Word study
Never
9 Hebrew and 17 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “never”. 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 “never” 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)
- לֹא lônottranslated this way 221 times of its 4,657 uses · Strong’s H3808Adverb · Translated: no 309, not 269, never 218, will not 156Full study and all 3,775 verses →
Genesis 8:21 When the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, He said in His heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from his youth. And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.
Exodus 4:10 “Please, Lord,” Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.”
- אַל alprohibition, do not . . ., let not . . .translated this way 20 times of its 662 uses · Strong’s H408Adverb · Translated: do not 400, and do not 41, not 29, no 24Full study and all 559 verses →
Genesis 49:6 May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly. For they kill men in their anger, and hamstring oxen on a whim.
Deuteronomy 9:7 Remember this, and never forget how you provoked the LORD your God in the wilderness. From the day you left the land of Egypt until you reached this place, you have been rebelling against the LORD.
- אִם imiftranslated this way 8 times of its 889 uses · Strong’s H518Conjunction · Translated: if 398, but if 95, or 64, and if 36Full study and all 761 verses →
1 Samuel 3:14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, ‘The iniquity of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”
1 Kings 2:8 Keep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who is with you. He called down bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: ‘I will never put you to the sword.’
- בַּל balnottranslated this way 8 times of its 63 uses · Strong’s H1077Adverb · Translated: never 8, cannot 7, will not 4, i will not 3Full study and all 54 verses →
Psalm 10:11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and never sees.”
Isaiah 14:21 Prepare a place to slaughter his sons for the iniquities of their forefathers. They will never rise up to possess a land or cover the earth with their cities.
- אַיִן ayinnothing, noughttranslated this way 7 times of its 744 uses · Strong’s H369Adverb · Translated: there is no 55, no 54, without 54, nothing 40Full study and all 660 verses →
2 Chronicles 18:7 The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.
Proverbs 5:17 Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
- עוֹלָם ôlâmlong duration, antiquity, futuritytranslated this way 6 times of its 341 uses · Strong’s H5769Noun · Translated: forever 114, everlasting 60, endures forever 43, permanent 38Full study and all 324 verses →
Psalm 49:8 For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice,
Proverbs 10:30 The righteous will never be shaken, but the wicked will not inhabit the land.
- בִּלְתִּי biltînot, excepttranslated this way 3 times of its 104 uses · Strong’s H1115Preposition-l · Translated: not 12, no 8, nothing 4, without 4Full study and all 101 verses →
Joshua 5:6 For the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness forty years, until all the nation’s men of war who had come out of Egypt had died, since they did not obey the LORD. So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land He had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Jeremiah 32:40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never turn away from doing good to them, and I will put My fear in their hearts, so that they will never turn away from Me.
- חָלִילָה châlîlâhfar be ittranslated this way 3 times of its 21 uses · Strong’s H2486Interjection · Translated: Far 14, forbid 3, Never 3, possibly 1Full study and all 19 verses →
1 Samuel 14:45 But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die — he who accomplished such a great deliverance for Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for with God’s help he has accomplished this today.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.
Job 27:5 I will never say that you are right; I will maintain my integrity until I die.
- לָא lânottranslated this way 3 times of its 71 uses · Strong’s H3809Adverb · Translated: no 10, not 9, cannot 4, without 3Full study and all 56 verses →
Daniel 6:5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.”
Daniel 6:26 I hereby decree that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end.
Greek words (New Testament)
- οὐ ouno, nottranslated this way 26 times of its 704 uses · Strong’s G3756Adverb · Translated: not 470, no 123, never 26, nothing 12Full study and all 643 verses →
Matthew 13:14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
Mark 3:29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin.”
- εἰσέρχομαι eisérchomaiI go in, come in, entertranslated this way 8 times of its 189 uses · Strong’s G1525Verb · Translated: enter 54, entered 38, went 22, come 11Full study and all 178 verses →
Matthew 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Mark 10:15 Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
- οὐδέποτε oudépotenevertranslated this way 7 times of its 9 uses · Strong’s G3763Adverb · Translated: never 7, Nothing 2Full study and all 9 verses →
Matthew 26:33 Peter said to Him, “Even if all fall away on account of You, I never will.”
Luke 15:29 But he answered his father, ‘Look, all these years I have served you and never disobeyed a commandment of yours. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.
- ἀναγινώσκω anaginṓskōI readtranslated this way 4 times of its 32 uses · Strong’s G314Verb · Translated: read 18, reading 5, never read 4, reader 2Full study and all 29 verses →
Matthew 21:16 “Do You hear what these children are saying?” they asked. “Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read: ‘From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise’?”
Mark 2:25 Jesus replied, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need?
- γίνομαι gínomaiI come into being, am borntranslated this way 4 times of its 544 uses · Strong’s G1096Verb · Translated: become 58, came 42, became 34, happened 28Full study and all 515 verses →
Matthew 21:19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.
Luke 20:16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” And when the people heard this, they said, “May such a thing never happen!”
- ἀπόλλυμι apóllymiI destroy, lose, am perishingtranslated this way 3 times of its 90 uses · Strong’s G622Verb · Translated: lost 12, lose 11, perish 10, destroy 9Full study and all 84 verses →
Matthew 10:42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”
Mark 9:41 Indeed, if anyone gives you even a cup of water because you bear the name of Christ, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.
- μή mḗnot, lesttranslated this way 3 times of its 411 uses · Strong’s G3361Adverb · Translated: not 284, no 44, without 18, Otherwise 9Full study and all 381 verses →
Mark 4:12 so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”
- πιστεύω pisteúōI believe, have faith intranslated this way 3 times of its 240 uses · Strong’s G4100Verb · Translated: believe 114, believed 65, believes 29, believers 8Full study and all 217 verses →
John 4:48 Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”
Acts 13:41 ‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish! For I am doing a work in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’”
- ἀκούω akoúōI hear, listentranslated this way 3 times of its 422 uses · Strong’s G191Verb · Translated: heard 192, hear 98, listen 37, hearing 21Full study and all 394 verses →
John 5:37 And the Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form,
- παύω paúōI cause to ceasetranslated this way 3 times of its 15 uses · Strong’s G3973Verb · Translated: stopped 3, finished 2Full study and all 15 verses →
Acts 6:13 where they presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.
Acts 13:10 and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
- ἀπαρνέομαι aparnéomaiI deny, disown, disregardtranslated this way 2 times of its 11 uses · Strong’s G533Verb · Translated: deny 7, never deny 2, denied 2Full study and all 11 verses →
Matthew 26:35 Peter replied, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the other disciples said the same thing.
Mark 14:31 But Peter kept insisting, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the others said the same thing.
- μηκέτι mēkétino longertranslated this way 2 times of its 18 uses · Strong’s G3371Adverb · Translated: longer 9, more 2, never 2Full study and all 18 verses →
Mark 9:25 When Jesus saw that a crowd had come running, He rebuked the unclean spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” He said, “I command you to come out and never enter him again.”
Acts 13:34 In fact, God raised Him from the dead, never to see decay. As He has said: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’
- παρέρχομαι parérchomaiI pass bytranslated this way 2 times of its 28 uses · Strong’s G3928Verb · Translated: pass away 10, pass 5, disappear 2, never pass away 2Full study and all 24 verses →
Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
- διψάω dipsáōI thirst for, desire earnestlytranslated this way 2 times of its 16 uses · Strong’s G1372Verb · Translated: thirsty 11, thirst 2, never thirst 2, get thirsty 1Full study and all 16 verses →
John 4:14 But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”
John 6:35 Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.
- φάγω phágōI eattranslated this way 2 times of its 92 uses · Strong’s G5315Verb · Translated: eat 61, ate 16, eaten 3, food 2Full study and all 86 verses →
Acts 10:14 “No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to stumble.
- καταισχύνω kataischýnōI shame, disgrace, put to utter confusiontranslated this way 2 times of its 13 uses · Strong’s G2617Verb · Translated: never be put to shame 2, put to shame 2, shame 2, dishonors 2Full study and all 12 verses →
- εὑρίσκω heurískōI findtranslated this way 2 times of its 172 uses · Strong’s G2147Verb · Translated: found 82, find 49, finds 14, Finding 4Full study and all 163 verses →
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.