μέν
truly
Full lexicon entry — Thayer's Greek Lexicon
From Thayer's Greek Lexicon
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Particle
- A short, often untranslatable function word adding nuance or connection.
Every verse where G3303 appears in the Book of 1 Peter — 4 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Greek form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Greek New Testament; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences of this word are not indexed here.
1 Peter
- 1 Peter 1:20 μὲν ptcl who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of times for your sake,
- 1 Peter 2:4 μὲν ptcl coming to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious.
- 1 Peter 3:18 μὲν ptcl Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
- 1 Peter 4:6 μὲν ptcl For to this end was the Gospel preached even to the dead, that they might be judged indeed as men in the flesh, but live as to God in the spirit.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
μεν (mén) is a Greek word most often rendered “truly.” One archaism survives in the King James Version — “verily” — where modern Bibles read “indeed”; see the renderings breakdown. The Greek New Testament uses it across 176 verses — common. Acts dominates its distribution — 47 of 176 verses. Debuting at Matthew 3:11, it then recurs through the corpus. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's G3303 catalogs a Greek word from the Greek New Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Greek New Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 176
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 176 distinct verses.
- 18 / 27
- NT books
- The word appears in 18 of 27 New Testament books.
- #88
- by frequency
- Top 100 most frequent Greek words (rank 88 of 5,347 Greek words by occurrence).
View all 176 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Acts 47 verses 27%
- Matthew 20 verses 11%
- 1 Corinthians 20 verses 11%
By section of the New Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Some books belong to more than one corpus (Luke is in both the Gospels and the Lukan corpus, and so on), so these shares overlap and need not total 100%. Each figure is a share of the word’s 176 distinct verses.
- Pauline corpus 59 verses · 34%
- Lukan (Luke–Acts) 57 verses · 32%
- Gospels 43 verses · 24%
- Hebrews 19 verses · 11%
- Johannine 8 verses · 5%
- General (Catholic) Epistles 8 verses · 5%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Indeed 22×, Verily 13×, Truly 12×
- American Standard Version: Indeed 30×, Some 5×, Then 3×
- Berean Standard Bible: Indeed 5×, For 4×, Although 3×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Indeed 77×, One hand 5×, Both 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders G3303 across 104 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 32 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 89 further occurrences.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders G3303 across 74 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 30 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 8 further occurrences.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders G3303 across 24 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 10 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 142 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders G3303 across 116 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 22 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in Thayer's
The 1 sense Thayer's distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency or importance). The full entry — with sub-senses — is in the Lexicon Entry tab.
- truly, certainly, surely, indeed
Word origin
Origin: a primary particle
A primary particle; properly indicative of affirmation or concession ( in fact ); usually followed by a contrasted clause with G1161 ( this one the former etc. : - even indeed so some truly verily. Often compounded with other particles in an intensive or asseverative sense.
— Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (1890), public domain.
Forms in the corpus
The 2 distinct written forms G3303 takes in the Greek New Testament, most frequent first — each parse links to that case’s occurrences in the concordance.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| μὲν mèn | Particle | Matthew 3:11 | 169 |
| μέν mén | Particle | Matthew 13:32 | 8 |
Same root — word family
Other Thayer's entries built from the same root as G3303, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint usage
The same Greek word μεν appears 55 times in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), across 54 verses in 15 books.
- 55
- LXX occurrences
- Tagged occurrences of this Greek word in the Septuagint.
- 54
- verses
- Distinct Septuagint verses containing this word.
- 15 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 15 of the 39 Old Testament books.
Sample Septuagint occurrences
- Genesis 18:12 μέν
- Exodus 1:16 μέν
- Leviticus 3:1 μέν
- Numbers 15:3 μέν
- Deuteronomy 20:11 μέν
- 1 Samuel 20:14 μέν
- 2 Samuel 11:25 μέν
- Esther 3:11 μέν
- Job 8:7 μέν
- Psalms 34:20 μέν
- Proverbs 6:10 μέν
- Isaiah 6:2 μέν
Septuagint occurrences (same lexeme)
Every verse where the same Strong’s number (G3303) appears in the Greek Septuagint — showing the first 50 of 54. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context; the Greek form is the matched word — the English is not keyword-highlighted.
- Genesis 18:12 μέν Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"
- Genesis 27:22 μέν Jacob went near to Isaac his father. He felt him, and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
- Genesis 38:23 μέν Judah said, "Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this kid, and you haven't found her."
- Genesis 43:4 μέν If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food,
- Genesis 43:14 μέν May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."
- Genesis 44:8 μέν Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold out of your lord's house?
