What does λαλέω · ἀλήθεια mean in the Bible?
λαλέω · ἀλήθεια is a Greek phrase meaning "speak truth, communicate what is true".
Greek · G2980, G225
λαλεῖτε ἀλήθειαν
To speak · truth
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
λαλέω G2980 to speak
Pronunciation laléō
Speaking that emphasizes the act of utterance itself rather than the content or meaning of words
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ἀλήθεια G225 truth
Pronunciation alḗtheia
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What does λαλεῖτε ἀλήθειαν (laleite alētheian) mean in the Bible?
λαλέω · ἀλήθεια is a Greek phrase meaning "speak truth, communicate what is true".
Full entry for λαλεῖτε ἀλήθειαν (G2980, G225) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for G2980, G225?
G2980, G225 is connected to 297 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Greek phrase. speak truth, communicate what is true
Source Gloss
speak truth, communicate what is true
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 5 Aligned forms 297 Tenses Aorist, Present, Imperfect, Perfect, Future Voices Active, Passive
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 161×
Aorist Active Matt 9:33 · Matt 13:3 · Matt 13:33 · Matt 13:34 · Matt 14:27 · Matt 23:1 · Matt 28:18 · Mark 6:50 · Luke 1:55 · Luke 1:70 · Luke 2:50 · Luke 11:14 · Luke 24:6 · John 7:46 · John 8:12 · John 8:20 52×
Present Active Matt 12:34 · Mark 2:7 · Mark 11:23 · Luke 5:21 · Luke 6:45 · John 3:31 · John 3:34 · John 7:26 · John 8:44 · John 16:18 · Rom 3:19 · 1 Cor 14:2 · 1 Cor 14:3 · 1 Cor 14:27 · Heb 11:4 · 1 Pet 4:11 52×
Imperfect Active Matt 13:34 · Mark 2:2 · Mark 4:33 · Mark 4:34 · Mark 7:35 · Mark 8:32 · Mark 14:31 · Luke 1:64 · Luke 2:38 · Luke 9:11 · Luke 24:32 · John 4:27 · John 7:13 · John 10:6 · Acts 6:10 · Acts 9:29 27×
Perfect Active John 6:63 · John 8:40 · John 14:25 · John 15:3 · John 15:11 · John 16:1 · John 16:4 · John 16:6 · John 16:25 · John 16:33 · John 18:20 · John 9:29 · John 12:29 13×
Future Active John 9:21 · John 16:13 · Acts 11:14 · John 14:30 · John 16:25 · 1 Cor 14:21 · Matt 12:36 · Mark 16:17 · 3 John 1:14 10×
Future Passive Matt 26:13 · Mark 14:9 · Acts 9:6 · Acts 22:10 4×
Aorist Passive Luke 2:20 · Heb 11:18 2×
Perfect Passive Acts 27:25 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 46×
Aorist Active Matt 12:46 · Matt 12:47 · Mark 16:19 · Luke 1:19 · Luke 1:20 · Luke 1:22 · Luke 11:37 · Acts 14:1 · Acts 16:6 · Acts 21:39 · Acts 23:18 · 1 Cor 3:1 · 1 Cor 14:19 · 2 Cor 12:4 · Eph 6:20 · Col 4:3 22×
Present Active Matt 12:22 · Matt 12:34 · Mark 1:34 · Mark 7:37 · Mark 12:1 · Luke 4:41 · Luke 7:15 · John 8:26 · Acts 2:4 · Acts 4:17 · Acts 4:20 · Acts 4:29 · Acts 5:40 · Acts 11:15 · Rom 15:18 · 1 Cor 14:5 21×
Aorist Passive Acts 13:42 · Acts 13:46 2×
Present Passive Heb 2:3 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 71×
Present Active Matt 9:18 · Matt 12:46 · Matt 17:5 · Matt 26:47 · Mark 5:35 · Mark 14:43 · Luke 8:49 · Luke 22:47 · Luke 22:60 · John 1:37 · John 8:30 · Acts 6:11 · Acts 7:38 · Acts 10:44 · Acts 14:9 · Acts 22:9 55×
Present Passive Luke 2:33 · Acts 13:45 · Acts 16:14 · Mark 5:36 · Acts 17:19 · 1 Cor 14:9 6×
Aorist Active Acts 8:25 · Acts 14:25 · Heb 1:1 · Heb 5:5 4×
Aorist Passive Luke 2:17 · Luke 2:18 · Heb 2:2 · Heb 9:19 4×
