λαμβάνω

Summary

λαμβάνω ("to take, receive") is the root of proslambanō ("to take aside"), used in Acts 18:26 for Priscilla and Aquila's ministry to Apollos. Priscilla, named first, took Apollos aside and "explained the way of God more accurately" — a direct teaching interaction between a woman and an already-eloquent male teacher. Proslambanō describes an act of invitation and instruction, not casual conversation, providing NT evidence of women teaching men.

In the WIM context it appears specifically in article 340 in the discussion of Priscilla and Aquila's ministry to Apollos (Acts 18:26): the Greek verb describing what they did is προσλαμβάνω (proslambanō = "to take aside, to receive," made up of lambanō + pros). The significance is that Priscilla (named first) and Aquila "took Apollos aside" (proslabanoi auton) and "explained the way of God to him more accurately" (akribesteron). This is a direct teaching interaction between a woman (Priscilla) and an already-eloquent male teacher (Apollos). Egalitarian scholars point to this as evidence of women teaching men in the NT church. Complementarian interpreters argue that the private, informal setting disqualifies this from being the kind of authoritative public teaching Paul restricts in 1 Tim 2:12. The lexical note on lambanō / proslambanō grounds the argument in the Greek: proslambanō is an act of invitation and instruction, not merely casual conversation. See also: akribesteron, ektithēmi, didaskō.