What does ἀλήθεια (alḗtheia) mean in the Bible?
ἀλήθεια means truth, reality, and faithfulness to what is so. In the Pastoral Epistles, truth is not an abstract virtue floating above doctrine and life.
Greek · G225
ἀλήθεια
Truth
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ἀλήθεια G225
Pronunciation alḗtheia
What does ἀλήθεια (alḗtheia) mean in the Bible?
ἀλήθεια means truth, reality, and faithfulness to what is so. In the Pastoral Epistles, truth is not an abstract virtue floating above doctrine and life.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀλήθεια (G225) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G225?
The BSB source-word alignment has 109 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include truth (61), [the] truth (10), of truth (10), of [the] truth (4), true (4).
Where does ἀλήθεια (alḗtheia) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 22:16. Its strongest book concentrations include John (25), 1 John (9), 2 Corinthians (8), Romans (8).
Are there verse guides for ἀλήθεια (alḗtheia)?
This entry includes 6 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
ἀλήθεια means truth, reality, and faithfulness to what is so. In the Pastoral Epistles, truth is not an abstract virtue floating above doctrine and life. In 1 Timothy 2:4, salvation is joined to arriving at the knowledge of the truth. The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. Timothy must accurately handle the word of truth. False teachers are corrupted in mind and deprived of the truth, while unstable hearers may be always learning without arriving at the truth.
Titus links truth with godliness and warns against myths and human commands that reject the truth. The word therefore carries both doctrinal and moral force. Truth is the reality God has revealed in the gospel, confessed and guarded in the church, handled responsibly by workers, and embodied in godliness. It is rejected not only by error but by desires that prefer myths.
How the Bible Uses It
In the Pastoral Epistles, ἀλήθεια is revealed gospel reality that saves, forms godliness, anchors the church, and must be handled rightly. It stands against myths, corrupt teaching, endless learning without repentance, and speech that departs from God's word.
- 1Tim.2.4
Who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Salvation and coming to the knowledge of the truth are joined. Truth is not optional information after rescue.
- 1Tim.3.15
In case I am delayed, so that you will know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
God's household is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. The church upholds truth, not private novelty.
- 2Tim.2.15
Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.
The approved worker accurately handles the word of truth. Truth requires faithful labor, not careless speech.
- 2Tim.3.7
Who are always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Some are always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Learning can become avoidance when it refuses repentance.
- 2Tim.4.4
So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
People can turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. Desire and hearing shape doctrinal drift.
- Titus.1.1
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness,
The truth leads to godliness. Paul refuses any split between doctrine and formed life.
- Titus.1.14
And will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of men who have rejected the truth.
Human commands and myths are rejected because they turn from the truth. The word guards the church from counterfeit authority.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It truth 61× Mark 5:33, John 1:14, John 1:17, John 3:21
[the] truth 10× Mark 12:14, John 8:46, John 17:19, Romans 9:1
of truth 10× John 14:17, John 15:26, John 16:13, Acts 26:25
of [the] truth 4× 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Timothy 2:25, 2 Timothy 3:7, Titus 1:1
true 4× 2 Corinthians 7:14, Ephesians 4:24, Philippians 1:18, 1 Timothy 2:7
the truth 2× Matthew 22:16, Luke 20:21
. . . 1× Acts 10:34
[As surely as the] truth 1× 2 Corinthians 11:10
[in] truth 1× John 4:24
[was] true 1× 2 Corinthians 7:14
[which] 1× 3 John 1:3
{the belt of} truth 1× Ephesians 6:14
Certainly 1× Luke 22:59
correctly 1× Mark 12:32
devotion to the truth 1× 3 John 1:3
fact 1× Acts 4:27
in [the] truth 1× 2 Thessalonians 2:13
in truth 1× John 4:23
of the truth 1× 1 Timothy 6:5
truly 1× Colossians 1:6
truthful 1× 2 Corinthians 6:7
