Lexical Summary kazab: To lie, to deceive, to fail Original Word: כָּזַב Strong's Exhaustive Concordance fail, be found a, make a liar, lie, lying, be in vain A primitive root; to lie (i.e. Deceive), literally or figuratively -- fail, (be found a, make a) liar, lie, lying, be in vain. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to lie, be a liar NASB Translation fail (2), false (1), liars (1), lie (6), lied (2), lying (1), prove me a liar (1), proved a liar (1), told lies (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [כָּזַב] verb lie, be a liar (Arabic  ; Aramaic כְּדַב,  id. chiefly Pa`el; Late Hebrew כָּזַב) — Qal Participle כָּלהָֿאָדָם כֹּזֵב Psalm 116:11 (compare כָּזָּב Psalm 62:10). Niph`al Perfect3feminine singular תֹּחַלְתּוֺ נִכְזָ֑בָה Job 41:1 his hope has been made deceptive, i.e. been shewn to be so; 2 masculine singular consecutive וְנִכְזָ֑בְתָּ Proverbs 30:6 lest he convict thee and thou be proven a liar. Pi`el Perfect3masculine singular כִּזֵּב Micah 2:11; Imperfect3masculine singular יְכַזֵּב Habakkuk 2:3; Proverbs 14:5; וִיכַזֵּב Numbers 23:19, etc.; Infinitive construct suffix כַזֶּבְכֶם (בְּ) Ezekiel 13:19; — 1 lie, tell a lie, absolute, Numbers 23:19 (JE), Micah 2:11; Job 6:28; Job 34:6; Proverbs 14:5; Isaiah 57:11; followed by לְ person lie to Ezekiel 13:9; Psalm 78:36; Psalm 89:36; followed by בְּ person tell a lie with, i.e. in intercourse, conversation with 2 Kings 4:16. 2 disappoint, fail, of a divine revelation Habakkuk 2:3; waters of a spring Isaiah 58:11. Hiph`il Imperfect3masculine singular suffix יַכְזִיבֵנִי Job 24:25 who will make me a liar? i.e. prove me to be so (compare Niph`al) Topical Lexicon Scope and Frequency The verb appears eighteen times across ten Old Testament books. Its contexts range from declarations of God’s absolute reliability to denunciations of human deceit, forming a thread that contrasts divine truth with human falsehood. Divine Veracity and Immutability The earliest occurrence sets the keynote: “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19). Balaam’s oracle roots Israel’s hope in a God whose word is unfailing. The same assurance resounds in Psalm 89:35, where the covenant with David is guaranteed: “I will not lie to David.” Habakkuk 2:3 extends the theme to eschatology: the vision “will not lie,” anchoring future hope in God’s unbreakable promise. Human Deception and Covenantal Breach Judges 16 highlights the relational cost of deceit. Delilah presses Samson, “You have mocked me and told me lies” (Judges 16:10, 13). In 2 Kings 4:16 the Shunammite, distrustful of shattered hopes, pleads, “Do not deceive your servant.” These narratives expose deception as a fracture of trust among God’s people. Poetic Reflections on Falsehood Job wrestles with accusations of lying (Job 6:28; 24:25; 34:6), illustrating the pain of being mislabeled and the difficulty of proving integrity amid suffering. Job 41:9 widens the sense: any confidence in mastering Leviathan is “false,” reminding readers that human pretension is as deceptive as spoken lies. Psalms broaden the horizon. Israel “lied to Him with their tongues” in Psalm 78:36, revealing how worship without fidelity grieves