G1188 — δεξιός (dexios)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G1188
Original: δεξιός
Transliteration: dexios
Pronunciation: dex-ee-os'
Part of Speech: Adjective
Root: Cognate of G1209 δέχομαι (dechomai, "to receive") — the right hand as the receiving hand
Occurrences: 54 tokens in 53 unique verses across 13 NT books
First Occurrence: Mat 5:29 — "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

The right side or (feminine) the right hand, as that which usually takes hold; used of the favored or stronger side.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 82.002 — Left, Right, Straight Ahead, Opposite (spatial orientations)
Also listed in: 8.002 (Body Parts), 34.005 (Establish or Confirm a Relation), 76 (Power, Force)
Other words in primary domain: ἀριστερός (G710), εὐώνυμος (G2176), ἐναντίος (G1727)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
right hand	23	43.4%
the right hand	15	28.3%
right	11	20.8%
his right hand	1	1.9%
right side	1	1.9%
the right hands	1	1.9%
the right side	1	1.9%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Revelation	8	2.0
Hebrews	5	1.7
Matthew	12	1.1
Colossians	1	1.1
Mark	7	1.0
1 Peter	1	1.0
Acts	7	0.7
Galatians	1	0.7
Ephesians	1	0.6
Luke	6	0.5
2 Corinthians	1	0.4
John	2	0.2
Romans	1	0.2

Absent from the Pastoral Epistles, James, 2 Peter, Jude, and the Johannine Epistles. Highest density in Revelation and Hebrews. Synoptic Gospels + Acts account for 34 of 53 verses (64%), reflecting the "session at God's right hand" motif from Psalm 110:1.

Morphological Forms¶

Form	Parsing	Count	Typical Construction
δεξιῶν	Gen Pl N	27	ἐκ δεξιῶν "from the right [parts]" — session formula
δεξιᾷ	Dat Sg F	14	τῇ δεξιᾷ "at the right [hand]" — positional
δεξιάν	Acc Sg F	4	τὴν δεξιάν "the right [hand]" — as direct object
δεξιᾶς	Gen Sg F	3	τῆς δεξιᾶς "of the right [hand]" — possessive
δεξιά	Nom Sg F	2	ἡ δεξιά "the right [hand]" — as subject
δεξιόν	Acc Sg N	2	τὸ δεξιόν "the right [ear]" — body part
δεξιός	Nom Sg M	1	ὁ δεξιός "the right [eye]" — body part
δεξιοῖς	Dat Pl N	1	ἐν τοῖς δεξιοῖς "on the right [parts]"
other acc/pl	various	2

The genitive plural neuter (ἐκ δεξιῶν) dominates at 51%, carrying the "at the right hand of" idiom for divine session and judgment position.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Divine Session — Christ at God's Right Hand¶

The dominant usage (approx. 20 verses). Drawn from Psalm 110:1 quotations and allusions. - Mat 22:44 — "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand" - Acts 2:33 — "being by the right hand of God exalted" - Heb 1:3 — "sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" - 1 Pet 3:22 — "who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God"

2. Authority and Power¶

The right hand as instrument of sovereign action. - Acts 5:31 — "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour" - Rev 1:16 — "he had in his right hand seven stars" - Rev 5:1 — "in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within" - Rev 2:1 — "he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand"

3. Judgment Positioning — Favored vs. Unfavored¶

The right side as the position of favor in judgment scenes. - Mat 25:33 — "he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left" - Mat 25:34 — "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed" - Mat 27:38 — "two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left"

4. Physical Body Part¶

Literal reference to the right eye, hand, ear, cheek, or foot. - Mat 5:29 — "if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out" - Mat 5:30 — "if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off" - Luk 22:50 — "smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear" - Rev 13:16 — "to receive a mark in their right hand"

5. Fellowship / Partnership¶

The right hand extended as a gesture of acceptance or alliance. - Gal 2:9 — "they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship" - Acts 3:7 — "he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up"

6. Spatial Orientation¶

Simple directional usage without authority connotation. - Mar 16:5 — "they saw a young man sitting on the right side" - Luk 1:11 — "an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar" - Jhn 21:6 — "Cast the net on the right side of the ship" - 2 Cor 6:7 — "the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θεός (theos)	G2316	12x	"right hand of God" — session formula
κάθημαι (kathemai)	G2521	12x	"sitting at the right hand" — session posture
λέγω (lego)	G3004	11x	Psalm 110:1 quotations ("the LORD said...sit at my right hand")
καθίζω (kathizo)	G2523	10x	"sit at my right hand" — enthronement
εὐώνυμος (euonymos)	G2176	8x	"right...and left" — spatial pairing
οὐρανός (ouranos)	G3772	8x	"right hand of God in heaven" — heavenly locale
δύναμις (dynamis)	G1411	7x	"right hand of power" — authority qualifier
κύριος (kyrios)	G2962	7x	Psalm 110:1 context ("the LORD said to my Lord")
χείρ (cheir)	G5495	6x	"right hand" — explicit hand reference
θρόνος (thronos)	G2362	4x	throne + right hand = enthronement imagery

Synonyms¶

λίψ (G3047) — the southwest (directional term in same spatial domain)

Antonyms¶

εὐώνυμος (G2176) — the left (euphemistic: "well-named"); 10 verses; paired with dexios 8 times (80% of all euonymos uses)
ἀριστερός (G710) — the left hand/side; 3 verses; always paired with dexios

Word Family¶

G1187 δεξιολάβος (dexiolabos) — a spearman/bodyguard (one who grasps from the right); hapax at Acts 23:23

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
יָמִין (yamin)	H3225	"right hand," "right"	Hebrew equivalent; noun rather than adjective; used for directional/geographic senses (south, Negev region) absent from dexios
יְמָנִי (ymaniy)	H3233	"right"	Hebrew adjective "right-side"; priestly/anatomical focus (right ear, thumb, toe in Lev/Exod)
δίκαιος (dikaios)	G1342	"right"	KJV translates both as "right" but dikaios = morally righteous/just; dexios = spatial right side
יָשָׁר (yashar)	H3477	"right"	Hebrew "straight/upright" — moral rectitude, not spatial direction

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score
יָמִין (yamin)	H3225	124	34.73
שְׂמֹאול (smowl)	H8040	47	27.61
יְמָנִי (ymaniy)	H3233	18	21.12
תְּנוּךְ (tnuwk)	H8571	7	15.08
בֹּהֶן (bohen)	H931	7	14.32

H3225 yamin is the dominant Hebrew source (124 LXX co-occurrences, PMI 34.73). The LXX translates yamin as dexios almost uniformly.