Word Studies¶
Hebrew Core Terms¶
H8267 -- sheqer (שֶׁקֶר) -- "lie, falsehood, untruth"¶
Transliteration: sheqer Pronunciation: sheh-ker Part of Speech: masculine noun Occurrences: 113 in OT
Definition: An untruth; by implication a sham. Translated as: false(-ly), lie, lying, deceit(-ful), feignedly, liar, vain (thing), wrongfully, without a cause.
Used in Exodus 20:16: "Thou shalt not bear false [sheqer] witness"
Key Translations: - lying (20, 17.7%) - false (18, 15.9%) - lies (14, 12.4%) - falsely (13, 11.5%) - a lie (10, 8.8%) - falsehood (6, 5.3%)
Key Verses: - Exo 20:16 -- "false witness" (the ninth commandment) - Exo 23:7 -- "Keep thee far from a false [sheqer] matter" - Deu 19:18 -- "if the witness be a false [sheqer] witness" - Pro 6:17,19 -- "a lying [sheqer] tongue" and "a false [sheqer] witness that speaketh lies" - Pro 12:17,19,22 -- repeated sheqer in witness/truth contrasts - Pro 14:5 -- "a false witness will utter lies [kazab]" (note different word) - Jer 9:3 -- "bend their tongues like their bow for lies [sheqer]"
Semantic Range: Sheqer denotes active, intentional falsehood -- lying, deception, sham. It is a deliberate misrepresentation of reality. This is the narrower, more precise term for lying.
H7723 -- shav (שָׁוְא) -- "emptiness, vanity, falsehood, worthlessness"¶
Transliteration: shav Pronunciation: shawv Part of Speech: masculine noun Occurrences: 54 in OT (53 BLB)
Definition: From the root sense of desolating; evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also adverbially, in vain): false(-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.
Used in Deuteronomy 5:20: "Neither shalt thou bear false [shav] witness"
Key Translations: - vanity (16, 29.6%) - in vain (11, 20.4%) - vain (8, 14.8%) - false (5, 9.3%) - of vanity (3, 5.6%) - lying (2, 3.7%)
Key Verses: - Exo 20:7 -- "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain [shav]" (3rd commandment) - Deu 5:20 -- "false [shav] witness" (9th commandment, Deuteronomic version) - Psa 24:4 -- "who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity [shav], nor sworn deceitfully" - Psa 12:2 -- "They speak vanity [shav] every one with his neighbour" - Psa 144:8,11 -- "mouth speaketh vanity [shav]" - Eze 13:6-9 -- false prophets see shav (vanity/emptiness) - Pro 30:8 -- "Remove far from me vanity [shav] and lies"
Semantic Range: Shav is broader than sheqer. It encompasses emptiness, worthlessness, deception, and futility. It covers not just deliberate lies but also vain, empty, worthless speech. The same word used in the 3rd commandment (taking God's name "in vain") appears in the Deuteronomic version of the 9th.
The shav/sheqer distinction: Exodus 20:16 uses sheqer (active falsehood), while Deuteronomy 5:20 uses shav (empty/worthless testimony). Together they cover the full spectrum: testimony that is deliberately false (sheqer) AND testimony that is empty, worthless, or deceptive (shav). This is analyzed extensively in cmd-04 (3rd Commandment study).
H5707 -- ed (עֵד) -- "witness"¶
Transliteration: ed Pronunciation: ayd Part of Speech: masculine noun Occurrences: 69 (BLB)
Definition: Contracted from another root; concretely, a witness; abstractly, testimony; specifically, a recorder, i.e. prince.
Key Translations: - witness (29, 33.3%) - witnesses (12, 13.8%) - a witness (10, 11.5%)
Key Verses: - Exo 20:16 -- "false witness [ed sheqer]" - Exo 23:1 -- "unrighteous witness [ed]" - Num 35:30 -- "by the mouth of witnesses [edim]" - Deu 17:6 -- "two witnesses, or three witnesses" - Deu 19:15-18 -- "one witness shall not rise up" / "false witness [ed sheqer]" - Pro 6:19 -- "a false witness [ed sheqer] that speaketh lies" - Pro 12:17 -- "He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness [ed sheqer] deceit" - Pro 14:5 -- "A faithful witness [ed] will not lie" - Pro 19:5,9 -- "A false witness [ed sheqer] shall not be unpunished" - Pro 24:28 -- "Be not a witness [ed] against thy neighbour without cause" - Pro 25:18 -- "A man that beareth false witness [ed sheqer] against his neighbour"
H6030 -- anah (עָנָה) -- "to answer, testify, respond"¶
Transliteration: anah Pronunciation: aw-naw Part of Speech: verb Occurrences: 329 (BLB)
Definition: A primitive root; properly, to eye or (generally) to heed, i.e. pay attention; by implication, to respond; by extension to begin to speak; specifically to sing, shout, testify, announce.
