ξενοδοχέω (xenodocheō)
xenodocheō
to show hospitality
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb xenodocheō describes the active practice of welcoming and entertaining strangers. It is a compound word built from roots meaning "stranger" or "foreigner" and "to receive," pointing directly to the duty of hosting those outside one’s immediate circle. In the New Testament, this term appears only once, in 1 Timothy 5:10.
Paul uses it as a specific criterion for evaluating women who have been listed as widows, noting that a reputation for xenodocheō is a mark of genuine godly service. This usage highlights hospitality not merely as social politeness, but as a tangible expression of Christian charity toward the vulnerable and unknown.
The word carries significant weight in early Christian culture, where travel was dangerous and infrastructure limited. To offer lodging to a stranger was to risk one’s own safety and resources, making xenodocheō a radical act of trust and love that defined the community's witness to the wider world.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When Paul lists the qualities of a widow in 1 Timothy 5:10, he highlights being "hospitable to strangers" as a proven mark of good works. This word, xenodocheō, goes beyond simple politeness; it describes the active choice to open your home and heart to those who are unknown to you. In the ancient world, this was a risky and costly act of trust that defined the early church's witness.
For us today, this practice remains a powerful way to live out our faith. It invites us to look beyond our immediate circle and see the stranger not as an inconvenience, but as a neighbor in need. By welcoming others with genuine care, we reflect the love of Christ in tangible ways.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- she entertained strangers,1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἐξενοδόχησεν,1×
Key Verses
-
I Timothy 5:10
being approved by good works, if she has brought up children, if she has been hospitable to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, and if she has diligently followed every good work.
Paul uses this specific term to identify hospitality as a concrete evidence of a life approved by good works.