What Are You Waiting For?
By Jonathan Mitchell

This article will present an understanding of a Greek verb that is different from how it is translated in the common NT versions. It has normally been rendered as "look for," or "wait." I will first discuss the main verb, and then its cognates which are simply variations that were created by adding one or more prepositions as prefixes to the main verb. This was a common occurrence in Koine Greek.

The verb in question is 'apekdechomai'. My contention is that it should not be translated "look for," or, "wait." The main verb is 'dechomai,' which properly means "to take into one's hands," and thus, "to receive," or "to welcome and admit" (in the sense of giving hospitality), and in this use it can imply "to embrace." The verbal adjective, 'dektos,' means "acceptable." This gives us the root idea behind this verb family. To dechomai has been added the preposition 'ek,' which means, basically, "out of," or "forth from." Thus, we have the verb, ekdechomai, which properly means, "to receive from another (or, out of the hands of another)."

The next variation was to add a compound prefix, 'apek,' to our main verb, and we have 'apekdechomai'. Liddell and Scott give the preposition, apek as meaning "away out of," but this preposition is simply 'apo' (with the o dropped before a vowel) + 'ek,' and when used in composition with a verb, the semantic uses of these prepositions can give some variation. I favor, for this complex verb, "to receive, or to take away from out of..." This makes sense in the uses of this verb in the NT, but it sure changes the meaning of the verses. Adding 'apo-' simply strengthens, or intensifies, the nuance of 'ekdechomai,' or, we simply look at 'apek' as its own preposition, as does Liddell & Scott.

There is one more possibility: in the NT occurrences, the longer verb that we are focused on may not have been that long. In the oldest MSS, e.g., Sinaiticus, there was no spacing between words. Therefore, we might simply have, 'ap ekdechomai.' The preposition 'apo,' contracted to 'ap' before the following e of the following verb, may not have been prefixed to the verb. This would be rendered, "from receiving from out of..."

Below are the verses where apekdechomai is used. When the ideas of "looking for" or "waiting" are removed from these verses, a very different picture emerges.

Consider Rom. 8:19,

19. In fact, with the departure and liberation from head-thinking - the ceasing, and moving away, from imagination, opinions and assumptions - of the creation, there is progressive receiving, and taking away from, the disclosure from God's sons (or: the uncovering and revealing of folks who have the character and qualities of God; or: the disclosure pertaining to the children of God; or: the unveiling and revelation which belongs to God's sons). [cf vss. 14-15, above: the theme of God's sons; Gal. 1:16]

Rom. 8:23,

23. Yet not only [this], but further, even we ourselves - constantly holding (or: having; possessing) the firstfruit of, and which is, the Spirit (or: the Firstfruit from the Breath-effect; or: the first offering, or first portion, which is spirit and breath, and is from the Attitude) - we ourselves also continually sigh and groan within (in the center of) ourselves, continuously accepting and, as with our hands, taking away from out of, and fully receiving, a placing in the condition of a son (or: [the] deposit of the Son; a setting in place which is the Son; a constituting as a son; a placing in the Son): the buying-back process of the emancipating [as from slavery, by payment of a ransom], redeeming release of our body [cf Ezk. 37:1-14](or: [and] the loosing from being tied to the destruction pertaining to the [corporate; old creation] body, which is us; or: = the unbinding, setting free, and release from the body [of Adam; of humanity], which belongs to us). [cf 2 Cor. 5:2-4]

Rom. 8:25,

25. Yet since (or: Even if, and assuming that,) we continue expecting what we are not seeing (or: observing), we still continue taking away and accepting from out of (or: fully receiving from) it through remaining under [our present situation and circumstances] (or: by means of patient, humble, persistent, supportive endurance).

1 Cor. 1:7,

7. and as you people are not continuing trailing behind or constantly late, so as to be deficient or fall short - not even in one effect of Grace (or: result of Favor) - being ones habitually receiving and taking away into your hands from out of our Lord's [= Yahweh's, or Christ's] unveiling: Jesus Christ (or: from the midst of an uncovering of, and a revelation which is, our Lord and Master, Jesus [the] Anointed; or: forth from the disclosure from this Lord of us, Jesus Anointed),

Gal. 5:5,

5. For you see, in union with [the] Spirit (or: by [the] Breath-effect; with [the] Spirit; or: in spirit) - out of Faithfulness (or: from [this] Trust-Faith-Allegiance) - WE, ourselves, continuously (or: progressively) receive by taking away, as with our hands, from out of [this; an] Expectation which belongs to, comes from, and which is, [the] rightwising, eschatological Deliverance within the Way pointed out (or: forth from the midst of [the] expected hope, which is the state of being liberated, pointed in the right direction, and included as a participant in the new covenant),

Phil. 3:20,

20. You see, OUR citizenship (result of living in a free City [cf Gal. 4:26]; or: commonwealth-effects; political realm) continues inherently existing (or: continues humbly ruling; continuously subsists; repeatedly has its under-beginning) resident within the midst of [the] atmospheres (or: heavens; [cf Col. 3:1; Heb. 12:22]), from out of where (or: from which place) we also continuously receive and take away, as in our hands, from out of a Deliverer (a Savior; a Rescuer; One who keeps us safe; One restoring us to the health and wholeness): [the] Lord (or: a Master), Jesus Christ,

And then, Heb. 9:28,

28. so also, the Christ - being once borne (or: carried) close, and face to face, into the Many (or: being offered once unto, and for, the Many; [cf Rom. 5:14-21]) to carry and bear up failures (errors; sins; mistakes; deviations; misses of the target) - will continue being made visible (or: will be progressively seen) forth from out of the midst of the second [place (cf 9:3, 7 and 10:9; comment: = the holy of holies)] - apart from failure (apart from sin; apart from a sin offering; apart from deviation or error in attempting to hit the target) - in those (or: by those; to those; for those; with those) habitually receiving from out of the midst of (or: progressively taking away out of) Him, [progressing] into a deliverance (or: [leading] into a rescue; with a view to health and wholeness; unto salvation and safety).

By our being "in Christ," we have access to all that He is, and we receive our Life from Him. We do not wait for any of this.

Jonathan

A note from John Gavazzoni: A thought about receiving: Even in taking from the hand of God, the Pauline principle applies: "yet, not I, but Christ." Since every good gift comes down from the FATHER of lights, it's from the Father specifically that we receive, and that being of no autonomous nature of our own, but all that comes to us is from the Father, by the Son, by means of the Spirit.

One of Witness Lee's little gems explaining the administration of grace: The Father is the Source, the Son is the Course, and the Spirit is the Transmission. So, as in all things that come to us from God, we cannot claim any credit by an exercise of self-willed receptivity. As no man comes to the Father but by Christ, so the Father, in all His beneficence, comes only to us in the Son.

He sends; we receive. The action, as it were, is totally one-directional in nature. "He sent His word and healed them."

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