Key Translations: - answered (114, 24.3%) - answer (9, 1.9%) - testify (5, 1.1%) - bear witness (various forms)
Use in Exo 20:16: "Thou shalt not bear [anah = answer/testify] false witness" -- The verb is in the Qal imperfect 2ms form (taaneh), functioning as a prohibition. The literal sense is "you shall not answer/testify against your neighbor [as] a false witness."
H571 -- emeth (אֶמֶת) -- "truth, faithfulness, stability"¶
Transliteration: emeth Pronunciation: eh-meth Part of Speech: adverb / feminine noun Occurrences: 127 (BLB)
Definition: Contracted from aman; stability; (figuratively) certainty, truth, trustworthiness.
Key Translations: - true (18, 13.7%) - truth (various forms: 54, ~41%) - truly (4, 3.1%) - faithfully (2, 1.5%)
Key Verses: - Exo 34:6 -- God is "abundant in... truth [emeth]" - Psa 15:2 -- "speaketh the truth [emeth] in his heart" - Psa 31:5 -- "O LORD God of truth [emeth]" - Psa 119:142 -- "thy law is the truth [emeth]" - Psa 119:160 -- "Thy word is true [emeth] from the beginning" - Pro 12:19 -- "The lip of truth [emeth] shall be established for ever" - Zec 8:16 -- "Speak ye every man the truth [emeth] to his neighbour" - Hos 4:1 -- "there is no truth [emeth]... in the land"
H3576 -- kazab (כָּזַב) -- "to lie, deceive"¶
Transliteration: kazab Pronunciation: kaw-zab Part of Speech: verb Occurrences: 16 (BLB)
Definition: A primitive root; to lie (i.e. deceive), literally or figuratively.
Key Verses: - Num 23:19 -- "God is not a man, that he should lie [kazab]" - Psa 116:11 -- "All men are liars [kazab]" - Pro 14:5 -- "A faithful witness will not lie [kazab]: but a false witness will utter lies [kazab]" - Pro 30:6 -- "and thou be found a liar [kazab]"
Greek Core Terms¶
G5576 -- pseudomartureo (ψευδομαρτυρέω) -- "to bear false witness"¶
Transliteration: pseudomartureo Part of Speech: verb Occurrences: 6 (BLB)
Definition: From pseudomartus; to be an untrue testifier, i.e. offer falsehood in evidence.
Key Translations: - bear false witness (4, 40%) - Do [not bear false witness] (2, 20%)
Key Verses: - Mat 19:18 -- "Thou shalt not bear false witness [pseudomartureo]" (Jesus quoting 9th commandment) - Mrk 10:19 -- "Do not bear false witness [pseudomartureo]" (Jesus quoting commandments) - Mrk 14:56 -- "bare false witness [pseudomartureo] against him" (against Jesus) - Luk 18:20 -- "Do not bear false witness [pseudomartureo]" - Rom 13:9 -- [in the list of commandments]
Note: This is the specific Greek verb used in LXX for Exo 20:16 and Deu 5:20. It is a compound of pseudos (false) + martureo (testify).
G5577 -- pseudomarturia (ψευδομαρτυρία) -- "false witness/testimony"¶
Transliteration: pseudomarturia Part of Speech: feminine noun Occurrences: 2 (BLB)
Key Verses: - Mat 15:19 -- "out of the heart proceed... false witness [pseudomarturia]" - Mat 26:59 -- "sought false witness [pseudomarturia] against Jesus"
G5579 -- pseudos (ψεῦδος) -- "falsehood, lie"¶
Transliteration: pseudos Part of Speech: neuter noun Occurrences: 9 (BLB)
Definition: A falsehood, lie.
