φημί
phēmi
to assert
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word φημί (phēmi) is a verb that means "to assert." It is used 68 times in the Bible, indicating its importance in conveying various forms of declaration and affirmation. The word φημί can be used in a range of contexts, from making statements of fact to expressing opinions or beliefs. In its usage, φημί often involves a sense of certainty or conviction, as the speaker is asserting something as true or real. This can be seen in examples such as Jesus' assertion that he is the Son of God (Matthew 26:64), or the apostle Paul's declaration of his faith in Christ (Romans 9:1). The word φημί can also be used in a more formal or official sense, as in the case of a witness testifying to a fact (Matthew 26:62-63). The significance of φημί lies in its role as a fundamental means of communication in the Bible. Through this word, speakers and writers convey a wide range of ideas and attitudes, from simple statements of fact to complex expressions of faith and conviction. Its frequency and versatility make it an essential tool for understanding the language and themes of the Bible.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
68 total occurrences across the text — showing 50
Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord, your God.’ ”
Matthew 8:8The centurion answered, “Lord, I’m not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
Matthew 13:28“He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them up?’
Matthew 13:29“But he said, ‘No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them.
Matthew 14:8She, being prompted by her mother, said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptizer.”
Matthew 17:26Peter said to him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Therefore the children are exempt.
Matthew 19:21Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Matthew 21:27They answered Jesus, and said, “We don’t know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
Matthew 22:37Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
Matthew 25:21“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
Matthew 25:23“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
Matthew 26:34Jesus said to him, “Most certainly I tell you that tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
Matthew 26:61and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.’ ”
Matthew 27:11Now Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “So you say.”
Matthew 27:23But the governor said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, saying, “Let him be crucified!”
Matthew 27:65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you can.”
Mark 9:12He said to them, “Elijah indeed comes first, and restores all things. How is it written about the Son of Man, that he should suffer many things and be despised?
Mark 9:38John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone who doesn’t follow us casting out demons in your name; and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow us.”
Mark 10:20He said to him, “Teacher, I have observed all these things from my youth.”
Mark 10:29Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News,
Mark 12:24Jesus answered them, “Isn’t this because you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God?
Mark 14:29But Peter said to him, “Although all will be offended, yet I will not.”
Luke 7:40Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” He said, “Teacher, say on.”
Luke 7:44Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head.
Luke 15:17But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger!
Luke 22:58After a little while someone else saw him, and said, “You also are one of them!” But Peter answered, “Man, I am not!”
Luke 22:58After a little while someone else saw him, and said, “You also are one of them!” But Peter answered, “Man, I am not!”
Luke 22:70They all said, “Are you then the Son of God?” He said to them, “You say it, because I am.”
Luke 23:3Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “So you say.”
Luke 23:40But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Don’t you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
John 1:23He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
John 9:38He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him.
Acts 8:36As they went on the way, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?”
John 18:29Pilate therefore went out to them, and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”
Acts 2:38Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 7:2He said, “Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
Acts 10:28He said to them, “You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I shouldn’t call any man unholy or unclean.
Acts 10:30Cornelius said, “Four days ago, I was fasting until this hour, and at the ninth hour, I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
Acts 10:31and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer is heard, and your gifts to the needy are remembered in the sight of God.
Acts 16:30brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Acts 16:37But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!”
Acts 17:22Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.
Acts 19:35When the town clerk had quieted the multitude, he said, “You men of Ephesus, what man is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great goddess Artemis, and of the image which fell down from Zeus?
Acts 22:2When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet. He said,
Acts 22:27The commanding officer came and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” He said, “Yes.”
Acts 22:28The commanding officer answered, “I bought my citizenship for a great price.” Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.”
Acts 23:5Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”
Acts 23:17Paul summoned one of the centurions, and said, “Bring this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him.”
Acts 23:18So he took him, and brought him to the commanding officer, and said, “Paul, the prisoner, summoned me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”
Acts 23:35“I will hear you fully when your accusers also arrive.” He commanded that he be kept in Herod’s palace.