God. Conversely, Psalm 116:11 captures the despairing cry, “All men are liars!”, directing the sufferer back to the only trustworthy refuge. Wisdom Teaching on Truthfulness Proverbs distills the moral lesson. “An honest witness does not deceive, but a dishonest witness pours out lies” (Proverbs 14:5). Proverbs 30:6 warns against doctrinal tampering: “Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.” Truthfulness is not merely social virtue; it guards revelation itself. Prophetic Rebukes and Eschatological Assurance Isaiah confronts religious duplicity: despite prolonged silence, the people “have neither remembered Me nor taken Me to heart” (Isaiah 57:11). Ezekiel 13:19 condemns prophets who barter lies “for handfuls of barley,” turning ministry into commerce. Micah 2:11 sarcastically notes that a wind-filled preacher of “wine and beer” would fit the audience’s taste for pleasant illusions. Yet the prophets also lift eyes to a future without falsehood; Habakkuk’s vision will not deceive, ensuring that divine promises outlast human perjury. Isaiah 58:11 offers a striking reversal: the LORD’s guidance and provision “never fail.” The same root that describes human lying is here denied to God’s sustaining care, reinforcing His dependability. Theological Synthesis A consistent pattern emerges: 1. God’s nature is antithetical to falsehood. Thus every occurrence presses the reader toward trust in God and repentance from deceit. Ministerial and Ethical Ramifications • Preaching: Faithful exposition must avoid embellishment that risks being “proved…a liar” (Proverbs 30:6). Canonical Trajectory Toward the Gospel The Old Testament insistence that God “cannot lie” anticipates the New Testament proclamation that in Jesus Christ “grace and truth came” (John 1:17) and that in Him all God’s promises are “Yes.” The vocabulary may shift, but the theme remains: the God who never deceives calls His people to embody the same steadfast truth. Forms and Transliterations אֲכַזֵּ֑ב אֲכַזֵּֽב׃ אכזב אכזב׃ בְּכַ֨זֶּבְכֶ֔ם בכזבכם וְנִכְזָֽבְתָּ׃ וִֽיכַזֵּ֔ב ויכזב ונכזבת׃ יְכַזְּב֖וּ יְכַזְּבוּ־ יְכַזֵּ֑ב יַכְזִיבֵ֑נִי יכזב יכזבו יכזבו־ יכזיבני כְּזָבִ֑ים כְּזָבִ֔ים כִּזֵּ֔ב כֹּזֵֽב׃ כזב כזב׃ כזבים נִכְזָ֑בָה נכזבה תְּכַזֵּ֖ב תְכַזֵּ֔בִי תכזב תכזבי ’ă·ḵaz·zêḇ ’ăḵazzêḇ achazZev bə·ḵaz·zeḇ·ḵem beChazzevChem bəḵazzeḇḵem kə·zā·ḇîm kəzāḇîm kezaVim kiz·zêḇ kizzêḇ kizZev kō·zêḇ kōzêḇ koZev nichZavah niḵ·zā·ḇāh niḵzāḇāh ṯə·ḵaz·zê·ḇî tə·ḵaz·zêḇ techazZev techazZevi təḵazzêḇ ṯəḵazzêḇî venichZaveta vichazZev wə·niḵ·zā·ḇə·tā wəniḵzāḇətā wî·ḵaz·zêḇ wîḵazzêḇ yachziVeni yaḵ·zî·ḇê·nî yaḵzîḇênî yə·ḵaz·zə·ḇū yə·ḵaz·zə·ḇū- yə·ḵaz·zêḇ yechazZev yechazzevu yəḵazzêḇ yəḵazzəḇū yəḵazzəḇū-Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 23:19 HEB: אִ֥ישׁ אֵל֙ וִֽיכַזֵּ֔ב וּבֶן־ אָדָ֖ם NAS: is not a man, that He should lie, Nor KJV: [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son INT: A man God lie A son of man Judges 16:10 Judges 16:13 2 Kings 4:16 Job 6:28 Job 24:25 Job 34:6 Job 41:9 Psalm 78:36 Psalm 89:35 Psalm 116:11 Proverbs 14:5 Proverbs 30:6 Isaiah 57:11 Isaiah 58:11 Ezekiel 13:19 Micah 2:11 Habakkuk 2:3 18 Occurrences |
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