Key Translations: - lie (2), lying (2), a lie (2)
Key Verses: - Jhn 8:44 -- "When he speaketh a lie [pseudos], he speaketh of his own" - Rom 1:25 -- "changed the truth of God into a lie [pseudos]" - Eph 4:25 -- "putting away lying [pseudos]" - Rev 14:5 -- [no guile in their mouth] - Rev 21:8 -- [lake of fire] - Rev 21:27 -- "or maketh a lie [pseudos]" - Rev 22:15 -- "whosoever loveth and maketh a lie [pseudos]"
G5571 -- pseudes (ψευδής) -- "untrue, false, liar"¶
Transliteration: pseudes Part of Speech: adjective Occurrences: 3 (BLB)
Key Verses: - Act 6:13 -- "set up false [pseudes] witnesses" - Rev 2:2 -- [tested those who say they are apostles and are not, found them liars] - Rev 21:8 -- "all liars [pseudes]" in the lake of fire
G225 -- aletheia (ἀλήθεια) -- "truth"¶
Transliteration: aletheia Part of Speech: feminine noun Occurrences: 110 (BLB)
Definition: Truth.
Key Translations: - truth (35, 57.4%) - Various forms with "of/the/a truth" (20, 32.8%)
Key Verses: - Jhn 8:44 -- "abode not in the truth [aletheia], because there is no truth [aletheia] in him" - Jhn 14:6 -- "I am the way, the truth [aletheia], and the life" - Jhn 17:17 -- "thy word is truth [aletheia]" - Eph 4:21,25 -- "truth [aletheia] is in Jesus... speak every man truth [aletheia]" - Tit 1:1 -- "the truth [aletheia] which is after godliness" - 1Jn 2:4 -- "keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth [aletheia] is not in him"
Hebrew Parsing¶
Exodus 20:16¶
Hebrew text: לֹֽא־תַעֲנֶ֥ה בְרֵעֲךָ֖ עֵ֥ד שָֽׁקֶר׃
| Word | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| לֹֽא | לא | Negative | not |
| תַעֲנֶ֥ה | ענה (anah) | Verb.Qal.Impf.2ms | answer/testify |
| בְ | ב | Preposition | in/against |
| רֵעֲךָ֖ | רע (rea) | Noun.ms.Abs+2ms suffix | your fellow/neighbor |
| עֵ֥ד | עד (ed) | Noun.ms.Construct | witness |
| שָֽׁקֶר | שׁקר (sheqer) | Noun.ms.Absolute | lie/falsehood |
Literal translation: "You shall not answer/testify against your neighbor [as] a witness of falsehood."
Deuteronomy 5:20¶
Hebrew text: וְלֹֽא־תַעֲנֶ֥ה בְרֵֽעֲךָ֖ עֵ֥ד שָֽׁוְא׃
| Word | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| וְ | ו | Conjunction | and |
| לֹֽא | לא | Negative | not |
| תַעֲנֶ֥ה | ענה (anah) | Verb.Qal.Impf.2ms | answer/testify |
| בְ | ב | Preposition | in/against |
| רֵֽעֲךָ֖ | רע (rea) | Noun.ms.Abs+2ms suffix | your fellow/neighbor |
| עֵ֥ד | עד (ed) | Noun.ms.Construct | witness |
| שָֽׁוְא | שׁוא (shav) | Noun.ms.Absolute | vanity/emptiness |
Literal translation: "And you shall not answer/testify against your neighbor [as] a witness of vanity/emptiness."
Key difference: The only substantive difference is the final word: sheqer (lie/falsehood) vs. shav (vanity/emptiness). The construct chain "ed sheqer" means "a lying witness" while "ed shav" means "a worthless/empty witness."
