אֶמֶת
ʼemeth · H571 · Hebrew · 127 occurrences
Meanings
-
faithfulness, reliability, trustworthiness, sincerity, truth
State in which humans and deities are considered worthy of trust, because they are truthful and committed, with an unwavering disposition, which is reflected in their words and actions
ExamplesGenesis 24:27 And he said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned His kindness and His trustworthiness toward my master; as for me, the LORD has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”
Genesis 24:49 “So now if you are going to deal kindly and truthfully with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me now, so that I may turn to the right or the left.”
Genesis 42:16 “Send one of you and have him get your brother, while you remain confined, so that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, you are certainly spies!”
-
right, pure, true
State in which an object is a product of faithfulness and therefore appropriate for its purpose
Examples2 Chronicles 15:3 “For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without the Law.
Jeremiah 2:21 “Yet I planted you as a choice vine, A completely faithful seed. How then have you turned yourself before Me Into the degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
-
right, true, certain, sure
State in which a pattern of behavior is a product of faithfulness and is therefore in conformity with God's law
ExamplesGenesis 24:48 “And I bowed low and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son.
Nehemiah 9:13 “Then You came down on Mount Sinai, And spoke with them from heaven; You gave them just ordinances and true laws, Good statutes and commandments.
Psalm 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
-
stability
State in which a condition is trustworthy in that it lasts for a prolonged time
Examples2 Kings 20:19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Is it not good, if there will be peace and security in my days?”
Esther 9:30 He sent letters to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, namely, words of peace and truth,
Isaiah 39:8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “For there will be peace and truth in my days.”
How it’s used In 10 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
21 occurrences in 4 groups
- ךָyour 16
- הוּhis 3
- יְהֹוָהthe LORD, YHWH 1
- יֶשַׁעsafety 1
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- אֵלֶּהthese 1
Named alongside itApposition
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- אֵמֶרword 1
What it doesIt is the subject
10 occurrences in 7 groups
- הָיָהto be, to become 3
- נָצַרto keep, to guard, to preserve 2
- כָּשַׁלto stumble 1
- עָזַבto forsake, to leave 1
- פָּגַשׁto meet 1
- צָמַחto sprout 1
What is done to itIt is the object
32 occurrences in 18 groups
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 7
- דָבַרto speak, to say 5
- הָיָהto be, to become 3
- Other words · 15 groups that occur once or twice (17) 17
Second object ofSecond object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- יָדָהto give thanks, to praise, to confess 1
What it is said to bePredicate
7 occurrences in 8 groups
- חָרַשׁto be silent, to plow, to devise 1
- אַיִןthere is no, not 1
- סֹחֵרָהdefense 1
- עוֹלָםforever 1
- צִנָּהshield, large shield 1
- שַׁחַקcloud 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
11 occurrences in 9 groups
- דָּבָרword, thing, matter 3
- Other words · 8 groups that occur once or twice (8) 8
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
35 occurrences in 6 groups
- בin/on/with 47
- אֵלto, toward 4
- אַחַרafter, behind 2
- עַלon, upon, over, against 2
- לto/for 2
- מִןfrom 1
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
24 occurrences in 17 groups
- דָּבָרword, thing, matter 4
- Other words · 16 groups that occur once or twice (20) 20
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 2 words
- מֵישָׁר mêyshâr · H4339 · smooth, smoothness, peace
- Both words denote abstract qualities of moral correctness (righteousness, equity, truth, faithfulness) in the range of rightness. מֵישָׁר (mêyshâr, H4339) emphasizes equity, uprightness and the idea of a level path, while אֶמֶת (ʼemeth, H571) emphasizes truth, faithfulness and reliability, but both can express right conduct or a right state.
- יֹשֶׁר yôsher · H3476 · uprightness, honesty, sincereness
- יֹשֶׁר (‘uprightness, equity’) centers on moral rectitude, while the target lexeme (‘truth, faithfulness’) centers on truth and faithfulness; the two overlap in the sense of ‘rightness’ — moral or ethical correctness — making them plausible near-synonyms in contexts where correctness is at issue.
In the other Testament 4 words
- ἀλήθεια alḗtheia · G225 · truth, actually, really
- Greek ἀλήθεια (alētheia) is the standard LXX rendering of Hebrew אֶמֶת (emet), both denoting truth, faithfulness, and reliability as core semantic content; the Hebrew term emphasizes covenant fidelity and established trustworthiness, while the Greek term carries philosophical overtones of reality/unveiled-ness in Hellenistic contexts, but the translation relationship is direct and well-attested across the LXX corpus.
- ἀληθής alēthḗs · G227 · true, truth, real
- ἀληθής (alēthḗs, G227) ἀληθής emphasizes the quality of not concealing or falsifying (truth as disclosure/transparency), while אֶמֶת (ʼemeth, H571) אֶמֶת carries broader connotations of reliability, faithfulness, and establishment (truth as steadfastness/covenant fidelity); both denote truth but with distinct conceptual emphases reflected in their respective glosses.
- ἀληθινός alēthinós · G228 · real, really, true
- Greek ἀληθινός emphasizes the qualitative aspect of truthfulness or genuineness (being truly what something claims to be), while Hebrew אֶמֶת more broadly encompasses truth, faithfulness, and reliability across both propositional and relational contexts; both share the core semantic domain of truth/truthfulness and function as valid translation equivalents.
- πίστις pístis · G4102 · what can be fully believed, that which is worthy of belief, believable evidence
- Greek πίστις emphasizes the subjective trust/faith response toward truth, while Hebrew אֶמֶת denotes the objective quality of truth/faithfulness itself; the equivalence reflects contexts where 'truth' as a reliable reality evokes 'faith' as the appropriate response, or where covenant 'faithfulness' overlaps with 'faith' as relational trust.
