What does οὐδείς (oudeís) mean in the Bible?
Oudeis is the Greek word that says no one, nothing, or none. It is a negating word, but in the New Testament it often does more than deny a stray detail.
Greek · G3762
οὐδείς
None
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οὐδείς G3762
Pronunciation oudeís
What does οὐδείς (oudeís) mean in the Bible?
Oudeis is the Greek word that says no one, nothing, or none. It is a negating word, but in the New Testament it often does more than deny a stray detail.
Reader summary
Full entry for οὐδείς (G3762) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3762?
The BSB source-word alignment has 234 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include No one (86), nothing (40), . . . (32), no (12), [anything] (6).
Where does οὐδείς (oudeís) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 5:13. Its strongest book concentrations include John (53), Luke (35), Acts (28), Mark (26).
Are there verse guides for οὐδείς (oudeís)?
This entry includes 1 verse guide that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
Oudeis is the Greek word that says no one, nothing, or none. It is a negating word, but in the New Testament it often does more than deny a stray detail. It closes a door the text means to close. In John, no one has seen God apart from the Son making Him known, no one can come to Christ unless the Father grants and draws, no one comes to the Father except through Jesus, and apart from Him the branches can do nothing.
The word itself is not a doctrine by itself, but it often strengthens a doctrine by excluding rival claims. A teacher must ask what the sentence is ruling out. Sometimes oudeis simply reports that no one understood, no one answered, or no one acted. In the load-bearing passages, however, the negative protects revelation, grace, Christ's exclusive mediation, and dependent fruitfulness.
How the Bible Uses It
Oudeis ranges from ordinary narrative negation to major theological exclusion. John uses the word with special force to clarify that revelation, saving access, and fruitfulness are not available apart from the Son and the Father's gracious work.
- John.1.18
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
No one has seen God apart from the Son's self-disclosure, so the negative protects revelation rather than inviting speculation about hidden access to God.
- John.6.44
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him, making human response real while grounding saving approach in divine initiative.
- John.6.65
Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.”
Jesus repeats the point in grant language, so the word excludes a self-originating approach to Christ while keeping the call to come intact.
- John.14.6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
The exclusive claim is not in the negative alone but in Jesus' whole sentence: He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him.
- John.15.5
I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.
The neuter force becomes nothing: apart from Christ, disciples can produce no lasting fruit, so the word guards abiding dependence.
- Acts.4.12
Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
The apostolic witness uses the same exclusion to confess that salvation exists in no one else, tying gospel proclamation to the unique name of Jesus.
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 No one 86× Matthew 6:24, Matthew 9:16, Matthew 11:27, Matthew 17:8
nothing 40× Matthew 10:26, Matthew 17:20, Matthew 21:19, Matthew 23:16
. . . 32× Matthew 8:10, Matthew 13:34, Matthew 26:62, Matthew 27:12
no 12× Luke 4:24, Luke 16:13, Luke 23:4, Luke 23:22
[anything] 6× Matthew 5:13, Luke 5:5, John 7:26, John 16:23
none 6× John 16:5, John 21:12, Acts 18:17, Acts 26:26
not one 4× Luke 4:27, Luke 14:24, John 7:19, John 17:12
vvv 4× Acts 15:9, Acts 25:18, 2 Corinthians 12:11, Galatians 2:6
[any] 3× Mark 6:5, Luke 4:26, 1 Corinthians 9:15
- 2× Mark 5:3, Revelation 2:17
No one [is] 2× Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19
one 2× Mark 9:8, 1 Corinthians 6:5
only 2× 2 Timothy 2:14, Revelation 19:12
[a thing] 1× Acts 9:8
[a word to anyone] 1× Mark 16:8
[anyone] 1× James 1:13
[at all] 1× 1 John 1:5
[for anything] 1× John 16:24
