Greek word · G1403

δοχή

dochē

banquet

A noun from δέχομαι, 'to receive or welcome'. Its basic sense is 'a receiving': a reception, an entertainment, a banquet given to receive guests. In the Greek world it was a formal occasion, often large and often public, rather than an everyday family meal.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 24, 2026

What it means

δοχή, -ῆς, ἡ

(δέχομαι), [in LXX: Genesis 21:8, Esther 1:3, al. (מִשְׁתֶּה), Dan LXX 5:1 (לֶחֶם) ;]

a feast, banquet: Luke 5:29 14:13.†

(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 Luke 14:13

Range of meaning: A noun from δέχομαι, 'to receive or welcome'. Its basic sense is 'a receiving': a reception, an entertainment, a banquet given to receive guests. In the Greek world it was a formal occasion, often large and often public, rather than an everyday family meal.
Against the English: English versions say 'feast' (KJV, WEB, YLT, ESV), 'banquet' (BSB, NIV) or 'reception' (NASB). 'Reception' keeps the Greek idea of welcoming people in. 'Feast' points instead to how much food there is.
Used elsewhere in the period: The only other use in the New Testament is Luke 5:29, the 'great reception' Levi gives for Jesus with a crowd of tax collectors and 'sinners', which is another meal with the 'wrong' guests. In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) it is used for royal banquets: Pharaoh's birthday feast (Gen 26:30 for Isaac's feast; Gen 21:8 in some witnesses), Esther 1:3 and 5:4–14 (the queen's banquets) and Dan 5:1 (Belshazzar). Greek papyri use it for festive entertainments.

Where it appears

Luke · 2

Luke 5:29 δοχὴν a banquet

Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them.
Luke 14:13 δοχὴν a feast

But when you host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind,

Here: A formal reception where guests are welcomed in. It is a step up from the 'lunch or dinner' of v.12. Even at the most honour-laden kind of meal, the guest list is to change.

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