What does כָּזָב (kāzāb) mean in the Bible?
Falsehood must be identified by the statement and the evidence supplied, not by a listener's dislike of its speaker. Proverbs contrasts a truthful witness who saves lives with deceitful testimony.
Hebrew · H3577
כָּזָב
Falsehood must be identified by the statement and the evidence supplied, not by a listener's dislike of its speaker. Proverbs contrasts a truthful witness who saves lives with deceitful testimony.
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כָּזָבH3577
Pronunciationkāzāb
What does כָּזָב (kāzāb) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for כָּזָב (H3577) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3577?
The BSB source-word alignment has 31 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include lies (11), . . . (4), A lying (2), and lying (2), and speak lying (2).
Where does כָּזָב (kāzāb) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Judges 16:10. Its strongest book concentrations include Proverbs (9), Ezekiel (7), Psalms (6), Hosea (2).
What This Word Actually Means
Falsehood must be identified by the statement and the evidence supplied, not by a listener's dislike of its speaker. Proverbs contrasts a truthful witness who saves lives with deceitful testimony. Ezekiel directly rejects visions whose speakers claim that the Lord sent them when He did not. Psalm 62 describes opponents blessing with their mouths while inwardly cursing, but that revealed description does not give present readers access to every person's unspoken motives.
Proverbs also asks that falsehood be kept far away, placing truthfulness within the speaker's own prayer. Daniel narrates two kings lying at the same table, while Zephaniah promises a remnant without deceitful speech. Keep these contexts distinct. Teach truthful testimony and humility about claimed authority without turning suspicion into proof, treating every disagreement as a lie or announcing that a present institution has already fulfilled the promised remnant's description.
How the Bible Uses It
Truthful testimony, rejected prophetic claims, opponents' deceit, a prayer for honest speech, royal intrigue and the promised remnant distinguish falsehood's settings. Evidence and speaker attribution govern the claim rather than private suspicion.
- Prov.14.25
A truthful witness saves lives, but one who utters lies is deceitful.
The proverb contrasts a truthful witness saving lives with one speaking lies, keeping testimony's effect on other people central rather than merely personal image.
- Ezek.13.6
They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim, ‘Thus declares the Lord,’ when the Lord did not send them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message.
The Lord's charge says the vision speakers claim His declaration though He did not send them, so the contradiction is supplied rather than inferred from present disagreement.
- Ps.62.4
They fully intend to cast him down from his lofty perch; they delight in lies; with their mouths they bless, but inwardly they curse. Selah
The psalm describes the opponents' blessing words and inward curses together, while its own revealed attribution must not become a license to invent everyone's motives.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itlies11×Psalms 4:2, Psalms 5:6, Proverbs 14:5, Proverbs 14:25
. . .4×Judges 16:10, Judges 16:13, Psalms 58:3, Ezekiel 13:19
A lying2×Proverbs 21:28, Ezekiel 13:7
and lying2×Ezekiel 21:29, Ezekiel 22:28
and speak lying2×Ezekiel 13:6, Ezekiel 13:9
[are] but a lie1×Psalms 62:9
a liar1×Proverbs 19:22
and deceitful1×Proverbs 30:8
by the lies1×Amos 2:4
false visions1×Ezekiel 13:8
in lies1×Psalms 62:4
into falsehood1×Psalms 40:4
is deceptive1×Proverbs 23:3
of lies1×Isaiah 28:17
who gives false1×Proverbs 6:19
Show sample aligned rows
Judges 16:10כְּזָבִ֑יםto. . .Noun - masculine pluralJudges 16:13כְּזָבִ֔יםto. . .Noun - masculine pluralPsalms 4:2כָזָ֣בtoliesNoun - masculine singularPsalms 5:6כָ֫זָ֥בtoliesNoun - masculine singularPsalms 40:4כָזָֽב׃tointo falsehoodNoun - masculine singularPsalms 58:3כָזָֽב׃to. . .Noun - masculine singularPsalms 62:4כָ֫זָ֥בtoin liesNoun - masculine singularPsalms 62:9כָּזָ֪בto[are] but a lieNoun - masculine singularProverbs 6:19כְּ֭זָבִיםtowho gives falseNoun - masculine pluralProverbs 14:5כְּ֝זָבִ֗יםtoliesNoun - masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowJudges 16:10
Aligned rows31
Books represented9
Judges2Psalms6Proverbs9Isaiah2Ezekiel7Daniel1Hosea2Amos1Zephaniah1
Source forms
