Greek word · G1394
δόσις
dosis
gift
Dosis means (1) the act of giving or (2) a gift or allotment. Dōrēma means a gift or present, often a generous or honorable one, and keeps the idea of something freely bestowed (from dōron, 'gift').
Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
δόσις, -εως, ἡ
(δίδωμι) [in LXX for חֹק (Genesis 47:22), (Proverbs 21:14 25:14), frequently in Sir. ;]
1. properly, the act of giving: Philippians 4:15.
2. Objectively, a gift: James 1:17.†
SYN.: see: δόμα (AS)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
Dosis means (1) the act of giving or (2) a gift or allotment. Dōrēma means a gift or present, often a generous or honorable one, and keeps the idea of something freely bestowed (from dōron, 'gift').
- Against the English
Most English versions merge the two into one 'gift' ('every good and perfect gift'). KJV, WEB and YLT keep both by repeating the noun. YLT's 'every good giving' preserves the action sense of dosis.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Both words are common in the Septuagint and in Hellenistic Greek. Philo of Alexandria (Allegorical Laws 3) distinguishes a 'giving' (dosis) from a richer 'gift' (dōrea, a relative of dōrēma), with the second marking the greater bounty. Dōrēma appears elsewhere in the New Testament only at Romans 5:16.
Where it appears
Philippians · 1
-
Philippians 4:15 δόσεως of giving
And as you Philippians know, in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church but you partnered with me in the matter of giving and receiving.
James · 1
-
James 1:17 δόσις act of giving
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
Here: The act of giving, or a gift seen as something handed over. Coupled with dōrēma, it covers both the giving and what is given.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.