Word study
False
5 Hebrew and 6 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “false”. 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 “false” 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)
- שֶׁקֶר sheqerdeception, disappointment, falsehoodtranslated this way 12 times of its 104 uses · Strong’s H8267Noun · Translated: lies 18, lying 16, false 12, falsely 10Full study and all 100 verses →
Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Psalm 27:12 Do not hand me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.
- שָׁוְא shâveemptiness, vanitytranslated this way 12 times of its 52 uses · Strong’s H7723Noun · Translated: vain 12, false 8, falsehood 4, worthless 4Full study and all 47 verses →
Exodus 23:1 “You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.
Deuteronomy 5:20 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- הָבַל hâbalact emptily, become vaintranslated this way 2 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s H1891Verb · Translated: became worthless 2, false hope 1, filling you with false hopes 1Full study and all 4 verses →
Psalm 62:10 Place no trust in extortion or false hope in stolen goods. If your riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.
Jeremiah 23:16 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.
- כָּזָב kâzâblie, falsehood, deceptive thingtranslated this way 2 times of its 27 uses · Strong’s H3577Noun · Translated: lies 14, lying 4, speak lying 2Full study and all 27 verses →
Proverbs 6:19 a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.
Ezekiel 13:8 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you have uttered vain words and seen false visions, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD.
- בַּד badbrag, lie, liartranslated this way 2 times of its 7 uses · Strong’s H907Noun · Translated: boasting 2, false prophets 2, babbling 1, limbs 1Full study and all 7 verses →
Isaiah 44:25 who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who confounds the wise and turns their knowledge into nonsense,
Jeremiah 50:36 A sword is against her false prophets, and they will become fools. A sword is against her warriors, and they will be filled with terror.
Greek words (New Testament)
- ψευδοπροφήτης pseudoprophḗtēsa false prophettranslated this way 11 times of its 11 uses · Strong’s G5578Noun · Translated: false prophets 7, false prophet 4Full study and all 11 verses →
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Mark 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
- ψευδομαρτυρέω pseudomartyréōI testify falselytranslated this way 4 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s G5576Verb · Translated: bear false witness 3, bore false witness 1, testified falsely 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Matthew 19:18 “Which ones?” the man asked. Jesus answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness,
Mark 10:19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not cheat others, honor your father and mother.’”
- ψευδομαρτυρία pseudomartyríafalse testimonytranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s G5577Noun · Translated: false testimony 2Full study and all 2 verses →
Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.
Matthew 26:59 Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death.
- ψευδόχριστος pseudóchristosa false Christtranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s G5580Noun · Translated: false christs 2Full study and all 2 verses →
Matthew 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
Mark 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
- ψευδομάρτυρ pseudomártyra false witnesstranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s G5575Noun · Translated: false witnesses 2Full study and all 2 verses →
Matthew 26:60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward
1 Corinthians 15:15 In that case, we are also exposed as false witnesses about God. For we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead, but He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised.
- ψευδάδελφος pseudádelphosa false brothertranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s G5569Noun · Translated: false brothers 2Full study and all 2 verses →
2 Corinthians 11:26 In my frequent journeys, I have been in danger from rivers and from bandits, in danger from my countrymen and from the Gentiles, in danger in the city and in the country, in danger on the sea and among false brothers,
Galatians 2:4 This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.
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.