what was left or bequeathed by a former holder. It is not merely taking possession, but inheriting a legacy through a line of custody.
This usage highlights the continuity of God’s presence among His people across generations. When you consider your own faith journey, remember that you are part of this ongoing story. You receive the promises and truths passed down from those who went before, trusting that God remains faithful through every era.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- having received by succession1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- διαδεξάμενοι1×
Key Verses
-
Acts 7:45
which also our fathers, in their turn, brought in with Joshua when they entered into the possession of the nations whom God drove out before the face of our fathers to the days of David,
Stephen uses this rare verb to emphasize the unbroken chain of custody for the tabernacle, showing how sacred trust was passed from Joshua’s generation into David’s.