Perfect Passive Luke 1:45 1×
Future Passive Heb 3:5 1×
Imperative command or strong request 9×
Present Active Mark 13:11 · Acts 5:20 · Eph 4:25 · Jas 2:12 · Acts 18:9 · Titus 2:1 · Titus 2:15 · 1 Cor 14:28 · 1 Cor 14:29 9×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 10×
Aorist Active Matt 10:19 · Mark 13:11 · John 12:49 · 1 Cor 14:6 · Acts 3:22 · Rev 13:15 7×
Present Active John 8:44 · 1 Cor 13:1 · 1 Cor 14:23 3×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 290 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 144 aorist 91 imperfect 25 future 15 perfect 15
Voice
active 268 passive 22
Mood
indicative 158 participle 69 infinitive 44 subjunctive 10 imperative 9
NT Occurrences
Matthew 9:18 λαλοῦντος present active participle participle Matthew 9:33 ἐλάλησεν aorist active indicative completed Matthew 10:19 λαλήσητε aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Matthew 10:19 λαλήσητε aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Matthew 10:20 λαλοῦντες present active participle participle Matthew 10:20 λαλοῦν present active participle participle Matthew 12:34 λαλεῖν present active infinitive infinitive Matthew 12:34 λαλεῖ present active indicative ongoing Matthew 12:36 λαλήσουσιν future active indicative prospective Matthew 12:46 λαλοῦντος present active participle participle Matthew 12:46 λαλῆσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Matthew 12:47 λαλῆσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Matthew 13:10 λαλεῖς present active indicative ongoing Matthew 13:13 λαλῶ present active indicative ongoing Matthew 13:3 ἐλάλησεν aorist active indicative completed Matthew 13:33 ἐλάλησεν aorist active indicative completed Matthew 13:34 ἐλάλησεν aorist active indicative completed Matthew 13:34 ἐλάλει imperfect active indicative background Matthew 14:27 ἐλάλησεν aorist active indicative completed Matthew 15:31 λαλοῦντας present active participle participle Matthew 17:5 λαλοῦντος present active participle participle Matthew 23:1 ἐλάλησεν aorist active indicative completed Matthew 26:13 λαληθήσεται future passive indicative prospective Matthew 26:47 λαλοῦντος present active participle participle Matthew 28:18 ἐλάλησεν aorist active indicative completed Mark 1:34 λαλεῖν present active infinitive infinitive Mark 2:2 ἐλάλει imperfect active indicative background Mark 2:7 λαλεῖ present active indicative ongoing Mark 4:33 ἐλάλει imperfect active indicative background Mark 4:34 ἐλάλει imperfect active indicative background Mark 5:35 λαλοῦντος present active participle participle Mark 5:36 λαλούμενον present passive participle participle Mark 6:50 ἐλάλησεν aorist active indicative completed Mark 7:35 ἐλάλει imperfect active indicative background Mark 7:37 λαλεῖν present active infinitive infinitive Mark 8:32 ἐλάλει imperfect active indicative background Mark 11:23 λαλεῖ present active indicative ongoing Mark 12:1 λαλεῖν present active infinitive infinitive Mark 13:11 λαλήσητε aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Mark 13:11 λαλεῖτε present active imperative imperative
+250 more occurrences
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Word Origins
λαλεῖτε ἀλήθειαν is from an obsolete root - no further derivation.
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