TR: laqach → lambano (Take/Receive)

The Chain

Hebrew OT          LXX (Greek OT)         Greek NT
───────────        ───────────────         ────────
לָקַח (laqach)  →  λαμβάνω (lambano)   →  λαμβάνω (lambano)
H3947, 909x        755x as translation     247x in NT
"take"              of laqach               "take/receive"

OT Usage (Hebrew)

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary Meaning
H3947	לָקַח (laqach)	909	take (in widest variety of applications)

Key OT passages: - Gen 2:15 — "the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden" - Exo 2:1 — "a man of the house of Levi... took to wife a daughter of Levi" - Lev 4:5 — "the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock's blood"

KJV primarily renders as: took (155x), take (66x), Take (60x), and took (52x), received (8x).

Library: TODO(need H3947 study)

LXX Bridge

Hebrew	Greek Translation	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Notes
laqach (H3947)	λαμβάνω (G2983)	755	28.37	Overwhelming primary equivalent
laqach (H3947)	δέχομαι (G1209)	24	11.92	Minor alternative — willing reception
laqach (H3947)	παραλαμβάνω (G3880)	12	10.10	Compound: take alongside
laqach (H3947)	ἀναλαμβάνω (G353)	17	7.73	Compound: take up

Semantic shift in translation: Minimal. Hebrew laqach is an extremely broad "take" verb, and Greek lambano matches this breadth almost exactly. Both words cover the full spectrum from active seizing to passive receiving. The LXX translators treated lambano as the default one-to-one equivalent for laqach, as shown by the extraordinary co-occurrence count (755x — higher than almost any other Hebrew-Greek pair in the LXX).

The reverse mapping confirms this: lambano's primary Hebrew source is laqach (755x), with the secondary source nasa (H5375, 153x) being a distinct semantic field ("lift up, carry, bear") rather than a competing "take" word.

NT Usage (Greek)

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary Meaning
G2983	λαμβάνω (lambano)	247	take, receive
G3880	παραλαμβάνω (paralambano)	49	receive alongside, take with
G1209	δέχομαι (dechomai)	26	receive, welcome
G2638	καταλαμβάνω (katalambano)	15	seize, overtake, comprehend

Key NT passages: - Jhn 1:12 — "as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God" - Acts 2:33 — "having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost" - Rev 5:7 — "he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne" - Rev 11:17 — "thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned" (perfect: εἴληφας)

Library: G2983-lambano.md

Continuity and Shifts

What stays the same across testaments: - The core semantic range is remarkably stable — both laqach and lambano function as the default "take" verb in their respective languages - Both cover active taking (seizing objects), receiving (from a giver), and idiomatic constructions (taking counsel, taking a wife) - Both serve as the unmarked, general-purpose "take" word against which more specific verbs (snatch, seize, grasp) are defined

What shifts: - The NT develops a stronger "receive" sense for lambano, especially in theological contexts: receiving the Spirit (Acts 2:38), receiving grace (Rom 1:5), receiving power (Rev 5:12). In the OT, laqach is more weighted toward active "taking" - The perfect tense form (eilephas/eilephen) becomes theologically loaded in Revelation, marking completed divine actions — a development without a direct OT parallel since Hebrew tense/aspect works differently - The give/receive (didomi/lambano) pairing becomes a major NT theological structure for grace and Spirit-reception, more prominent than any analogous OT pairing with laqach

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Generated from: gather_trace_data.py, search_strongs.py (--lxx-map, --hebrew-source, --lookup) Last updated: 2026-04-09