Greek Parsing¶
Matthew 5:33-34,37¶
v.33: Πάλιν ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις Οὐκ ἐπιορκήσεις, ἀποδώσεις δὲ τῷ Κυρίῳ τοὺς ὅρκους σου. - ἐπιορκήσεις (epiorkeuo, G1964) -- Fut Act Ind 2S: "you shall not swear falsely/forswear" - ἀποδώσεις (apodidomi, G591) -- Fut Act Ind 2S: "you shall render/perform" - ὅρκους (horkos, G3727) -- Acc Pl M: "oaths"
v.34: ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν μὴ ὀμόσαι ὅλως - ὀμόσαι (omnuo, G3660) -- Aor Act Inf: "to swear" (infinitive) - ὅλως (holos, G3654) -- Adverb: "at all"
v.37: ἔστω δὲ ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν ναὶ ναί, οὒ οὔ· τὸ δὲ περισσὸν τούτων ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐστιν. - ἔστω (eimi, G1510) -- Pres Act Impv 3S: "let be" (imperative) - λόγος (logos, G3056) -- Nom Sg M: "word/communication" - ναί (nai, G3483) -- Particle: "yes" - περισσόν (perissos, G4053) -- Nom Sg N: "exceeding/more than" - πονηροῦ (poneros, G4190) -- Gen Sg M: "evil/the evil one"
Note: Jesus uses the aorist infinitive "to swear" (ὀμόσαι) with μή -- a prohibition against initiating the action. The command "let your word be yes yes, no no" uses the present imperative (ἔστω), indicating ongoing practice.
Colossians 3:9¶
μὴ ψεύδεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους, ἀπεκδυσάμενοι τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον - ψεύδεσθε (pseudomai, G5574) -- Pres Mid/Pass Impv 2P: "stop lying" (present imperative with μή suggests ceasing an action in progress) - ἀπεκδυσάμενοι (apekduomai, G554) -- Aor Mid Ptcp Nom Pl M: "having put off" (aorist participle = prior completed action)
Note: The aorist participle "having put off" grounds the prohibition -- stop lying BECAUSE you have already put off the old man. The putting off is completed; the truth-telling must now be the ongoing practice.
John 8:44¶
ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστὲ... ἐκεῖνος ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ οὐκ ἔστηκεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλήθεια ἐν αὐτῷ. ὅταν λαλῇ τὸ ψεῦδος, ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων λαλεῖ, ὅτι ψεύστης ἐστὶν καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ. - διαβόλου (diabolos, G1228) -- Gen Sg M: "devil/slanderer" (literally "one who throws across" = accuser) - ἀνθρωποκτόνος (anthropoktonos, G443) -- Nom Sg M: "murderer of men" - ἀληθείᾳ (aletheia, G225) -- Dat Sg F: "truth" (locative dative: "in the truth") - ἔστηκεν (steko, G4739) -- Impf Act Ind 3S: "he stood/has stood" (did not stand in the truth) - ψεῦδος (pseudos, G5579) -- Acc Sg N: "the lie/falsehood" - ψεύστης (pseustes, G5583) -- Nom Sg M: "liar" - πατήρ αὐτοῦ -- "the father of it" (i.e., father of the lie/lying)
Note: Jesus connects murder and lying as twin characteristics of the devil. The devil is both "murderer from the beginning" and "father of lies." The definite article τό before ψεῦδος ("THE lie") may suggest lying as a category, not just a single lie. The phrase "ek ton idion lalei" ("from his own he speaks") shows lying originates from within the devil's own nature -- it is not learned but constitutive.
Database Cross-References¶
cmd-evidence.db findings¶
- E203: Shav (H7723) defined as emptiness, falsehood, worthlessness (Exo 20:7)
- E239: Deuteronomy version of 9th commandment uses shav instead of sheqer (Deu 5:20)
- E470: Lev 19:11 links steal, deal falsely, lie
- E479: Mal 3:5 -- swift witness against oppressors
- E495: Mat 15:19 -- false witness proceeds from heart
- E496: Mat 19:18 -- Jesus quotes ninth commandment
- E497: Mrk 10:19 -- Jesus adds "Defraud not"
- N036: Shav linguistically connects 3rd and 9th commandments
law-evidence.db findings¶
- E186: Deu 19:15 -- two or three witnesses required
- E187: Deu 19:18-19 -- false witness penalty (lex talionis)
- E204: Mat 18:16 -- Jesus applies two-witness rule
- E205: 1Ti 5:19 -- Paul applies two-witness rule to elders
cmd-study.db findings (from cmd-04 third commandment)¶
- Extensive analysis of shav already completed
- Sheqer (H8267) analyzed as "an untruth; by implication a sham"
- Connection between 3rd and 9th commandments through shav established