alētheia · truth

What it means

alētheia (ἀλήθεια) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “truth”.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. What is real, not a lie.
2. What God reveals of himself and his plan, received by believing.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

Truth: what is real and matches the facts, as opposed to a lie or to appearance. Thayer: truth, in speech and in being; also the truth that God reveals. It is the noun of ἀληθής, “truthful, true”.

• Telling the truth; “in truth” Mark 12:14Mark 5:33
• “Full of grace and of truth” John 1:14
• “I am the way and the truth and the life” John 14:6John 8:32
• “In spirit and truth” John 4:24
• God's truth as against the lie Romans 1:25John 17:17

How we translate it

“Truth” 108 times, “truly” 1; this edition's glossary sets ἀλήθεια = “truth”. With a preposition it is translated “in truth” (Mark 12:14; Luke 4:25).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• truth ×108
• truly ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×1
• Mark×3
• Luke×3
• John×25
• Acts×3
• Romans×8
• 1 Corinthians×2
• 2 Corinthians×8
• Galatians×3
• Ephesians×6
• Philippians×1
• Colossians×2
• 2 Thessalonians×3
• 1 Timothy×6
• 2 Timothy×6
• Titus×2
• Hebrews×1
• James×3
• 1 Peter×1
• 2 Peter×2
• 1 John×9
• 2 John×5
• 3 John×6

• Matthew 22:16

  And they send to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God in truth, and you do not care about anyone, for you do not look at the face of people.

• Mark 5:33

  But the woman, afraid and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.

• Mark 12:14

  And they came and say to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and you do not care about anyone; for you do not look at the face of people, but in truth you teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay tax to Caesar, or not? Should we pay, or should we not pay?”

• Mark 12:32

  And the scribe said to him, “Well said, Teacher; in truth you have said that he is one and there is no other besides him;

• Luke 4:25

  But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in the days of Elijah in Israel, when heaven was shut for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land;

• Luke 20:21

  And they asked him, saying, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and do not show partiality, but teach the way of God in truth.

• Luke 22:59

  And after about one hour had passed, a certain other man kept insisting, saying, “In truth this man also was with him, for he is also a Galilean.”

• John 1:14

  And the Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and of truth.

• John 1:17

  because the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus the Messiah.

• John 3:21

  But whoever does the truth comes to the light, so that it may be shown plainly that his works have been done in God.”

• John 4:23

  But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father seeks such people as those who worship him.

• John 4:24

  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

• John 5:33

  You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth.

• John 8:32

  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

• John 8:40

  But now you are seeking to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This Abraham did not do.

• John 8:44

  You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of it.

• John 8:45

  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.

• John 8:46

  Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

• John 14:6

  Jesus says to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

• John 14:17

  the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see him nor know him. You know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.

• John 15:26

  When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.

• John 16:7

  But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

• John 16:13

  But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you in all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will announce to you the things to come.

• John 17:17

  Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

• John 17:19

  And for their sake I sanctify myself, so that they too may be sanctified in truth.

• John 18:37

  So Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

• John 18:38

  Pilate says to him, “What is truth?” And having said this, he went out again to the Jews and says to them, “I find no ground for a charge in him.

• Acts 4:27

  For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the nations and the peoples of Israel,

• Acts 10:34

  Then Peter opened his mouth and said, “In truth I understand that God is not one who shows partiality,

• Acts 26:25

  But Paul says, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am uttering words of truth and sound judgment.

• Romans 1:18

  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by unrighteousness,

• Romans 1:25

  for they exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

• Romans 2:2

  Now we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.

• Romans 2:8

  but to those who are of rivalry and disobey the truth but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

• Romans 2:20

  an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and of truth—

• Romans 3:7

  But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to his glory, why am I still being judged as a sinner?

• Romans 9:1

  I am telling the truth in the Messiah; I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit,

• Romans 15:8

  For I say that the Messiah has become a servant of the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God, in order to confirm the promises made to the fathers,

• 1 Corinthians 5:8

  So let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

• 1 Corinthians 13:6

  it does not rejoice at unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

And 69 more times.