- Genesis 44:26 μέν We said, 'We can't go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, unless our youngest brother is with us.'
- Exodus 1:16 μέν and he said, "When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live."
- Exodus 4:23 μέν and I have said to you, "Let my son go, that he may serve me;" and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.'"
- Exodus 9:2 μέν For if you refuse to let them go, and hold them still,
- Exodus 13:21 μέν Yahweh went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, that they might go by day and by night:
- Exodus 32:32 μέν Yet now, if you will, forgive their sin-- and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written."
- Leviticus 3:1 μέν "'If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings; if he offers it from the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before Yahweh.
- Leviticus 4:3 μέν if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he has sinned, a young bull without blemish to Yahweh for a sin offering.
- Leviticus 7:12 μέν If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mixed with oil.
- Leviticus 27:7 μέν If the person is from sixty years old and upward; if it is a male, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
- Numbers 15:3 μέν and will make an offering by fire to Yahweh, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or as a freewill-offering, or in your set feasts, to make a sweet savor to Yahweh, of the herd, or of the flock;
- Numbers 22:33 μέν and the donkey saw me, and turned aside before me these three times: unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain you, and saved her alive.
- Deuteronomy 20:11 μέν It shall be, if it make you answer of peace, and open to you, then it shall be, that all the people who are found therein shall become tributary to you, and shall serve you.
- 1 Samuel 20:14 μέν You shall not only while yet I live show me the loving kindness of Yahweh, that I not die;
- 2 Samuel 11:25 μέν Then David said to the messenger, Thus shall you tell Joab, Don't let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; make your battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage you him.
- 2 Samuel 15:33 μέν David said to him, If you pass on with me, then you will be a burden to me:
- Esther 3:11 μέν The king said to Haman, The silver is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.
- Esther 8:14 μέν So the posts who rode on swift steeds that were used in the king's service went out, being hurried and pressed on by the king's commandment; and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace.
- Job 8:7 μέν Though your beginning was small, Yet your latter end would greatly increase.
- Job 9:19 μέν If it is a matter of strength, behold, he is mighty! If of justice, 'Who,' says he, 'will summon me?'
- Job 12:3 μέν But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: Yes, who doesn't know such things as these?
- Job 12:11 μέν Doesn't the ear try words, Even as the palate tastes its food?
- Job 28:2 μέν Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is smelted out of the ore.
- Job 31:26 μέν If I have seen the sun when it shined, Or the moon moving in splendor,
- Job 32:6 μέν Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered, "I am young, and you are very old; Therefore I held back, and didn't dare show you my opinion.
- Job 41:19 μέν Out of his mouth go burning torches, Sparks of fire leap forth.
- Job 41:20 μέν Out of his nostrils a smoke goes, As of a boiling pot over a fire of reeds.
- Job 42:5 μέν I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees you.
- Job 42:14 μέν He called the name of the first, Jemimah; and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of the third, Keren Happuch.
- Job 42:17 μέν So Job died, being old and full of days.
- Psalms 34:20 μέν He protects all of his bones. Not one of them is broken.
- Proverbs 6:10 μέν A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep:
- Proverbs 11:31 μέν Behold, the righteous shall be repaid in the earth; How much more the wicked and the sinner!
- Proverbs 23:14 μέν Punish him with the rod, And save his soul from Sheol.
- Proverbs 25:10 μέν Lest one who hears it put you to shame, And your bad reputation never depart.
- Isaiah 6:2 μέν Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew.
- Isaiah 41:7 μέν So the carpenter encourages the goldsmith, [and] he who smoothes with the hammer him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, It is good; and he fastens it with nails, that is should not be moved.
- Daniel 1:7 μέν The prince of the eunuchs gave names to them: to Daniel he gave [the name of] Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, [of] Shadrach; and to Mishael, [of] Meshach; and to Azariah, [of] Abednego.
- Daniel 2:24 μέν Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus to him: Don't destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show to the king the interpretation.
- Daniel 2:33 μέν its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay.
- Daniel 2:41 μέν Whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay.
- Daniel 2:42 μέν As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
- Daniel 3:15 μέν Now if you are ready whenever you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music to you fall down and worship the image which I have made, [well]: but if you don't worship, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that god that shall deliver you out of my hands?
- Daniel 3:23 μέν These three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
These are occurrences of the same Greek lexeme (G3303) in the Septuagint — not a translation of any one Hebrew word. The store carries no word-level Hebrew↔Greek alignment, so no Hebrew original is asserted here. Counts come from the recovered LXX Strong's tagging — high-frequency vocabulary is well covered, while rare or late forms may be untagged — so they reflect tagged occurrences and may slightly undercount.