Semantic domains 4 entries
- Faithful002001002008
- אֱמֶת names truth or faithfulness, the quality of being reliable and trustworthy, as God's steadfast love and truth.
- Good002001001031
- The word can describe what is good and sound, a truth that is beneficial and upright.
- Right002001003013
- אֱמֶת also describes what is correct or in accordance with fact, a right and accurate account.
- Endure002002003001
- The word carries a sense of lasting reliability, an assured establishment that endures and does not fail.
Word family 17 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H571. emeth אֱמֶת noun feminine firmness, faithfulness, truth (contracted for אֱמֶנֶת…
אֱמֶת noun feminine firmness, faithfulness, truth (contracted for אֱמֶנֶת from אָמֵן) Gen 24:48 106t.; suffix אֲמִתְּךָ אֲמִתּוֺ, Psa 91:4 18t.
1 reliability, sureness: אֱמֶת דֶּרֶח sure way Gen 24:48 (J); אמת שׂכר sure reward Pro 11:18; אמת אות sure token Jos 2:12 (J); אמת זֶרַע Jer 2:21.
2 stability, con-tinuance: וֶאֱמֶת שָׁלוֺם peace and stability Isa 39:8 (= 2Ki 20:19) Est 9:30; Jer 33:6; Zec 8:19, compare אמת שׁלום Jer 14:13.
3 faithfulness, reliableness: (α) of men אֱמֶת אִישׁ faithful man Neh 7:2; אמת אנשׁי Exo 18:21 (E); בֶּאֱמֶת הָלַח walk in faithfulness, faithfully 1Ki 2:4; 1Ki 3:6; 2Ki 20:3; Isa 38:3 compare 1Sa 12:24; of בַּאֲמִתֶּ֑ךָ ׳י, Psa 25:5; Psa 26:3; Psa 86:11; האמת עיר Zec 8:3; of men Psa 45:5; Psa 51:8; 2Ch 31:20; 2Ch 32:1; Pro 29:14; Isa 10:20; Isa 42:3; Isa 48:1; ׳בא ובתמים Jdg 9:16, Jdg 9:19; Jos 24:14; וֶאֱ ׳חֶסֶד mercy and faithfulness Pro 3:3; Pro 14:22; Pro 16:6; Pro 20:28; Hos 4:1, & the phrase ואמת חסד עשׂה Gen 24:49; Gen 47:29; Jos 2:14 (J) 2Sa 15:20. (b) an attribute of God Psa 54:7; Psa 71:22; Isa 38:18-19, Isa 61:8; אמת נתן Mic 7:20; אמת עשׂה Eze 18:9; Neh 9:33; ואמת חסד עשׂה Gen 32:11 (J) 2Sa 2:6; ואמת חסד רב abundant in mercy and faithfulness Exo 34:6 (J) Psa 86:15; these attributes are also associated Psa 40:11; Psa 40:12; Psa 61:8; Psa 115:1; Psa 138:2; Isa 16:5; Gen 24:27 (J); they are messengers of God to men Psa 57:4; Psa 85:11; Psa 89:15 compare Psa 43:3; י ארחות ׳כל ואמת חסד Psa 25:10; the faithfulness of God endureth for ever Psa 117:2; he keepeth it for ever Psa 146:6; it reacheth unto the skies Psa 57:11; Psa 108:5; it is shield & buckler Psa 91:4; he is אמת אל Psa 31:6 = אמת אלהי2Ch 15:3; אֱמֶת is also associated with the divine ישׁר Psa 111:8; צֶדֶק Psa 85:12; צְדָקָה Zec 8:8; מִשְׁמָּט Psa 111:7; Jer 4:2; & salvation Psa 69:14.
4 truth (a) as spoken: אמת דבר speak truth 1Ki 22:16; 2Ch 18:15; Jer 9:4; Zec 8:16; Psa 15:2; א ׳דִּבְרֵי Ecc 12:10; הַדָּבָר אֱמֶת the thing is certainly true Deu 13:15; Deu 17:4; אֱמֶת אִמְרֵי = אמת אמרים Pro 22:21; אמת הגה Pro 8:7; א ׳הגיד Dan 11:2, אֲמִתְּךָ Psa 30:10; אמת שׂפת Pro 12:19; אֱמֶת it is true Isa 43:9; אתכם האמת whether truth is with you Gen 42:16 (E) compare Isa 59:14-15,. (b) of testimony and judgment אֱמֶת עֵד true witness Pro 14:25; ונאמן אמת עד Jer 42:5; אמת משׁפט Eze 18:8; Zec 7:9; אמת שָׁפַט Zec 8:16. (c) of divine instruction אֱמֶת כְּחָב Dan 10:21; אמת תורת Mal 2:6 compare Neh 9:13; אמת תורתך Psa 119:142; י ׳דבר אמת בְּפִיךָ 1Ki 17:24 compare 2Sa 7:28; אמת י ׳משׁפטי Psa 19:10; אמת דברך ראשׁ Psa 119:160; אמת מצותיך Psa 119:151. (d) truth as a body of ethical or religious knowledge Dan 8:12; באמתך להשׂכיל Dan 9:13.
5. adverb in truth, truly Psa 132:11; אמת אלהים יהוה Yahweh is God in truth, truly Jer 10:10; elsewhere בֶּאֱמֶת Jdg 9:15; Psa 145:18; Jer 26:15; Jer 28:9; Jer 32:41.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 4 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.