5569. pseudadelphos

Lexicon

pseudadelphos: False brother

Original Word: ψευδάδελφος
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: pseudadelphos
Pronunciation: psyoo-dad'-el-fos
Phonetic Spelling: (psyoo-dad'-el-fos)
Definition: False brother
Meaning: a false brother, pretend Christian.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

false brethren.

From pseudes and adephos; a spurious brother, i.e. Pretended associate -- false brethren.

see GREEK pseudes

see GREEK adephos

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from pseudés and adelphos
Definition
a false brother
NASB Translation
false brethren (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 5569: ψευδάδελφος

ψευδάδελφος, ψευδαδελφου, ὁ (ψευδής and ἀδελφός), a false brother, i. e. one who ostentatiously professes to be a Christian, but is destitute of Christian knowledge and piety: 2 Corinthians 11:26; Galatians 2:4.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: From ψευδής (pseudes, meaning "false") and ἀδελφός (adelphos, meaning "brother").

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: There is no direct Hebrew equivalent for ψευδάδελφος in the Old Testament, as the concept of a "false brother" in the specific New Testament sense is not directly addressed. However, related concepts of deceit and falsehood can be found in Hebrew words such as שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, Strong's Hebrew 8267) meaning "falsehood" or "deception," and אָח (ach, Strong's Hebrew 251) meaning "brother," which can be used in contexts discussing familial or community relationships.

Usage: The term ψευδάδελφος is used in the New Testament to describe individuals who claim to be part of the Christian community but whose actions or beliefs reveal them to be insincere or deceitful. It appears in contexts where the authenticity of one's faith is questioned.

Context: The term ψευδάδελφος is found in the New Testament, specifically in the writings of the Apostle Paul. It is used to describe individuals who infiltrate the Christian community under the guise of being believers but whose true intentions are contrary to the teachings of Christ. These false brothers are often associated with causing division, spreading false teachings, or attempting to undermine the work of the apostles.

In 2 Corinthians 11:26, Paul recounts the various dangers he faced in his ministry, including "dangers from false brothers." This highlights the threat posed by those who, while appearing to be part of the Christian fellowship, actually work against it. Similarly, in Galatians 2:4, Paul refers to "false brothers" who secretly infiltrated the church to spy on the freedom believers have in Christ and to bring them back into bondage under the law.

The presence of ψευδάδελφοι (false brothers) serves as a warning to the early church and to believers today to be discerning about those who claim to be part of the faith community. It underscores the importance of genuine faith and the need for vigilance against those who might seek to distort the gospel for personal gain or to sow discord among believers.

Forms and Transliterations

ψευδαδελφοις ψευδαδέλφοις ψευδαδελφους ψευδαδελφούς ψευδαδέλφους pseudadelphois pseudadélphois pseudadelphous pseudadélphous

Englishman's Concordance

2 Corinthians 11:26 N-DMP
GRK: κινδύνοις ἐν ψευδαδέλφοις
NAS: dangers among FALSE brethren;
KJV: [in] perils among false brethren;
INT: in perils among false brothers

Galatians 2:4 N-AMP
GRK: τοὺς παρεισάκτους ψευδαδέλφους οἵτινες παρεισῆλθον
NAS: But [it was] because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked
KJV: that because of false brethren unawares brought in,
INT: the brought in secretly false brothers who came in by stealth

Strong's Greek 5569
2 Occurrences

ψευδαδέλφοις — 1 Occ.
ψευδαδέλφους — 1 Occ.