[is] nothing at all 1× 1 Corinthians 8:4
[there is] no 1× 1 Corinthians 8:4
[there was] no one 1× Mark 5:4
[to anyone] 1× 2 Corinthians 11:9
{Has} no one 1× John 8:10
{let} anyone 1× 1 Corinthians 9:15
any 1× Acts 8:16
any [further] 1× Luke 20:40
anyone 1× Mark 5:37
anyone’s 1× Acts 20:33
anything 1× Mark 7:12
cannot 1× Galatians 3:15
is no truth 1× Acts 21:24
never 1× John 10:41
no such thing 1× John 9:33
nobody else 1× Philippians 2:20
none [ of us ] 1× Romans 14:7
none [of them is] 1× 1 Corinthians 14:10
not 1× Luke 23:14
not a single 1× Acts 27:34
nothing [is] 1× Romans 14:14
nothing [on it] 1× Mark 11:13
nothing at all 1× John 11:49
of no 1× Acts 20:24
over 1× John 19:11
refrains from 1× 2 Timothy 2:4
to [anyone] 1× John 8:33
without 1× John 16:29
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 5:13 οὐδὲν to [anything] Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular Matthew 6:24 Οὐδεὶς to No one Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 8:10 οὐδενὶ to . . . Adjective - Dative Masculine Singular Matthew 9:16 Οὐδεὶς to No one Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 10:26 οὐδὲν to nothing Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular Matthew 11:27 οὐδεὶς to No one Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 13:34 οὐδὲν to . . . Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular Matthew 17:8 οὐδένα to no one Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular Matthew 17:20 οὐδὲν to Nothing Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular Matthew 20:7 οὐδεὶς to no one Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 5:13
Aligned rows 234
Books represented 19
Matthew 19 Mark 26 Luke 35 John 53 Acts 28 Romans 4 1 Corinthians 19 2 Corinthians 8 Galatians 8 Ephesians 1 Philippians 3 1 Timothy 3 2 Timothy 3 Titus 1 Philemon 1 Hebrews 6 James 2 1 John 2 Revelation 12
Source forms
οὐδεὶς 80x oudeis Matthew 11:27, Matthew 20:7, Matthew 22:46, Matthew 24:36
οὐδὲν 52x ouden Matthew 5:13, Matthew 10:26, Matthew 13:34, Matthew 17:20
οὐδέν 28x ouden Matthew 23:16, Matthew 23:18, Mark 7:15, Mark 14:60
οὐδένα 16x oudena Matthew 17:8, Mark 5:37, Mark 7:24, Mark 9:8
Οὐδεὶς 10x Oudeis Matthew 6:24, Matthew 9:16, Mark 2:21, Luke 5:36
οὐδενὶ 9x oudeni Matthew 8:10, Mark 9:29, Mark 16:8, Luke 9:36
οὐδεμίαν 8x oudemian Mark 6:5, Luke 4:26, John 16:29, John 18:38
οὐδείς 6x oudeis Mark 10:29, Luke 7:28, Luke 18:29, John 8:10
Parsing patterns
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular 98x Matthew 6:24, Matthew 9:16, Matthew 11:27, Matthew 20:7
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular 69x Matthew 5:13, Matthew 13:34, Matthew 21:19, Matthew 26:62
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular 21x Matthew 10:26, Matthew 17:20, Matthew 23:16, Matthew 23:18
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular 16x Matthew 17:8, Mark 5:37, Mark 7:24, Mark 9:8
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular 8x Mark 6:5, Luke 4:26, John 16:29, John 18:38
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Singular 8x Matthew 22:16, Mark 12:14, Acts 20:24, Acts 20:33
Adjective - Dative Masculine Singular 7x Matthew 8:10, Mark 16:8, Luke 9:36, John 8:33
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular 3x Acts 27:22, Philippians 4:15, 1 John 1:5
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Ask what the passage is excluding and why. In John, no-one language often guards Christ's unique revelation, saving access, and life-giving union.
- Let the negative serve the good news. These passages close false paths so that readers hear the sufficiency of Christ and the necessity of grace.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that oudeis always marks a major theological boundary. Some uses simply report absence, ignorance, or lack of response in the scene.
- Do not claim that biblical exclusivity is harsh because it says no. John 14:6 says no to false ways because Jesus Himself is the way to the Father.
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.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Absolute negation of existence or possession; contrasts with μηδείς by asserting objective fact rather than subjective possibility.