truthfully 1× Ephesians 4:25
truthfully [that] 1× Luke 4:25
truthfulness 1× Romans 3:7
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 22:16 ἀληθείᾳ to the truth Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Mark 5:33 ἀλήθειαν to truth Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Mark 12:14 ἀληθείας to [the] truth Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Mark 12:32 ἀληθείας to correctly Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Luke 4:25 ἀληθείας to truthfully [that] Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Luke 20:21 ἀληθείας to the truth Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Luke 22:59 ἀληθείας to Certainly Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular John 1:14 ἀληθείας to truth Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular John 1:17 ἀλήθεια to truth Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular John 3:21 ἀλήθειαν to truth Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 22:16
Aligned rows 109
Books represented 23
Matthew 1 Mark 3 Luke 3 John 25 Acts 3 Romans 8 1 Corinthians 2 2 Corinthians 8 Galatians 3 Ephesians 6 Philippians 1 Colossians 2 2 Thessalonians 3 1 Timothy 6 2 Timothy 6 Titus 2 Hebrews 1 James 3 1 Peter 1 2 Peter 2 1 John 9 2 John 5 3 John 6
Source forms
ἀληθείας 43x alētheias Mark 12:14, Mark 12:32, Luke 4:25, Luke 20:21
ἀληθείᾳ 29x alētheia Matthew 22:16, John 4:23, John 4:24, John 5:33
ἀλήθειαν 21x alētheian Mark 5:33, John 3:21, John 8:32, John 8:40
ἀλήθεια 13x alētheia John 1:17, John 8:32, John 8:44, John 14:6
ἀλήθειά 1x alētheia John 17:17
ἀληθείᾳ* 1x alētheia John 16:13
Ἀλήθειαν 1x Alētheian Romans 9:1
Parsing patterns
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 43x Mark 12:14, Mark 12:32, Luke 4:25, Luke 20:21
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 30x Matthew 22:16, John 4:23, John 4:24, John 5:33
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 22x Mark 5:33, John 3:21, John 8:32, John 8:40
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular 14x John 1:17, John 8:32, John 8:44, John 14:6
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Pursue truth in a way that produces godliness, not pride or endless dispute.
- Do not confuse constant learning with submission to the truth.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that ἀλήθεια means only factual correctness without moral and doctrinal reality.
- Do not claim that the church creates the truth it is called to uphold.
Key Verse and Form Guides
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
John 1:14 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
ἀληθείας. aletheias truth The form helps the reader hear truth as part of the Word's fullness, strengthening the portrait of revelation, reliability, and divine self-disclosure in the verse. Read verse guide John 1:17 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
ἀλήθεια aletheia truth The form nudges interpretation toward truth as an active part of the clause's subject, while the verse still centers on the contrast between Moses and Jesus Christ. Read verse guide John 4:24 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
ἀληθείᾳ aletheia truth The dative noun makes truth part of the worship frame Jesus names. Read verse guide John 14:6 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
ἀλήθεια aletheia truth The predicate form makes truth personal and revelatory in John 14:6, not merely a category of accurate information. Read verse guide John 17:17 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
ἀληθείᾳ aletheia truth The form places truth inside the sanctification request, preparing the next statement that the Father's word is truth. Read verse guide Romans 3:7 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
ἀλήθεια aletheia truth The form supports reading 'the truth of God' as the clause's main entity under discussion, but the verse's meaning comes from the full conditional argument, not from morphology alone. Read verse guide Evidence Summary
RevelationSpirit
Greek word. truth
Source Gloss
truth
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 110 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 22:16 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
ἀληθείᾳ alhqeia
truth
Read verse Mark 5:33 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἀλήθειαν. alhqeian
truth
Read verse Mark 12:14 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
ἀληθείας alhqeiav
truth
