What does ἀληθινός (alēthinós) mean in the Bible?
Ἀληθινός (alēthinós) means true, genuine, real, or corresponding fully to what something claims to be. Jesus contrasts worldly wealth with true riches that God entrusts to faithful stewards.
Greek · G228
ἀληθινός
Truthful
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ἀληθινός G228
Pronunciation alēthinós
What does ἀληθινός (alēthinós) mean in the Bible?
Ἀληθινός (alēthinós) means true, genuine, real, or corresponding fully to what something claims to be. Jesus contrasts worldly wealth with true riches that God entrusts to faithful stewards.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀληθινός (G228) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G228?
The BSB source-word alignment has 28 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include true (24), [are] true (1), a sincere (1), true [are] (1), true [riches] (1).
Where does ἀληθινός (alēthinós) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 16:11. Its strongest book concentrations include Revelation (10), John (9), 1 John (4), Hebrews (3).
Are there verse guides for ἀληθινός (alēthinós)?
This entry includes 3 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
Ἀληθινός (alēthinós) means true, genuine, real, or corresponding fully to what something claims to be. Jesus contrasts worldly wealth with true riches that God entrusts to faithful stewards. He says His judgment is true because He does not judge in isolation but in fellowship with the Father who sent Him. Hebrews calls believers to draw near with a true or sincere heart cleansed through Christ's priestly work.
Revelation praises God's ways as just and true and closes by affirming that its prophetic words are faithful and true. The adjective often stresses genuineness or ultimate reality, not merely factual accuracy. Yet it does not make earthly goods unreal or human judgments trustworthy by intensity alone. The noun modified, the standard of truth, and the divine testimony within the passage determine its force.
How the Bible Uses It
Ἀληθινός describes what is genuine and fully reliable: true riches, Jesus' judgment with the Father, a sincere heart drawing near, God's just ways, and Revelation's trustworthy prophetic words.
- Luke.16.11
So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches?
Jesus contrasts faithfulness with unrighteous wealth and the entrusting of true riches, making earthly stewardship a test without calling material goods imaginary.
- John.8.16
But even if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone; I am with the Father who sent Me.
Jesus' judgment is true because the Father who sent Him is with Him, grounding the verdict in the united testimony and mission of Father and Son.
- Heb.10.22
Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Believers draw near with a true heart in full assurance because conscience and body have been cleansed through Christ's effective priestly provision.
- Rev.15.3
And they sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and wonderful are Your works, O Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations!
The victors sing that God's works are great and His ways just and true, confessing moral reliability amid the judgments displayed in the vision.
- Rev.22.6
Then the angel said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.”
The angel certifies the book's words as faithful and true because the Lord who inspires the prophets has sent the revelation to His servants.
Passage contextBook context
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 true 24× John 1:9, John 4:23, John 4:37, John 6:32
[are] true 1× Revelation 19:2
a sincere 1× Hebrews 10:22
true [are] 1× Revelation 15:3
true [riches] 1× Luke 16:11
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 16:11 ἀληθινὸν to true [riches] Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular John 1:9 ἀληθινὸν to true Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular John 4:23 ἀληθινοὶ to true Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural John 4:37 ἀληθινὸς to true Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular John 6:32 ἀληθινόν to true Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular John 7:28 ἀληθινὸς to true Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular John 8:16 ἀληθινή to true Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular John 15:1 ἀληθινή to true Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular John 17:3 ἀληθινὸν to true Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular John 19:35 ἀληθινὴ to true Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 16:11
Aligned rows 28
Books represented 6
Luke 1 John 9 1 Thessalonians 1 Hebrews 3 1 John 4 Revelation 10
Source forms
ἀληθινὸν 4x alēthinon Luke 16:11, John 1:9, John 17:3, 1 John 2:8
ἀληθιναὶ 3x alēthinai Revelation 15:3, Revelation 16:7, Revelation 19:2
ἀληθινός 3x alēthinos Revelation 3:7, Revelation 3:14, Revelation 6:10
ἀληθινὸς 3x alēthinos John 4:37, John 7:28, 1 John 5:20
ἀληθινή 2x alēthinē John 8:16, John 15:1
ἀληθινῆς 2x alēthinēs Hebrews 8:2, Hebrews 10:22
ἀληθινοί 2x alēthinoi Revelation 21:5, Revelation 22:6
ἀληθινοὶ 2x alēthinoi John 4:23, Revelation 19:9
Parsing patterns
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular 6x John 4:37, John 7:28, 1 John 5:20, Revelation 3:7
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural 4x John 4:23, Revelation 19:9, Revelation 21:5, Revelation 22:6
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular 3x John 6:32, John 17:3, 1 John 5:20
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural 3x Revelation 15:3, Revelation 16:7, Revelation 19:2
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular 3x John 8:16, John 15:1, John 19:35
Adjective - Dative Masculine Singular 2x 1 Thessalonians 1:9, 1 John 5:20
Adjective - Genitive Feminine Singular 2x Hebrews 8:2, Hebrews 10:22
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular 2x John 1:9, 1 John 2:8
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not use “true riches” to deny the real moral responsibilities attached to money; Jesus makes earthly stewardship the testing ground.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that a true heart earns access to God apart from Christ's cleansing priestly work.
- Do not claim that Revelation's words are optional symbolism when the angel certifies them as faithful and true.
