ἀλήθ-εια G0225
Truth, reality, faithfulness; divine truth, sincerity, and what accords with fact as opposed to falsehood
Aletheia encompasses truth as both a moral quality and an ontological reality. In the Synoptic Gospels it often appears in phrases like 'in truth' (ep' aletheias, Mark 12:14), affirming honest speech or divine faithfulness. In John's writings it acquires a distinctly theological dimension: Jesus declares himself 'the truth' (John 14:6), and the Spirit is called 'the Spirit of truth.' Paul uses it for the gospel message and for personal integrity. Translations across all major languages render it with cognates of 'truth' — Spanish 'verdad,' French 'vérité,' German 'Wahrheit' — reflecting the concept's clarity across cultures.
Senses
1. truth, reality — The quality of being true, real, or in accord with fact and divine reality. Covers honest speech (Mark 5:33, 'she told him the whole truth'), divine faithfulness and gospel truth (Gal 2:5), and the Johannine theological sense where Jesus embodies truth itself (John 14:6). The consistent rendering across languages — Spanish 'verdad,' German 'Wahrheit' — confirms its stable semantic core spanning sincerity, factual accuracy, and ultimate reality. 110×
AR["الحَقِّ", "الْحَقِّ", "حَقًّا", "حَقٍّ", "حَقَّ", "حَقُّ", "حَقِّ", "حَقّ"]·ben["সত্য", "সত্যকে", "সত্যে", "সত্যের"]·DE["Wahrheit"]·EN["truth"]·FR["vérité"]·heb["אֱמֶת", "בֶּ-"]·HI["में", "सच्चाई", "सच्चाई-में", "सच्चाई।", "सत्य", "सत्य,", "सत्य;", "सत्य।"]·ID["kebenaran", "kebenaran,", "kebenaran.", "kebenaran;", "sesungguhnya"]·IT["verità"]·jav["bener.", "kayekten", "kayekten,", "kayekten.", "kayekten;", "saestu", "sayektos"]·KO["진리", "진리-를", "진리가", "진리로", "진리를", "진리에", "진리의", "진실-로", "진실로", "진실을."]·PT["de-verdade.", "verdade", "verdade,", "verdade.", "verdade;"]·RU["истина", "истине", "истине.", "истину", "истины", "правду"]·ES["de-verdad", "verdad"]·SW["kweli", "kweli.", "ukweli", "unafundisha"]·TR["doğrulukla", "doğrunun", "doğruyu.", "gerçek", "gerçeklik", "gerçeklikte", "gerçekte", "gerçeğe", "gerçeği", "gerçeğin", "hakikatte"]·urd["سچائی", "سچائی-کی", "سچائی۔"]
Matt 22:16, Mark 5:33, Mark 12:14, Mark 12:32, Luke 4:25, Luke 20:21, Luke 22:59, John 1:14, John 1:17, John 3:21, John 4:23, John 4:24 (+38 more)
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀλήθ-εια [ᾰλ], ἡ, Doric dialect ἀλάθεια (also ἀλαθείᾱRefs 7th c.BC+ ἀληθεί; Ionic dialect ἀληθείη: __I truth, opposed to lie or mere appearance: __I.1 in Refs 8th c.BC+ only opposed to a lie, frequently in phrase ἀληθείην καταλέξαιRefs 8th c.BC+; παιδὸς πᾶσαν ἀ. μυθεῖσθαι to tell whole truth about the lad, Refs 8th c.BC+; proverbial, οἶνος καὶ ἀ. `in vino veritas', Alc.[same place], etc.; ἁπλᾶ…