ματαιότης
Inutility; figuratively, transientness; morally, depravity
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does ματαιότης (mataiótēs) mean in the Bible?
ματαιότης (mataiótēs) is a Greek word meaning "inutility; figuratively, transientness; morally, depravity". ματαιότης, -ητος, ἡ (μάταιος), [in LXX for הֶבֶל, Psa.
Full entry for ματαιότης (G3153) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Emptiness and futility inherent to creation itself, not merely human foolishness or moral failing
(μάταιος), [in LXX for הֶבֶל, Psa.31:6 39:5 62:9, al., and nearly 40 times in Ec; for שָׁוְא, Psa.25:4, al.; רִיק, etc. ;] vanity, emptiness, frailty, folly: Rom.8:20, 2Pe.2:18; τ. νοός, Eph.4:17 (elsewhere only in Pollux, 6, 134, and Eccl.).
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain