Word study
Proof
2 Hebrew and 4 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: proof, proofs. 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 “proof” 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)
- נַעֲרָה naărâhgirl, damseltranslated this way 2 times of its 56 uses · Strong’s H5291Noun · Translated: girl 11, young woman 8, girl's 5, servant girls 4Full study and all 52 verses →
Deuteronomy 22:15 Then the young woman’s father and mother shall bring the proof of her virginity to the city elders at the gate
Deuteronomy 22:20 If, however, this accusation is true, and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found,
- אֵלֶּה êl-lehthesetranslated this way 1 time of its 693 uses · Strong’s H428Pronoun · Translated: these 377, things 36, of these 28, this 25Full study and all 655 verses →
Deuteronomy 22:17 And now he has accused her of shameful conduct, saying, ‘I discovered that your daughter was not a virgin.’ But here is the proof of her virginity.” And they shall spread out the cloth before the city elders.
Greek words (New Testament)
- δοκιμή dokimḗa trial, proof; tried, approved charactertranslated this way 2 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s G1382Noun · Translated: character 2, proof 2, stand the test 1, ordeal 1Full study and all 7 verses →
2 Corinthians 9:13 Because of the proof this ministry provides, the saints will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to all the others.
2 Corinthians 13:3 since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you but is powerful among you.
- πίστις pístisfaith, belief, trusttranslated this way 1 time of its 242 uses · Strong’s G4102Noun · Translated: faith 231, faithfulness 3Full study and all 227 verses →
Acts 17:31 For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”
- ἔνδειξις éndeixisa showing, proof, demonstration, signtranslated this way 1 time of its 4 uses · Strong’s G1732Noun · Translated: demonstrate 2, proof 1, clear sign 1Full study and all 4 verses →
2 Corinthians 8:24 In full view of the churches, then, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our boasting about you.
- τεκμήριον tekmḗriona sign, certain prooftranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s G5039Noun · Translated: convincing proofs 1Full study and its 1 verse →
Acts 1:3 After His suffering, He presented Himself to them with many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a span of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
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.