1184. dektos

Lexical Summary

dektos: Acceptable, favorable, welcome

Original Word: δεκτός
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: dektos
Pronunciation: dek-TOS
Phonetic Spelling: (dek-tos')
KJV: accepted(-table)
NASB: acceptable, welcome, favorable
Word Origin: [from G1209 (δέχομαι - receive)]

1. approved
2. (figuratively) propitious

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

acceptable.

From dechomai; approved; (figuratively) propitious -- accepted(-table).

see GREEK dechomai

HELPS Word-studies

1184 dektós (an adjective derived from 1209/dexomai) – properly, what is received favorably (acceptable), describing what is welcomed because pleasing.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from dechomai
Definition
acceptable
NASB Translation
acceptable (2), favorable (1), welcome (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 1184: δεκτός

δεκτός, δεκτή, δεκτόν (δέχομαι), accepted, acceptable: Luke 4:24; Philippians 4:18; τίνι, Acts 10:35; the phrases καιρός δεκτός, 2 Corinthians 6:2 (Isaiah 59:8 for רָצון עֵת), and ἐνιαυτός δεκτός, Luke 4:19 (Isaiah 61:2 for רָצון שְׁנַת), denote that most blessed time when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound. (Exodus 28:34; Isaiah 56:7 (etc.). Among secular authors used by Jamblichus, protr. symb. § 20, p. 350.)

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Conceptual Background

The word describes that which is received with pleasure, favor, or approval, whether by God or by people. It speaks of the welcome that divine grace extends to obedient faith and the welcome believers extend to God-approved service.

Occurrences in the New Testament

• Philippians 4:18 – Paul calls the Philippians’ monetary gift “an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God,” showing that material generosity offered in Christ becomes worship God welcomes.
• 2 Corinthians 6:2 – Quoting Isaiah 49:8, Paul announces “the time of favor,” proclaiming that the gospel age is the divinely appointed season when repentant sinners are graciously received.
• Luke 4:19 – Jesus identifies Himself as the fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1-2, proclaiming “the year of the Lord’s favor,” an era of redemptive liberty inaugurated by His messianic mission.
• Luke 4:24 – In His hometown of Nazareth Jesus observes, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown,” exposing human reluctance to receive a familiar messenger and foreshadowing wider Jewish rejection of His ministry.
• Acts 10:35 – Peter declares that “in every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him,” marking the gospel’s crossing of ethnic boundaries and God’s impartial reception of Gentile believers.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Reception versus Human Rejection – The contrast between God’s open favor (Luke 4:19; Acts 10:35) and mankind’s tendency to spurn God-sent messengers (Luke 4:24) highlights the need for humble, faith-filled response.
2. Sacrificial Worship – Philippians 4:18 links generosity with Old Testament sacrifices, teaching that offerings motivated by love for Christ are welcomed by God.
3. Redemptive Epoch – The term frames the present gospel age as the decisive “day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2), urging immediate response before the opportunity closes.
4. Universal Scope – Acts 10:35 affirms that acceptance is grounded in reverence and righteous action springing from faith, not in ethnic lineage, anticipating the one new people of God.

Historical and Cultural Context

Jewish hope for a Jubilee-like “year of favor” (Isaiah 61) anticipated release from debt, bondage, and land dispossession. Jesus’ application of that hope to His own ministry re-casts socio-economic pictures into spiritual realities—freedom from sin’s debt and restoration to covenant inheritance. Meanwhile, Greco-Roman patronage systems valued benefactors; Paul reframes those social expectations, asserting that gifts become pleasing only when directed to God’s glory.

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

• Evangelism – The present era is the accepted time; urgency attends gospel proclamation.
• Cross-Cultural Outreach – God’s impartial acceptance mandates active mission beyond cultural comfort zones.
• Stewardship – Congregational giving, when rooted in worship, is welcomed by God and fragrant in His presence.
• Prophetic Ministry – Faith communities must guard against dismissing familiar voices that bring God’s word, remembering Nazareth’s mistake.

Intertextual Connections with the Old Testament

Isaiah 61:2 and 49:8 provide the foundational promise of a divinely favored season. Psalm 69:13 and Malachi 1:10 contrast true acceptance with rejected worship, illuminating New Testament applications. The sacrificial language of Genesis 4 and Leviticus 1–7 anticipates the Philippians passage, showing continuity between covenant worship and New Covenant generosity.

Conclusion

Across its five appearances, the term weaves a tapestry of divine welcome—now open through Christ to all who believe and embodied in worship, generosity, and mission. Its warnings against unbelieving rejection and its call to seize “the time of favor” remain pressing for the church today.

Forms and Transliterations

δεκτά δεκταί δεκτή δεκτην δεκτήν δεκτοί δεκτον δεκτόν δεκτος δεκτός δεκτὸς δεκτω δεκτώ δεκτῷ δεκτών dekten dektēn dektḗn dekto dektō dektôi dektō̂i dekton dektón dektos dektós dektòs

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 4:19 Adj-AMS
GRK: ἐνιαυτὸν Κυρίου δεκτόν
NAS: TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR
KJV: To preach the acceptable year
INT: [the] year of [the] Lord's favor

Luke 4:24 Adj-NMS
GRK: οὐδεὶς προφήτης δεκτός ἐστιν ἐν
NAS: prophet is welcome in his hometown.
KJV: prophet is accepted in his own
INT: no prophet acceptable is in

Acts 10:35 Adj-NMS
GRK: ἐργαζόμενος δικαιοσύνην δεκτὸς αὐτῷ ἐστίν
NAS: what is right is welcome to Him.
KJV: righteousness, is accepted with him.
INT: works righteousness acceptable to him is

2 Corinthians 6:2 Adj-DMS
GRK: γάρ Καιρῷ δεκτῷ ἐπήκουσά σου
NAS: for He says, AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME
KJV: thee in a time accepted, and in
INT: indeed In a time accepted I listened to you

Philippians 4:18 Adj-AFS
GRK: εὐωδίας θυσίαν δεκτήν εὐάρεστον τῷ
NAS: aroma, an acceptable sacrifice,
KJV: a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing
INT: of a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable well-pleasing

Strong's Greek 1184
5 Occurrences

δεκτήν — 1 Occ.
δεκτῷ — 1 Occ.
δεκτόν — 1 Occ.
δεκτός — 2 Occ.