כָּזָ֑ב3xkā·zāḇEzekiel 13:8, Ezekiel 21:29, Ezekiel 22:28
כָ֫זָ֥ב2xḵā·zāḇPsalms 5:6, Psalms 62:4
כָזָ֔ב2xḵā·zāḇIsaiah 28:17, Zephaniah 3:13
כָזָֽב׃2xḵā·zāḇPsalms 40:4, Psalms 58:3
כְּ֝זָבִ֗ים2xkə·zā·ḇîmProverbs 14:5, Proverbs 19:5
כְּזָבִ֣ים2xkə·zā·ḇîmProverbs 14:25, Proverbs 19:9
כְּזָבִֽים׃2xkə·zā·ḇîmProverbs 23:3, Hosea 7:13
כָזָ֣ב1xḵā·zāḇPsalms 4:2
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular20xPsalms 4:2, Psalms 5:6, Psalms 40:4, Psalms 58:3
Noun - masculine plural10xJudges 16:10, Judges 16:13, Proverbs 6:19, Proverbs 14:5
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural1xAmos 2:4
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Speak truthfully about one's own knowledge and limits when giving testimony.
- Use fair accountable review of claims without inventing divine verdicts about private motives.
Avoid claiming...
- Every disagreement proves deceit or every polite opponent inwardly curses.
- A confident religious claim makes a modern speaker infallible or fulfills Zephaniah's remnant promise.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Falsehood that deceives—extends from verbal lies to idols as false objects of trust and worship
Source Gloss
falsehood ; literally (untruth) or figuratively (idol)
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Falsehood that deceives—extends from verbal lies to idols as false objects of trust and worship
falsehood; literally (untruth) or figuratively (idol) BDB: lie Usage: deceitful, false, leasing, liar, lie, lying.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
False witness who utters lies in legal or testimonial contexts
Deceptive speech or lying that represents moral compromise and sin
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 29 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
כָּזָב is built from this root:
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
A false statement and an unsupported accusation of falsehood can both injure people. Proverbs' witness contrast makes truthful testimony consequential for lives, while its prayer places the desire for honest speech on the speaker rather than only opponents. Ezekiel provides an explicit divine contradiction of the claim to have been sent; the reader need not invent that contradiction, and cannot transfer its certainty to every modern disagreement.
Psalm 62 attributes inward cursing to particular opponents within the psalm, not to everyone who offers a blessing. Daniel's kings and Zephaniah's promised remnant also belong to their narrated and promised settings. Teach the actual deceit and the call to truthful speech without becoming careless with evidence. Neither suspicion nor a claim of spiritual insight supplies knowledge of another person's complete inward life.
Anchor passage
Prov.14.25
Doctrinal connections
- Proverbs 14:25 makes truthful testimony life preserving and contrasts it with deceit, retaining the practical effect on those affected by a witness.
- Ezekiel 13:6-8 explicitly rejects claimed divine sending and speech, grounding the charge in the Lord's stated contradiction rather than present suspicion.
- Psalm 62:3-6 attributes outward blessings and inward curses to the described opponents, then turns the speaker toward resting in God.
- Proverbs 30:6-10 asks for falsehood to be distant and sufficient provision, retaining a prayer's cautions without declaring all poor people dishonest.
- Daniel 11:25-29 describes two kings speaking lies at the same table within the supplied conflict, without establishing that every ruler or negotiation lies.
- Zephaniah 3:12-15 promises a humble remnant of Israel without deceitful speech and fear, preserving the named promise without present institutional self certification.
The licensed Hebrew range includes lies, falsehood and untruth. Witness testimony, prophetic claims, inwardly divided speech and prayer provide different subjects and settings. Read the sentence's attribution and supplied evidence rather than treating every disagreement, uncertainty or unfulfilled personal expectation as deliberate deceit.
From Old to New Testament
Acts 5:3-4 names a particular deception while also saying that the property and proceeds were at the owner's disposal. Read that Greek narrative beside Proverbs' truthful witness without equating every retained possession with dishonesty. The stated lie and the stated freedom both matter; neither account gives a present leader authority to seize property or pronounce private motives without evidence.