H0571 H0571
Firmness, faithfulness, truth; what is reliable, trustworthy, and real; often paired with chesed as a covenant attribute of God.
Emet is one of the Hebrew Bible's foundational terms for what is real, reliable, and enduring. Contracted from the root aman ('to be firm, support'), it carries a solidity that the English word 'truth' only partly captures. When paired with chesed in the famous hendiadys chesed we'emet (Gen 24:27; Exod 34:6), it denotes not abstract propositional truth but covenant reliability — the steadfast trustworthiness of a God who keeps promises. Yet emet also covers straightforward factual accuracy ('Is this true?') and characterizes persons as 'men of truth' (Exod 18:21). Spanish verdad, German Wahrheit, and French verite handle the propositional pole well, but none of them can stretch to cover the relational faithfulness that makes emet so theologically rich.
Senses
1. truth, verity — Truth as factual reality, correctness, or verity — the dominant sense at 98 occurrences. This covers assertions of objective accuracy ('Is it true?'), truthful speech ('words of truth'), and characterizations of things as genuine or real. In Gen 24:49 and 47:29, the request to deal 'in truth' means honestly and without deception. In Exod 34:6, God is described as 'abounding in truth,' where truth denotes the reliability of his word and character. Spanish verdad, German Wahrheit, and French verite all converge here. The phrase be'emet ('in truth') functions almost adverbially to mean 'truly, indeed.' 98×
AR["الحَقَّ", "الْحَقُّ", "بِ-صِدْقٍ", "حَقًّا", "حَقٌّ", "حَقّ", "حَقّاً"]·ben["সত্য", "সত্য।", "সত্যে;"]·DE["Wahrheit", "der-Wahrheit"]·EN["are-true", "are-truth", "is-truth", "the-truth", "true", "truly", "truth"]·FR["le-vérité", "vérité"]·heb["אמת", "ה-אמת"]·HI["सच", "सच्चा", "सच्चाई", "सच्चाई-से", "सच्चे-हैं", "सत्य"]·ID["benar", "dengan-benar", "kebenaran", "kesetiaan"]·IT["il-verita", "verita", "verita'", "verità"]·jav["dhateng-Panjenengan", "kayekten", "kayektosan", "leres"]·KO["진리", "진리-를", "진리-이로다", "진리도다", "진리를", "진리의", "진리이다", "진실-이다", "진실을", "진실이", "진실하게"]·PT["a-verdade", "são-verdade", "verdade", "é-verdade"]·RU["hа-истина", "истина", "истинно", "истиной", "истину", "правду"]·ES["es-verdad", "la-verdad", "verdad"]·SW["kweli", "ni-kweli", "ukweli", "wa-kweli", "za-kweli"]·TR["Doğru", "doğru", "gercek", "gerçek", "gerçeği"]·urd["سچ", "سچ-ہیں", "سچا", "سچائی", "سچائی-سے", "سچائی-ہیں", "سچائی-ہے"]
Gen 24:49, Gen 47:29, Exod 34:6, Josh 2:14, Judg 9:15, 2 Sam 2:6, 2 Sam 7:28, 2 Sam 15:20, 1 Kgs 17:24, 1 Kgs 22:16, 2 Kgs 20:19, 2 Chr 9:5 (+38 more)
2. faithfulness, reliability — Faithfulness, reliability, and trustworthiness as a relational quality — 27 occurrences, often with possessive suffixes ('your faithfulness,' 'his truth') pointing to a personal attribute rather than abstract fact. In Gen 24:27 Abraham's servant praises God who 'has not forsaken his chesed and his emet'; in Gen 32:10 Jacob confesses unworthiness of God's chasdim and emet. The sense here is loyalty-in-relationship: God's emet is his dependable fidelity to promises. German Treue ('fidelity') and Arabic al-haqq as a divine attribute both shade toward this relational pole. The pairing with chesed in construct or hendiadys is the strongest diagnostic: where chesed appears alongside, emet almost always carries this faithfulness sense. 27×
AR["أمانَةٍ", "أَمَانَتَكَ", "أَمَانَتِكَ", "بِ-الأَمَانَةِ", "بِ-حَقِّكَ", "بِحَقِّكَ", "حَقَّكَ", "حَقُّكَ", "حَقِّكَ", "فِي-حَقَِّكَ", "وَ-الْأَمَانَةِ", "وَ-حَقُّ-", "وَحَقَّكَ", "وَحَقَّهُ", "وَحَقُّكَ"]·ben["আপনার-সত্যে", "এবং-তাঁর-সত্যকে", "ও-তোমার-সত্য", "ও-সত্য", "ও-সত্য-তোমার", "ও-সত্যতার", "তোমার-প্রেম", "তোমার-সত্য", "তোমার-সত্যে", "তোমার-সত্যের", "মধ্যে-সত্যে-তোমার", "সত্যের", "সত্যের-জন্য", "সত্যের-তোমার;"]·DE["Wahrheit", "dein-Wahrheit", "in-dein-Wahrheit", "und-Wahrheit", "und-dein-Wahrheit", "und-der-Wahrheit-", "und-seine-Treue", "von-Wahrheit", "zu-Wahrheit", "zu-dein-Wahrheit"]·EN["Your-faithfulness", "and-Your-truth", "and-his-truth", "and-the-faithfulness", "and-the-faithfulness-of", "for-Your-faithfulness", "in-Your-faithfulness", "in-your-faithfulness", "in-your-truth", "of-truth", "to", "to-truth", "your-faithfulness", "your-truth"]·FR["dans-ta-vérité", "de-vérité", "et-son-vérité", "et-ta-vérité", "et-vérité", "ta-vérité", "vérité", "à-vérité"]·heb["אמיתך", "אמת", "אמת-ך", "ב-אמיתך", "ב-אמת-ך", "ו-אמת", "ו-אמת-ו", "ו-אמת-ך", "ו-ה-אמת", "ל-אמת"]·HI["अपनी-सच्चाई", "अपने-सच-में", "और-अपना-सच", "और-सच्चाई", "और-सत्य-तेरा", "को-सच्चाई", "तेरा-सच", "तेरी-सच्चाई", "तेरी-सच्चाई-में", "में-सच्चाई-तेरी", "सच्चाई-का", "सच्चाई-तेरी"]·ID["dalam-kebenaran-Mu", "dan-kebenaran", "dan-kesetiaan-Nya", "dengan-kebenaran", "kepastian", "kesetiaan-Mu"]·IT["a-verita", "di-verità", "e-suo-verità", "e-verita'", "e-verità", "verita", "verita'"]·jav["Kalayan-kayekten", "dhateng", "ing-antawisipun", "ing-kaleresan-Panjenengan", "ing-kayektèn-Panjenengan", "kayekten-Paduka", "kayekten-Panjenengan", "kula", "lan-kasetyan", "lan-kasunyatan-Panjenengan", "lan-kayekten", "lan-kayekten-", "leres"]·KO["과-그-진실", "그리고-그의-진실함을", "그리고-주-의-진실-을", "그리고-주-의-진실-이", "그리고-진리-가", "당신-의-진리", "당신-의-진리-를", "당신-의-진리-안에서", "당신-의-진리-이로다", "당신-의-진실-을", "주-의-진실함-으로", "주-의-진실함-이", "주의-진리를", "진리-로", "진리-를", "진리-에서", "진리로", "진실한"]·PT["e-a-fidelidade", "e-sua-verdade", "e-tua-verdade", "em-tua-verdade", "na-tua-verdade", "para-verdade", "tua-verdade", "verdade", "verdade-tua", "é-Tua-fidelidade"]·RU["в-истине-Твоей", "за-верность-Твою", "и-верности", "и-верности-Его", "и-истина-", "и-истина-Твоя", "и-истину-Твою", "истина-Твоя", "истине-Твоей", "истинный", "истину-Твою", "истины-Твоей", "по-истине"]·ES["en-tu-verdad", "en-verdad", "en-verdad-de-ti", "tu-verdad", "verdad", "y-la-verdad", "y-la-verdad-de", "y-su-verdad", "y-tu-verdad"]·SW["katika-kweli-yako", "katika-uaminifu-wako", "katika-ukweli-wako", "kwa-kweli", "na-uaminifu-wa", "na-uaminifu-wake", "na-ukweli-wako", "uaminifu-wako", "ukweli", "ukweli-wako", "whaemet"]·TR["doğru", "gerceklik-icin", "gerçeğin", "gerçeğinde", "gerçeğinde-", "gerçeğini", "gerçeğinin", "gerçeğinle-", "sadakatine", "sadakatini", "sadıkılğın", "ve-doğruluğun", "ve-gerçekliği-", "ve-gerçekliğin", "ve-gerçekliğini", "ve-sadakatini"]·urd["-اپنی-سچائی-میں", "-تیری-سچائی-میں", "اور-اپنی-سچائی", "اور-تیری-سچائی", "اور-سچائی", "اور-سچائی-اپنی", "اور-وفاداری", "بَ-سَچائی-تیری", "بِ-تیری-سچائی", "تیری-سچائی", "تیری-سچائی-کی", "تیری-سچائی-کے", "سَچائی-تیری", "سچائی-سے", "سچائی-کی", "سچی"]
3. true, genuine — Adjectival or qualifying use: true, genuine, authentic — appearing just twice (2 Chr 31:20; Dan 10:1). In 2 Chr 31:20, Hezekiah does what is 'good and right and true'; in Dan 10:1 the revelation is described as emet — 'true, authentic.' Here emet functions attributively rather than as a standalone noun, modifying a noun or standing in predicate position to certify genuineness. Spanish verdadero and German wahr (as opposed to Wahrheit) capture this adjectival shift. Though rare, it represents a real grammatical and semantic boundary from the nominal senses. 2×
AR["وَ-الْحَقَّ", "وَ-حَقٌّ"]·ben["এবং-সত্য", "ও-সত্য"]·DE["und-Wahrheit"]·EN["and-the-faithful", "and-true"]·FR["[ואמת]", "et-vérité"]·heb["ו-אמת", "ו-ה-אמת"]·HI["और-सच्चा"]·ID["dan-benar", "dan-yang-setia"]·IT["e-verità"]·jav["lan-ingkang-bener", "lan-lèrès"]·KO["그리고-그-진실한-것을", "그리고-참되니"]·PT["e-a-verdade", "e-verdadeira"]·RU["и-верное", "и-истинно"]·ES["y-lo-verdadero", "y-verdad"]·SW["na-kweli", "whaemet"]·TR["ve-gerçek", "ve-gerçeği"]·urd["اور-سچ", "اور-سچا"]
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
† אֱמֶת n.f. firmness, faithfulness, truth (contr. for אֱמֶנֶת, from אָמֵן) Gn 24:48 + 106 times; sf. אֲמִתּוֹ, אֲמִתְּךָ ψ 91:4 + 18 times 1. reliability, sureness: דֶּרֶךְ אֱמֶת sure way Gn 24:48 (J); שׂכר אמת sure reward Pr 11:18; אות אמת sure token Jos 2:12 (J); זֶרַע אמת Je 2:21. 2. stability, continuance: שָׁלוֹם וֶאֱמֶת peace and stability Is 39:8 (= 2 K 20:19) Est 9:30 Je 33:6 Zc 8:19,…