Word study
Dishonest
7 Hebrew and 2 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “dishonest”. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “dishonest” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- בֶּצַע betsagain made by violence, unjust gain, profittranslated this way 5 times of its 22 uses · Strong’s H1215Noun · Translated: gain 6, dishonest gain 4, unjust gain 3Full study and all 22 verses →
Exodus 18:21 Furthermore, select capable men from among the people — God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
1 Samuel 8:3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.
- מִרְמָה mirmâhdeceit, treacherytranslated this way 4 times of its 39 uses · Strong’s H4820Noun · Translated: deceit 17, deceitful 7, deceitfully 4, dishonest 4Full study and all 38 verses →
Proverbs 11:1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.
Hosea 12:7 A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.
- עֶוֶל evelinjustice, unrighteousnesstranslated this way 1 time of its 53 uses · Strong’s H5766Noun · Translated: iniquity 15, injustice 14, wrong 5, wickedness 4Full study and all 51 verses →
Leviticus 19:35 You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume.
- הֶבֶל hebelvapour, breathtranslated this way 1 time of its 73 uses · Strong’s H1892Noun · Translated: futile 25, worthless idols 9, futility 8, fleeting 5Full study and all 64 verses →
Proverbs 13:11 Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.
- שֶׁקֶר sheqerdeception, disappointment, falsehoodtranslated this way 1 time of its 104 uses · Strong’s H8267Noun · Translated: lies 18, lying 16, false 12, falsely 10Full study and all 100 verses →
Proverbs 14:5 An honest witness does not deceive, but a dishonest witness pours forth lies.
- בָּצַע bâtsacut off, break off, gain by violencetranslated this way 1 time of its 16 uses · Strong’s H1214Verb · Translated: greedy 5, cut 2Full study and all 16 verses →
Ezekiel 22:27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain.
- רֶשַׁע reshawickednesstranslated this way 1 time of its 30 uses · Strong’s H7562Noun · Translated: wickedness 21, wicked 4Full study and all 29 verses →
Micah 6:11 Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights?
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἄδικος ádikosunjust, unrighteoustranslated this way 2 times of its 12 uses · Strong’s G94Adjective · Translated: unrighteous 4, dishonest 2, wicked 2, unjust 2Full study and all 11 verses →
Luke 16:10 Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
- ἀδικία adikíaunrighteousnesstranslated this way 1 time of its 24 uses · Strong’s G93Noun · Translated: wickedness 9, unrighteousness 3, unjust 2, iniquity 2Full study and all 23 verses →
Luke 16:8 The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light.
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.