Receiving the Spirit
A study of the Greek new testament
Root Word : lambano
Meanings: "take" "carry" "accept" "receive" "bring"
Strongs Number G2983
Goodrick Kohlenberger Number 3284
The following Greek words are all related to the same root word 'Lambano' which means 'to take' or 'to receive'
These Greek words are derived from the same root word and have the same Strong's number G2983. (see note)
They are all used together with the words 'Holy Spirit'
But do they all have the same meaning when used in conjunction with the words 'Holy Spirit'?
Should this word be translated as 'take' in John 22:22?
Examples
| Verse | Greek | English (NIV) |
| John 1:12 |  |
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- |
|
John 20:22
|
|
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. |
| Acts 2:38 |
|
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
| Acts 8:15 |  |
When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, |
| Acts 8:17 |  |
Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. |
| Acts 10:47 |
|
"Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have."
|
| Gal 3:2 |  |
I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? |
|
Greek Word |
Meaning |
 |
Appears 7 times in the New Testament and
is usually translated as take except in John 20:22 where it is translated
as receive
The root word means take or receive but the stem of the root word has been augmented to give it the following meanings verb aorist active imperative 2nd person pleural This is a strong request or command directly to more than one subject and the command was completed but the action in the command has not necessarily taken place at the time the command was given eg He said "take and eat, this is my body" (Matt 26:26 ALSO Mark 14:22 Luke 22;17) eg Take the prophets for example (James 5:10) eg Take him yourselves and judge him (John 18:31) eg Take him and crucify him (John 19:6) eg He commanded them to "take the Holy Spirit" (Jn 20:22) Being in the imperative tense, it cannot indicate time. (see Mounce's Analytical lexicon) eg Go to see your mother and take a box of chocolates This word could be translated a 'receive' in John 20:22 but the context and the absence of any other scriptures to confirm such a significant event suggest that this word should be translated as 'take' in John 20:22 (otherwise it would unique in that it would be the only scripture in the Bible to say that the disciples received the Spirit before Pentecost) |
 |
Appears 11 times in the
New Testament and is translated as received.
The root word means take or receive but the stem of the root word has been augmented to give it the following meanings verb aorist active indicative 2nd person pleural Same tense as word above but indicative, not imperative. Therefore, this is not a command. It is a completed action by more than one subject. eg Did you receive (Gal 3:2) |
 |
Appears 26 times in the
New Testament. Usually translated as received or took and
rarely as attained, caught or held
The root word means take or receive but the stem of the root word has been augmented to give it the following meanings verb aorist active indicative 3rd person pleural same as above but third person pleural eg They have received (Acts 10:47) |
 |
Appears 5 times in
the New Testament. Usually translated as receive and once as accept
(you will accept him - John 5:43)
The root word means take or receive but the stem of the root word has been augmented to give it the following meanings verb future middle indicative 2nd person pleural eg and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38) eg you will receive power when the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) |
 |
Appears 3 times in the
New Testament. Translated as receive or obtain.
The root word means take or receive but the stem of the root word has been augmented to give it the following meanings verb aorist active subjunctive 3rd person pleural eg they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15) |
 |
Appears only once in the
New Testament. Translated as receive.
The root word means take or receive but the stem of the root word has been augmented to give it the following meanings verb imperfect active indicative 3rd person pleural eg they were receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17) |
 |
conjunction and, also, but, even, that is, namely |
 |
demonstrative pronoun this, this one, he, she |
 |
If by any means, if possibly |
 |
Appears 6 times in the New Testament. It is usually translated as And when he had said this or After he had said this |
 |
Only appears in John 20:22. The root word is not used in
the bible. It is not the same word
as to breath.
The root word means to blow or breath into or inflate eg playing a flute. The stem of the root word has been augmented to give the following meanings verb active aorist indicative 3rd person singular Translated as he breathed on them. |
 |
The root word means gather and lay in order or say, speak,
tell, narrate, tell of, report, recount
The stem of the root word has been augmented to give the following meanings verb indicative present active 3rd person singular
|
 |
Not listed in available lexicons
translated as them |
 |
Appears 33 times in the New Testament. Usually translated as and he said, he replied or he asked them |
 |
Spirit, inner life, self, disposition, state of mind |
 |
Set apart to or by God, consecrated, holy, morally pure,
upright
As in Holy Spirit |
Notes
active - a form of a verb showing that the subject is the agent that performs the action expressed in the verb
aorist - a set of verb forms that indicate that the action in the verb has been completed
future - a set of verb forms that indicate that at the time of discourse, the action in the verb had not yet happened
imperative -a form of a verb that indicates a command or a strong request. (It is only used in the present and the aorist tense in the new testament. In the aorist tense, the endings are added directly onto the tense formative. There will be no augment in the aorist since the imperative cannot indicate time. Ref Mounce)
imperfect - a set of verb forms that indicate that at the time of the discourse, the action in the verb was incomplete or continuing in the past
indicative - a form of a verb that indicates an act or condition as an actual fact rather than as unrealised condition, a possibility or a wish
middle voice - form of a verb showing the subject is the agent in the action in the verb and that action reflects back on the subject (eg I washed and then I ate)
pleural - indicates more than one person or thing is involved
present - a form of a verb that indicates that at the time of the disclosure, the action in the verb was continuing or being repeated.
singular - indicates only one person or thing is involved
subjunctive - a form of the verb that indicates that an act or a state is not an actual fact, but is possible, desirable, probable or wished
verb - a word that describes an action
1st person something being done by the speaker - pronoun "I did"
2nd person something being done by the listener - pronoun "you said"
3rd person something being done by a third party - pronoun "he/she/it loves"
Words that come from the same root word have the same Strong's Number. Strong's numbers were designed so that people who could not read Greek could study the language. The Goodrick-Kohlenberger numbering system is another numbering system designed to make it easy for non Greeks to study the language. It also give a number for each family of words that relate to the root word from which they are derived. The problem with these numbering systems is that they do not permit analysis of individual words within a family. This is especially true to the words derived from lambano which have the Strong's number of 2983 (Goodrick-Kohlenberger number 3284).
It would be good if every word had it's own number (eg 3284a 3284b...3284z) or even better if people learn to look up Greek words in lexicons.