Source Gloss
none
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 236 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
ouden
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 6:24 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
οὐδεὶς oudeiv
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 9:16 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
οὐδεὶς oudeiv
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 10:26 Adjective Nominative Singular Neuter
οὐδὲν ouden
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 11:27 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
οὐδεὶς oudeiv
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 17:8 Adjective Accusative Singular Masculine
οὐδένα oudena
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 17:20 Adjective Nominative Singular Neuter
οὐδὲν ouden
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 19:17 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
οὐδεὶς oudeiv
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 20:7 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
οὐδεὶς oudeiv
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 21:19 Adjective Accusative Singular Neuter
οὐδὲν ouden
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 22:16 Adjective Genitive Singular Masculine
οὐδενός, oudenov
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 22:46 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
οὐδεὶς oudeiv
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 23:16 Adjective Nominative Singular Neuter
οὐδέν ouden
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 23:18 Adjective Nominative Singular Neuter
οὐδέν ouden
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 24:36 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
οὐδεὶς oudeiv
no one, none, nothing
Read verse Matthew 26:62 Adjective Accusative Singular Neuter
Οὐδὲν ouden
no one, none, nothing
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 232 Case pattern Nominative (120) Number pattern Singular (232)
Nominative · Singular · Masculine Matt 6:24 · Matt 9:16 · Matt 11:27 · Matt 20:7 · Matt 22:46 · Matt 24:36 · Mark 2:21 · Mark 2:22 · Mark 3:27 · Mark 5:3 · Mark 5:4 · Mark 9:39 · Mark 10:18 · Mark 10:29 · Mark 11:2 · Mark 12:34 96×
Nominative · Singular · Neuter Matt 10:26 · Matt 17:20 · Matt 23:16 · Matt 23:18 · Mark 7:15 · Luke 10:19 · Luke 12:2 · Luke 23:15 · John 8:54 · Acts 18:17 · Acts 21:24 · Acts 25:11 · Rom 8:1 · Rom 14:14 · 1 Cor 7:19 · 1 Cor 8:4 21×
Nominative · Singular · Feminine Acts 27:22 · Phil 4:15 · 1 John 1:5 3×
Genitive · Singular · Masculine Matt 22:16 · Mark 12:14 · Acts 20:24 · Acts 20:33 · Acts 27:34 · 1 Cor 2:15 · 2 Cor 11:9 · Heb 6:13 8×
Genitive · Singular · Neuter Luke 8:43 · Luke 22:35 2×
Dative · Singular · Masculine Matt 8:10 · Mark 16:8 · Luke 9:36 · John 8:33 · Acts 4:12 · Acts 8:16 · 1 Cor 9:15 7×
Dative · Singular · Neuter Mark 9:29 · Phil 1:20 2×
Accusative · Singular · Neuter Matt 5:13 · Matt 13:34 · Matt 21:19 · Matt 26:62 · Matt 27:12 · Matt 27:24 · Mark 7:12 · Mark 11:13 · Mark 14:60 · Mark 14:61 · Mark 15:4 · Mark 15:5 · Mark 16:8 · Luke 4:2 · Luke 5:5 · Luke 9:36 69×
Accusative · Singular · Masculine Matt 17:8 · Mark 5:37 · Mark 7:24 · Mark 9:8 · John 5:22 · John 8:15 · John 18:9 · John 18:31 · Acts 5:23 · 1 Cor 1:14 · 2 Cor 5:16 · 2 Cor 7:2 · Phil 2:20 · Jas 1:13 16×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Mark 6:5 · Luke 4:26 · John 16:29 · John 18:38 · John 19:4 · John 19:11 · Acts 25:18 · 2 Cor 7:5 8×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
The prodigal son squanders his inheritance, leaving him with nothing in a famine
No servant can serve two masters with divided loyalty and allegiance
No condemnation exists for those in Christ Jesus through the Spirit's power
The sluggard plows nothing in winter, so begs in harvest with empty hands
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 232 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
οὐδείς is built from these roots:
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
The pastoral force of oudeis is clarity. Scripture sometimes serves mercy by saying no. John 14:6 is not narrowed by the word accidentally; the negation is part of Jesus' claim about Himself. John 15:5 does not merely encourage dependence; it excludes independent fruitfulness. John 6 does not merely invite seekers; it denies that anyone comes apart from the Father's gracious work.
Those negatives should not make teachers combative, but they should make them honest. A faithful reader does not soften a boundary the text draws, and also does not make every occurrence a doctrinal summit. Oudeis teaches careful exclusion: find what the passage rules out, why it rules it out, and how that exclusion serves the good news.
Anchor passage
John.14.6
Doctrinal connections
- G2424 Jesus - oudeis often protects the uniqueness of Jesus' person and work, especially where access to the Father or salvation is in view.
- G3962 Pater - John 6 and John 14 connect no-one language to the Father's drawing and the Father's access through the Son.
- G3306 Meno - John 15:5 makes the negative serve abiding theology: fruitfulness is impossible apart from remaining in Christ.
- G5485 Charis - the inability language in John 6 keeps coming to Christ from being reduced to unaided human religious initiative.
- G4982 Sozo - Acts 4:12 applies the exclusion to salvation, not to mere preference among religious teachers.
- John 1:18 and John 14:6 - revelation and access belong together because the Son both makes God known and brings people to the Father.
From Old to New Testament
The biblical pattern of holy negation runs from Israel's confession that there is no other God to the apostolic confession that salvation is in no other name. John places that pattern on the lips of Jesus: the Son excludes false ways because He alone reveals the Father, gives life, and makes fruitfulness possible.
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