shav · falsehood, emptiness; in vain

What it means

shav (שָׁוְא) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “falsehood, emptiness; in vain”.

What is false, empty, worthless. "In vain" is using something for falsehood or for nothing.

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. Something false, like false testimony.
2. Something of no value; using YHWH's name lightly.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

What is empty, what has no truth or value: falsehood, vanity, uselessness. ‘In vain’ is doing something for nothing or for false ends.

• “You shall not take the name of YHWH your Elohim in vain” Exodus 20:7Deuteronomy 5:11
• What is false: testimony, report Deuteronomy 5:20Exodus 23:1Psalms 12:2
• “In vain”: effort that is of no use Psalms 127:1Jeremiah 2:30Malachi 3:14
• The empty divination of the false prophets Ezekiel 13:6Ezekiel 12:24Lamentations 2:14
• Idols, vain things Psalms 31:6Jonah 2:8

Historical and cultural background

Deuteronomy 5:20 uses this word in the commandment about testimony: “Nor shall you give vain testimony against your neighbor”.

How we translate it

“Vain” 16 times, almost always in “in vain”; “falsehood” 15, when it is what is spoken or sworn (“Falsehood each one speaks with his neighbor”, Psalm 12:2); “emptiness” 11 and “empty” 6 for the visions of the false prophets (Ezekiel 13:6; 12:24). The adjective follows the noun it goes with: “vain testimony” (Deuteronomy 5:20), “a false offering” (Isaiah 1:13).

How it is translated

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

• vain ×16
• falsehood ×15
• emptiness ×11
• empty ×6
• false ×2
• falsely ×1
• vanity ×1
• worthless ×1

Related words

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

Where it appears

• Exodus×3
• Deuteronomy×3
• Job×6
• Psalms×15
• Proverbs×1
• Isaiah×4
• Jeremiah×5
• Lamentations×2
• Ezekiel×9
• Hosea×2
• Jonah×1
• Zechariah×1
• Malachi×1

• Exodus 20:7

  You shall not take the name of YHWH your Elohim in vain, for YHWH will not leave unpunished the one who takes his name in vain.

• Exodus 23:1

  You shall not spread a false report. Do not join hands with the wicked to be a malicious witness.

• Deuteronomy 5:11

  You shall not take the name of YHWH your Elohim in vain, for YHWH will not leave unpunished the one who takes his name in vain.

• Deuteronomy 5:20

  Nor shall you give vain testimony against your neighbor.

• Job 7:3

  so I have been given as my inheritance months of emptiness, and nights of suffering have been assigned to me.

• Job 11:11

  For he knows empty men, and he sees wickedness; will he not consider it?

• Job 15:31

  Let him not trust in emptiness, led astray, for emptiness will be what he gets in exchange.

• Job 31:5

  If I have walked with emptiness, and my foot has hurried to deceit,

• Job 35:13

  Surely emptiness El does not hear, and Shaddai does not perceive it.

• Psalms 12:2

  Falsehood each one speaks with his neighbor; with flattering lips, with a double heart they speak.

• Psalms 24:4

  He who has innocent hands and is clean of heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn with deceit.

• Psalms 26:4

  I have not sat with men of falsehood, nor do I go in with those who hide themselves.

• Psalms 31:6

  I have hated those who keep vain idols of falsehood, but I in YHWH have trusted.

• Psalms 41:6

  And if he comes to see me, falsehood he speaks; his heart gathers wickedness for itself; he goes out outside and speaks.

• Psalms 60:11

  Give us help against the adversary, for falsehood is the salvation of a human being.

• Psalms 89:47

  Remember what my lifespan is; for what vanity have you created all human beings?

• Psalms 108:12

  Give us help against the adversary, for falsehood is the salvation of a human being.

• Psalms 119:37

  Turn away my eyes from looking at falsehood; in your way give me life.

• Psalms 127:1

  A song of the ascents. Of Solomon. If YHWH does not build a house, in vain its builders toil on it; if YHWH does not keep a city, in vain the keeper stays awake.

• Psalms 127:2

  It is in vain for you to rise early to get up, to be late to sit down, to eat the bread of anxious toils; so he gives to his beloved sleep.

• Psalms 139:20

  who speak of you with plans; they take it up in vain, your enemies.

• Psalms 144:8

  whose mouth speaks falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of lies.

• Psalms 144:11

  Set me free and deliver me from the hand of the sons of the foreigner, whose mouth speaks falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of lies;

• Proverbs 30:8

  falsehood and a word of lies keep far from me; poverty and riches do not give me; feed me with the bread of my portion,

• Isaiah 1:13

  Do not keep bringing a false offering; incense is an abomination to me; new moon and Sabbath, the calling of a convocation I cannot bear wickedness with a solemn assembly.

• Isaiah 5:18

  Woe to those who drag iniquity with cords of falsehood, and as with ropes of a cart, sin;

• Isaiah 30:28

  and his blast like a torrent that sweeps away, that reaches up to the neck, to sift the nations with a sieve of falsehood; and a bridle that leads astray is on the jaws of the peoples.

• Isaiah 59:4

  There is no one who calls with righteousness, and no one who pleads his case with faithfulness; they trust in emptiness and speak falsehood; they conceive suffering and give birth to wickedness.

• Jeremiah 2:30

  In vain I struck your children; correction they did not accept; your sword devoured your prophets like a destroying lion.

• Jeremiah 4:30

  And you, devastated one, what will you do? Though you dress in scarlet, though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, though you enlarge your eyes with antimony, in vain you make yourself beautiful. The lovers despise you; they seek your soul.

• Jeremiah 6:29

  The bellows blow fiercely; by the fire the lead is consumed; in vain the refining goes on and on, and the evil are not drawn off.

• Jeremiah 18:15

  For my people has forgotten me; to what is vain they burn incense, and they have made them stumble in their ways, the ancient paths, to walk in byways, a road not built up,

• Jeremiah 46:11

  Go up to Gilead and take balm, virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have multiplied remedies; there is no healing for you.

• Lamentations 2:14

  Your prophets have seen for you what is empty and insipid, and they have not exposed your iniquity to bring back your captivity; they have seen for you burdens that are empty and deceptions.

• Ezekiel 12:24

  For there will no longer be any empty vision or flattering divination in the midst of the house of Israel.

• Ezekiel 13:6

  They have seen emptiness and lying divination, those who say, “Declares YHWH,” and YHWH has not sent them, and they expect him to confirm the word.

• Ezekiel 13:7

  Have you not seen an empty vision, and spoken a lying divination, when you say, “Declares YHWH,” though I have not spoken?

• Ezekiel 13:8

  Therefore thus says Adonai YHWH: Because you have spoken emptiness and seen lies, therefore, look, I am against you, declares Adonai YHWH.

• Ezekiel 13:9

  And my hand will be against the prophets who see emptiness and who divine lies; in the inner council of my people they will not be, and in the register of the house of Israel they will not be written, and into the soil of Israel they will not enter; and you will know that I am Adonai YHWH.

• Ezekiel 13:23

  therefore you will not see emptiness nor divine divination any more, and I will deliver my people from your hand, and you will know that I am YHWH.’”

And 13 more times.