WG: Truth / True¶
Overview¶
The Greek "truth" concept cluster centers on the ἀλήθεια (alētheia) word family — four cognates covering noun, two adjectives, and adverb — plus two closely associated character-quality adjectives (πιστός, δίκαιος) that regularly co-occur in descriptions of God, Christ, and divine speech.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G225 | ἀλήθεια | alētheia | noun | 99 | The abstract quality — truth as a state or body of reality | G225-aletheia.md |
| G227 | ἀληθής | alēthēs | adj | 25 | Factual accuracy — a statement or person that does not deceive | TODO(need G227 study) |
| G228 | ἀληθινός | alēthinos | adj | 25 | Ontological genuineness — the real thing vs. copy or counterfeit | G228-alethinos.md |
| G230 | ἀληθῶς | alēthōs | adv | 19 | Adverbial confirmation — "truly, really, indeed" | TODO(need G230 study) |
| G4103 | πιστός | pistos | adj | 62 | Trustworthiness — reliable, faithful (often paired with alēthinos) | G4103-pistos.md |
| G1342 | δίκαιος | dikaios | adj | 76 | Righteous character — just, equitable (often paired with alēthinos in Revelation) | G1342-dikaios.md |
Relationships¶
Shared Roots¶
- G225 (alētheia), G227 (alēthēs), G228 (alēthinos), G230 (alēthōs) — all from alpha-privative + λανθάνω (lanthano, "to escape notice"). Core idea: "unhidden, unconcealed."
- G226 ἀληθεύω (alētheuō, "to speak the truth," 2x) is also in this root family but too rare to include as a core member.
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Verses | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| alēthinos (G228) | pistos (G4103) | 5 | "Faithful and True" — paired title for Christ (Rev 19:11) and divine sayings (Rev 21:5, 22:6) |
| alēthinos (G228) | dikaios (G1342) | 3 | "True and righteous are thy judgments" — God's judicial acts (Rev 15:3, 16:7, 19:2) |
| alēthēs (G227) | alētheia (G225) | 3 | "We know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth" (Mat 22:16) |
| alēthinos (G228) | alēthēs (G227) | 2 | Both applied to the same testimony (Jhn 19:35) — record is alēthēs (factually accurate) and alēthinos (genuine) |
| alēthinos (G228) | alētheia (G225) | 1 | "True worshippers... in spirit and in truth" (Jhn 4:23) |
| pistos (G4103) | dikaios (G1342) | 1 | "He is faithful and just to forgive us" (1Jo 1:9) |
LXX Overlaps (Shared Hebrew Sources)¶
| Hebrew Word | Strong's | Greek Members Bridged | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| אֶמֶת (emeth) | H571 | G225 (83x), G228 (13x), G227 (5x) | The primary Hebrew "truth/faithfulness" word; LXX maps it to all three alēth- cognates |
| יָשָׁר (yashar) | H3477 | G228 (7x), G1342 (21x) | "Upright, straight" — connects genuineness and righteousness |
| צֶדֶק (tsedeq) | H6664 | G1342 (23x), G225 (14x) | "Righteousness" — links truth and justice as overlapping concepts |
| מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) | H4941 | G1342 (41x), G225 (14x) | "Judgment" — righteous verdicts described as truthful |
H571 emeth is the strongest bridge: it is the single Hebrew word behind the entire alētheia family in the LXX. This confirms that the NT truth-cluster inherits the OT concept of firmness/reliability/stability.
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶
- Jhn 19:35 — alēthinos + alēthēs: "his record is true (alēthēs), and he knoweth that he saith true (alēthinos)"
- Jhn 4:23 — alēthinos + alētheia: "the true (alēthinos) worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth (alētheia)"
- Rev 19:11 — alēthinos + pistos: "he that sat upon him was called Faithful (pistos) and True (alēthinos)"
- Rev 15:3 — alēthinos + dikaios: "just (dikaios) and true (alēthinos) are thy ways, thou King of saints"
- 1Jo 1:9 — pistos + dikaios: "he is faithful (pistos) and just (dikaios) to forgive us our sins"
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py, lxx-map Last updated: 2026-04-13