μέτοχος (metochos)
metochos
partaker
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The word metochos describes someone who shares in or partakes of something with others. It functions as both an adjective meaning "sharing" and a noun for a "partner" or "associate." This term appears six times in the New Testament, primarily in the Epistle to the Hebrews, with one occurrence in Luke.
In Hebrews, the word highlights a deep connection to spiritual realities. Believers are called metochoi of Christ (Hebrews 3:14), indicating they share in His nature and destiny. The text also uses it to describe sharing in heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1) or divine discipline (Hebrews 12:8). This usage suggests that faith is not a solitary experience but involves entering into a shared relationship with God and fellow believers.
The single instance in Luke (5:7) uses the term for human partnership. Here, fishermen describe their boats as metochoi, or partners, in their work. This concrete example shows the word’s root meaning of joint participation. Whether referring to divine fellowship or earthly collaboration, metochos emphasizes that sharing implies a real, tangible bond between those involved.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word metochos invites us into a reality deeper than mere association. It describes a genuine sharing in life, destiny, or experience. When Scripture calls believers partakers of Christ, it points to a bond that is both intimate and enduring. This is not a distant observation but a shared existence where our lives are woven together with His.
In daily life, this concept reminds us that faith is rarely walked alone. Whether in the practical partnership of fishermen filling their boats or the spiritual discipline God offers as proof of belonging, we are designed for connection. These moments reveal that our journey is supported by community and guided by a Father who wants to include us fully in His purposes.
This shared life brings comfort. Knowing you are a partaker of a heavenly calling means your current struggles have eternal significance. You are not an outsider looking in, but someone invited to rest in the assurance that God’s work in you is real and lasting.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- partakers2×
- partners1×
- partakers,1×
- companions1×
- Partakers1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- μέτοχοι2×
- μετόχους2×
- μέτοχοι,1×
- μετόχοις1×
Key Verses
-
Hebrews 3:14
For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence firm to the end,
This verse defines the core spiritual reality of being a partaker, linking our shared life with Christ to the necessity of enduring faithfulness.
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Luke 5:7
They beckoned to their partners in the other boat, that they should come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.
Here the term grounds the abstract concept in physical cooperation, showing how believers rely on one another for practical survival and success.
-
Hebrews 12:8
But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then you are illegitimate, and not children.
The author uses this word to reframe discipline not as rejection, but as evidence that we are legitimate children sharing in God's family life.