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 1:9 Adjective Nominative Singular Neuter
ἀληθινόν, alethinon truthful The grammar sharpens the description of the light as genuine or real, so the verse communicates authenticity, not merely brightness. Read verse guide John 4:23 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
ἀληθινοὶ alethinoi truthful The adjective narrows the worshipers in view to those Jesus calls true. Read verse guide Revelation 22:6 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
ἀληθινοί· alethinoi truthful The adjective strengthens the affirmation of the words by pairing truthfulness with faithfulness, but the verse's context remains the main guide. Read verse guide Evidence Summary
Greek word. truthful
Source Gloss
truthful
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
(ἀληθής), [in LXX for אֶמֶת ;] true, in the sense of real, ideal, genuine: Luk.16:11 Jhn.1:9 4:23, 37 6:32 7:28 8:16 15:1 17:3 19:35, 1Th.1:9, Heb.8:2 9:24 10:22, 1Jn.2:8 Jn 5:20, Rev.3:7, 14 6:10 15:3 16:7 19:2; = ἀληθής, Rev.19:9 21:5 22:6 (MM, VGT, see word).
Synonymsἀληθής, q.v
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 27 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 16:11 Adjective Accusative Singular Neuter
ἀληθινὸν alhqinon
true, real, genuine
Read verse alhqinon
true, real, genuine
Read verse alhqinoi
true, real, genuine
Read verse John 4:37 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀληθινός, alhqinov
true, real, genuine
Read verse John 6:32 Adjective Accusative Singular Masculine
ἀληθινόν. alhqinon
true, real, genuine
Read verse John 7:28 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀληθινὸς alhqinov
true, real, genuine
Read verse John 15:1 Adjective Nominative Singular Feminine
ἀληθινή, alhqinh
true, real, genuine
Read verse John 17:3 Adjective Accusative Singular Masculine
ἀληθινὸν alhqinon
true, real, genuine
Read verse John 19:35 Adjective Nominative Singular Feminine
ἀληθινὴ alhqinh
true, real, genuine
Read verse 1 Thessalonians 1:9 Adjective Dative Singular Masculine
ἀληθινῷ, alhqinw
true, real, genuine
Read verse Hebrews 8:2 Adjective Genitive Singular Feminine
ἀληθινῆς, alhqinhv
true, real, genuine
Read verse Hebrews 9:24 Adjective Genitive Plural Neuter
ἀληθινῶν, alhqinwn
true, real, genuine
Read verse Hebrews 10:22 Adjective Genitive Singular Feminine
ἀληθινῆς alhqinhv
true, real, genuine
Read verse 1 John 2:8 Adjective Nominative Singular Neuter
ἀληθινὸν alhqinon
true, real, genuine
Read verse 1 John 5:20 Adjective Accusative Singular Masculine
ἀληθινόν· alhqinon
true, real, genuine
Read verse 1 John 5:20 Adjective Dative Singular Masculine
ἀληθινῷ, alhqinw
true, real, genuine
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 10 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 10 Aligned forms 28 Case pattern Nominative (19) Number pattern Singular (20)
Nominative · Singular · Masculine John 4:37 · John 7:28 · 1 John 5:20 · Rev 3:7 · Rev 3:14 · Rev 6:10 · Rev 19:11 7×
Nominative · Singular · Feminine John 8:16 · John 15:1 · John 19:35 3×
Nominative · Plural · Feminine Rev 15:3 · Rev 16:7 · Rev 19:2 3×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine Heb 8:2 · Heb 10:22 2×
Genitive · Plural · Neuter Heb 9:24 1×
Dative · Singular · Masculine 1 Thess 1:9 · 1 John 5:20 2×
Accusative · Singular · Masculine John 6:32 · John 17:3 · 1 John 5:20 3×
Accusative · Singular · Neuter Luke 16:11 1×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
Real and authentic as opposed to false.
Showing 1 selected witness from 28 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἀληθινός is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Knowing the true God guards against deception and idolatry. 1 John 5:18-21
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
God's truth is not fragile agreement with appearances but reality worthy of trust. Worldly wealth is real enough to test stewardship, yet it is not the true riches Jesus sets beyond it. Christ's judgment is reliable because His mission and testimony are not independent of the Father. Hebrews moves genuineness into worship: a true heart does not manufacture sincerity as a qualification but draws near because Christ has cleansed conscience and opened access.
Revelation praises God's ways as true in the midst of judgments human readers may find overwhelming, then seals its visions with testimony from the God of prophetic spirits. The church therefore receives true reality rather than inventing it. Teachers should join objective reliability, moral genuineness, and covenant faithfulness while avoiding a vague contrast between “spiritual” truth and supposedly unreal creation.
Anchor passage
Luke.16.11
Doctrinal connections
- Luke 16:1-13, stewardship and true riches
- John 8:12-20, the Son's true judgment with the Father
- Hebrews 10:19-25, drawing near with a true heart
- Revelation 15:2-4, God's just and true ways
- Revelation 22:6-7, faithful and true prophetic words
- Deuteronomy 32:3-4, the faithful God whose ways are just
Ἀληθινός is an adjective meaning true, genuine, or real in the fullest sense. It can contrast an ultimate reality with a provisional counterpart or certify reliability. Context distinguishes genuineness from simple truthfulness.
From Old to New Testament
God is faithful and without falsehood, His words prove reliable, and worship requires an undivided heart. Jesus reveals the Father and Revelation testifies that God's final acts remain true and just.
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