Greek word · G1172

δειπνέω

deipneō

to dine

To eat the deipnon, the main meal of the day, usually in the late afternoon or evening.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

δειπνέω, -ῶ

(δεῖπνον, which see), [in LXX: Proverbs 23:1 (לחם), Tobit 7:8 8:1, Dan LXX 11:27 * ;]

to take the chief meal of the day, to dine, to sup: Luke 17:8 22:20 (WH, br., R, mg. omits), 1 Corinthians 11:25; metaphorically, Revelation 3:20.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Corinthians 11:25

Range of meaning

To eat the deipnon, the main meal of the day, usually in the late afternoon or evening.

Against the English

BSB/WEB/NIV etc.: "after supper"; KJV: "when he had supped"; YLT: "after the supping". All accurate. "Supper" can sound like a light meal today; the deipnon was the main meal.

Used elsewhere in the period

The same root gives kyriakon deipnon, "the Lord's supper" (v. 20) and "his own supper" (idion deipnon, v. 21), which the wealthy were eating ahead of others.

From the study of Revelation 3:20

Range of meaning

To eat the δεῖπνον, the main meal of the day, usually in the late afternoon or evening. It was unhurried, often eaten reclining, and shared with family, guests or friends. The noun is also used for banquets and feasts (Luke 14:12–24) and for the Lord's Supper ("the Lord's δεῖπνον," 1 Corinthians 11:20).

Against the English

KJV's "sup" is exact but archaic. "Dine" (BSB, WEB, NASB) keeps the sense of a proper meal. "Eat with" (ESV, NIV) is plainer and loses the evening-banquet feel. NLT's "share a meal together as friends" makes the fellowship explicit.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Greco-Roman and Jewish world, eating together created and displayed belonging, which is why Jesus' table fellowship with sinners was so contested (Mark 2:15–17; Luke 15:2). The same verb is used of the Last Supper (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25). Revelation 19:9 speaks of the "marriage δεῖπνον of the Lamb." Luke 22:29–30 links eating at Christ's table with sitting on thrones, the same pairing found in Revelation 3:20–21.

Where it appears

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 17:8 δειπνήσω, I may eat,

    Instead, won’t he tell him, ‘Prepare my meal and dress yourself to serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you may eat and drink’?

  2. Luke 22:20 δειπνῆσαι eating

    In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.

    Here: ‘After the dining’, meaning once the main meal was finished. This is the cup that closed the meal, not the start of a separate rite.

1 Corinthians · 1

  1. 1 Corinthians 11:25 δειπνῆσαι having supped

    In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

    Here: "Having dined": a real meal lay between the bread and the cup. For Paul's readers this is pointed, because their own shared meals had turned into private feasting (vv. 20–22).

Revelation · 1

  1. Revelation 3:20 δειπνήσω I will dine

    Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.

    Here: To share the deipnon, the long main meal at day's end, eaten reclining with people you are close to. In this culture it was the strongest everyday sign of acceptance and fellowship.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.