Lexical Summary aléthés: True, truthful, genuine Original Word: ἀληθής Strong's Exhaustive Concordance true.From a (as a negative particle) and lanthano; true (as not concealing) -- true, truly, truth. see GREEK a see GREEK lanthano HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 227 alēthḗs (an adjective, derived from 1 /A "not" and 2990 /lanthánō, "unnoticed, concealed") – true, as it accords with fact (reality), i.e. attested because tested – literally, "what can't be hidden." See 225 (alētheia). [227 /alēthḗs ("what can't be hidden") stresses undeniable reality when something is fully tested, i.e. it will ultimately be shown to be fact (authentic).] NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom alpha (as a neg. prefix) and léthó = lanthanó (to escape notice) Definition true. NASB Translation real (1), true (21), truly (1), truth (1), truthful (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 227: ἀληθήςἀληθής, (ές (alpha privative and λήθω, λαθεῖν (λανθάνω), τό λῆθος — cf. ἀμαθής; literally, not hidden, unconcealed) (from Homer down); 1. true: John 4:18; John 10:41; John 19:35; 1 John 2:8, 27; Acts 12:9 (an actual occurrence, opposed to ὅραμα), Philippians 4:8; μαρτυρία, John 5:31; John 8:13f, 17; John 21:24; 3 John 1:12; Titus 1:13; κρίσις, just, John 8:16 (L T Tr WH ἀληθινή); παροιμία, 2 Peter 2:22; χάρις, grace which can be trusted, 1 Peter 5:12. 2. loving the truth, speaking the truth, truthful: Matthew 22:16; Mark 12:14; John 7:18; 2 Corinthians 6:8 (opposed to πλάνος); of God, John 3:33; John 8:26; Romans 3:4 (opposed to ψεύστης). 3. equivalent to ἀληθινός, 1. John 6:55 (L T Tr WH; for Rec. ἀληθῶς), as in Wis. 41:27, where ἀληθής Θεός is contrasted with οὕς ἐδόκουν Θεούς. Cf. Riickert, Abendmahl, p. 266f. (On the distinction between this word and the next, see Trench, § viii.; Schmidt, chapter 178, 6.) Strong’s 227 highlights a single but expansive theme: what is genuinely in accord with reality as God sees it. Its twenty-six New Testament occurrences range from the Gospels to the Epistles, giving the term an unmistakable theological weight. Whether the word describes a person, a statement, a grace, or even food and drink (John 6:55), it always draws a sharp line between what merely seems and what genuinely is. Christ as the Embodiment of Truth The word most often clusters around Jesus Christ, underscoring His perfect reliability. Outsiders acknowledge Him: “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth” (Matthew 22:16; Mark 12:14). Jesus affirms the Father’s veracity and His own: “I know that His testimony about Me is true” (John 5:32); “I have much to say… but the One who sent Me is truthful” (John 8:26). After the crucifixion, John’s eye-witness assurance—“his testimony is true” (John 19:35; 21:24)—anchors the historicity of the Gospel events. The Johannine stress that the incarnate Word brings what is “true” (John 6:55; 7:18; 8:14) subtly anticipates Jesus’ self-revelation as “the truth” in John 14:6, showing that the adjective prepares the reader for the title. Truth in Testimony and Witness The term functions as a legal and prophetic marker. It guarantees the validity of testimony (John 5:31–32; 8:13–17), vindicates prophetic voices (John 10:41), and authenticates apostolic writings (1 Peter 5:12; 3 John 12). The council in Titus’s ministry receives this verdict: “This testimony is true” (Titus 1:13), giving Paul scriptural warrant to correct false teaching. In Acts 12:9 Peter at first thinks his deliverance is not “real,” reminding readers that God’s interventions are as true as the everyday world. Moral and Ethical Dimensions Paul places “true” at the head of his celebrated ethical grid: “Whatever is true… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). A life ordered by what is ἀληθής stands in contrast to the deceit of the age (2 Corinthians 6:8). Peter urges believers to stand in “the true grace of God” (1 Peter 5:12), and John urges his audience to rest in an anointing that “is true and is no lie” (1 John 2:27). In Romans 3:4 the apostle’s courtroom language—“Let God be true and every man a liar”—makes truthfulness foundational to the gospel itself. Pastoral and Polemical Usage Because ἀληθής exposes error, it becomes a pastoral tool. Paul’s strong rebuke in Crete (Titus 1:13) and Peter’s proverbial warning about apostate teachers (2 Peter 2:22) rely on the certainty that Scripture’s judgments are “true.” 1 John counters early Christological errors by affirming that the “true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8). Demetrius’s reputation is verified because “you know our testimony is true” (3 John 12), showing that church discipline, commendation, and mission all depend on verifiable truth. Eschatological and Sacramental Undertones Jesus’ words, “My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink” (John 6:55), push the term into sacramental mystery: the believer feeds on Christ’s genuinely life-giving provision, not an illusion. The adjective’s use here prepares biblical theology for Revelation’s repeated declaration that God’s words and judgments are “true,” underscoring that final realities will manifest exactly as promised. Continuity with the Hebrew Scriptures Though Greek, ἀληθής echoes the Hebrew ’emet (faithfulness, reliability). When Paul cites Psalm 51 in Romans 3:4, he merges the Testaments: God is ever faithful, whether in covenant, prophecy, or final judgment. The adjective therefore inherits centuries of Israel’s experience of Yahweh’s steadfast truth and carries it forward into the apostolic proclamation. Implications for Ministry Today 1. Preaching: The term demands sermons that distinguish God-revealed reality from cultural conjecture. Because ἀληθής threads through narrative, doctrine, ethics, and eschatology, it reminds the Church that every sphere of life must be measured by the standard of divine reality. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 22:16 Adj-NMSGRK: οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἀληθὴς εἶ καὶ NAS: we know that You are truthful and teach KJV: that thou art true, and teachest INT: we know that true you are and Mark 12:14 Adj-NMS John 3:33 Adj-NMS John 4:18 Adj-ANS John 5:31 Adj-NFS John 5:32 Adj-NFS John 6:55 Adj-NFS John 6:55 Adj-NFS John 7:18 Adj-NMS John 8:13 Adj-NFS John 8:14 Adj-NFS John 8:17 Adj-NFS John 8:26 Adj-NMS John 10:41 Adj-NNP John 19:35 Adj-ANP John 21:24 Adj-NFS Acts 12:9 Adj-NNS Romans 3:4 Adj-NMS 2 Corinthians 6:8 Adj-NMP Philippians 4:8 Adj-NNP Titus 1:13 Adj-NFS 1 Peter 5:12 Adj-AFS 2 Peter 2:22 Adj-GFS 1 John 2:8 Adj-ANS 1 John 2:27 Adj-NNS Strong's Greek 227 |
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