G228 — ἀληθινός (alēthinos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G228
Original: ἀληθινός
Transliteration: alēthinos
Pronunciation: al-ay-thee-nos
Part of Speech: Adjective
Root: From G227 ἀληθής (alēthēs, "true") — ultimately from alpha-privative + λανθάνω (lanthano, "to escape notice"), i.e., "unhidden"
Occurrences: 27 tokens in 25 unique verses (6 books)
First Occurrence: Luk 16:11 — "If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G227; truthful: — true.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 70: Real, Unreal — glosses: real, really, true
Domain 72: True, False — glosses: real, really, true
Domain 73: Genuine, Phony — glosses: real, really, true

Three overlapping domains capture the range: (1) what actually exists vs. what is illusory, (2) what corresponds to fact vs. falsehood, (3) what is authentic vs. counterfeit.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
true	22	88%
is true	2	8%
True	1	4%
a true	1	4%

Virtually monolithic — KJV renders it "true" in every instance.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Revelation	10	2.5
1 John	2	1.9
1 Thessalonians	1	1.1
Hebrews	3	1.0
John	8	0.9
Luke	1	0.1

Heavily concentrated in Johannine literature (John + 1 John + Revelation = 20 of 27 tokens, 80%). Hebrews provides the next major cluster (3x). Only one Synoptic occurrence (Luke) and one Pauline (1 Thessalonians). Absent from the rest of the NT.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Genuine vs. the Copy (Type/Antitype Contrast)¶

Heavenly realities set against earthly shadows or imitations. - Jhn 1:9 — "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." - Jhn 6:32 — "Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven." - Jhn 15:1 — "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman." - Heb 8:2 — "A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." - Heb 9:24 — "Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself."

2. God as the True God (vs. Idols)¶

Distinguishes the living God from false gods. - Jhn 17:3 — "that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." - 1Th 1:9 — "how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." - 1Jo 5:20 — "we may know him that is true... This is the true God, and eternal life."

3. Divine Character: Faithful and True¶

Applied to God or Christ as a title emphasizing reliability and trustworthiness. - Rev 3:7 — "These things saith he that is holy, he that is true." - Rev 6:10 — "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood?" - Rev 19:11 — "he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True." - Rev 3:14 — "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness."

4. True Judgments and Sayings¶

Applied to God's words and judicial acts as reliable/factual. - Rev 15:3 — "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways." - Rev 16:7 — "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments." - Rev 19:2 — "For true and righteous are his judgments." - Rev 19:9 — "These are the true sayings of God." - Rev 21:5 — "Write: for these words are true and faithful." - Rev 22:6 — "These sayings are faithful and true."

5. Inner Genuineness (of Heart, Testimony, Commandment)¶

Describes something as sincere, authentic in character. - Luk 16:11 — "who will commit to your trust the true riches?" - Heb 10:22 — "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith." - Jhn 19:35 — "he that saw it bare record, and his record is true." - 1Jo 2:8 — "a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θεός (theos)	G2316	9x (36%)	"the true God" — God as genuine vs. idols
λέγω (lego)	G3004	10x (40%)	Introductory formula: "these things saith he that is true"
πιστός (pistos)	G4103	5x (20%)	Paired title: "faithful and true"
ἅγιος (hagios)	G40	4x (16%)	Paired attribute: "holy and true"
λόγος (logos)	G3056	4x (16%)	"these words/sayings are true"
δίκαιος (dikaios)	G1342	3x (12%)	"true and righteous (are thy judgments)"
κρίνω (krino)	G2919	3x (12%)	Context of divine judgment verified as true
γράφω (grapho)	G1125	5x (20%)	"Write: for these words are true"

Word Family / Cognates¶

G225 ἀλήθεια (alētheia) — noun, "truth" (110x)
G226 ἀληθεύω (alētheuō) — verb, "to speak the truth" (2x)
G227 ἀληθής (alēthēs) — adjective, "true" (25x)
G230 ἀληθῶς (alēthōs) — adverb, "truly, indeed" (21x)

All derive from alpha-privative + λανθάνω ("to be hidden"). The family centers on what is unconcealed, real, reliable.

Synonyms¶

G227 ἀληθής (alēthēs) — true, truthful; the closest adjective counterpart

Antonyms¶

No direct antonyms were identified by search_relationships.py.

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[070] Real, Unreal — includes ἀλήθεια (G225), ἀληθής (G227), ἀληθῶς (G230), ἔγγυος (G1450), ἐν (G1722), κατά (G2596)
[072] True, False — includes ἀκρίβεια (G195), ἀκριβής (G196), ἀκριβῶς (G199), ἀλήθεια (G225), ἀληθής (G227), ἀμήν (G281)
[073] Genuine, Phony — includes ἀνυπόκριτος (G505), γνήσιος (G1103), γνησίως (G1104), δοκίμιον (G1383), δόκιμος (G1384), λογικός (G3050)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἀληθής (alēthēs)	G227	"true" (22v overlap)	alēthēs = factually accurate, honest; alēthinos = genuine, the real thing (qualitative authenticity)
ἀλήθεια (alētheia)	G225	"true" (1v)	Noun form — "truth" as an abstract concept/state
γνήσιος (gnēsios)	G1103	"true" (1v)	gnēsios = legitimate by birth or relationship (personal authenticity)
אֶמֶת (emeth)	H571	"true" (18v in OT)	Hebrew concept of firmness/reliability; alēthinos is its primary LXX-era Greek equivalent

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 70/72/73)¶

Word	Strong's	Verses	Key Difference
ἀληθής (alēthēs)	G227	25	Factual truth; alēthinos = ontological genuineness
ἀλήθεια (alētheia)	G225	110	Abstract noun "truth"; alēthinos = adjective describing the real thing
ἀληθῶς (alēthōs)	G230	21	Adverb "truly/really"; modifies verbs, not nouns
ὄντως (ontōs)	G3689	—	"Really, certainly" — adverb of factual emphasis
γνήσιος (gnēsios)	G1103	—	"Genuine" — by birth/relationship, not by type/antitype contrast
ἀνυπόκριτος (anypokritos)	G505	—	"Sincere, without hypocrisy" — moral authenticity, not ontological
δόκιμος (dokimos)	G1384	—	"Approved, tested" — proven genuine through trial

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI Score
אֶמֶת (emeth)	H571	13	16.05
יָשָׁר (yashar)	H3477	7	10.86
תָּם (tam)	H8535	3	10.12
אָרֵךְ (arek)	H750	3	9.67
נָקִי (naqiy)	H5355	3	7.61
אֱמוּנָה (emunah)	H530	3	7.39

Primary Hebrew equivalent is H571 אֶמֶת (emeth, "truth, faithfulness, stability") with the strongest PMI alignment by far. The LXX translators used alēthinos to render emeth in contexts emphasizing God's genuine/reliable character. Secondary sources (yashar "upright", tam "complete/perfect") reflect the "genuine integrity" sense.