Read verse Mark 12:32 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
ἀληθείας alhqeiav
truth
Read verse Luke 4:25 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
ἀληθείας alhqeiav
truth
Read verse Luke 20:21 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
ἀληθείας alhqeiav
truth
Read verse Luke 22:59 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
ἀληθείας alhqeiav
truth
Read verse alhqeiav
truth
Read verse alhqeia
truth
Read verse John 3:21 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἀλήθειαν alhqeian
truth
Read verse John 4:23 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
ἀληθείᾳ· alhqeia
truth
Read verse alhqeia
truth
Read verse John 5:33 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
ἀληθείᾳ. alhqeia
truth
Read verse John 8:32 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἀλήθειαν, alhqeian
truth
Read verse John 8:32 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
ἀλήθεια alhqeia
truth
Read verse John 8:40 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἀλήθειαν alhqeian
truth
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 4 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 4 Aligned forms 109 Case pattern Genitive (43) Number pattern Singular (109)
Nominative · Singular · Feminine John 1:17 · John 8:32 · John 8:44 · John 14:6 · John 17:17 · John 18:38 · Rom 3:7 · 2 Cor 7:14 · 2 Cor 11:10 · Gal 2:5 · Eph 4:21 · 1 John 1:8 · 1 John 2:4 · 1 John 5:6 14×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine Mark 12:14 · Mark 12:32 · Luke 4:25 · Luke 20:21 · Luke 22:59 · John 1:14 · John 14:17 · John 15:26 · John 16:13 · John 18:37 · Acts 4:27 · Acts 10:34 · Acts 26:25 · Rom 2:20 · Rom 15:8 · 1 Cor 5:8 43×
Dative · Singular · Feminine Matt 22:16 · John 4:23 · John 4:24 · John 5:33 · John 8:44 · John 16:13 · John 17:17 · John 17:19 · John 18:37 · Rom 2:8 · 1 Cor 13:6 · 2 Cor 7:14 · Gal 5:7 · Eph 5:9 · Eph 6:14 · Phil 1:18 30×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Mark 5:33 · John 3:21 · John 8:32 · John 8:40 · John 8:45 · John 8:46 · John 16:7 · Rom 1:18 · Rom 1:25 · Rom 2:2 · Rom 9:1 · 2 Cor 12:6 · Gal 2:14 · Eph 4:25 · 1 Tim 2:7 · 1 Tim 4:3 22×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
Reality as revealed by God.
Showing 1 selected witness from 109 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἀλήθεια is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Discernment ultimately distinguishes the Spirit of truth from error. 1 John 4:1-6
Canonical Themes
Revelation Spirit
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
ἀλήθεια is one of the Pastoral Epistles' main safeguards against both error and empty religion. Paul does not treat truth as a cold abstraction. People are saved and brought to its knowledge. The church is ordered as the household of the living God so that truth is visibly upheld. Workers must handle the word of truth accurately because mishandled truth wounds hearers and feeds shameful talk.
At the same time, truth is never severed from godliness. Titus begins with the knowledge of the truth that accords with godliness, which means real doctrine creates a shaped life. The word therefore exposes two failures: learning that never arrives at obedience, and religious living that no longer submits to revealed truth. In these letters, truth is gospel reality guarded, taught, believed, and lived before God.
Anchor passage
Titus.1.1
Doctrinal connections
- G3056 Logos: The word of truth must be handled accurately by approved workers.
- G1319 Didaskalia: Sound teaching serves truth that accords with godliness.
- G1577 Ekklesia: The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth.
- G4982 Sozo: In 1 Timothy 2:4, saving mercy moves with truthful knowledge, not apart from it.
- G4102 Pistis: Truth is bound to the faith of God's elect in Titus 1:1.
- G952 Bebelos: Myths and profane errors oppose the truth's holy and formative purpose.
ἀλήθεια can speak of truthfulness, reality, or revealed truth depending on context. In these letters it is frequently paired with knowledge, word, church, godliness, and rejection. The word should not be reduced to sincerity or factual accuracy alone, though both truthfulness and accuracy matter.
From Old to New Testament
The biblical witness presents God's word as true and His covenant ways as reliable. The Pastoral Epistles bring that pattern into church ministry by requiring truth to be upheld, rightly handled, and expressed in godliness.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain