adjective
pistos
Strong’sG4103
trustworthy, faithful, believing
stem pist-67 times in the New Testamentin 19 of 27 books15 of 26 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
Trustworthy, faithful, reliable — used of a person who can be depended on, who keeps faith and can be trusted, including God himself 13; and used of things such as promises, sayings, or hopes that are sure, reliable, and worthy of credit 13. Strong's calls this the objective sense of the word 2, and Dodson likewise glosses it "trustworthy, faithful" 4.
Believing, trusting — used of a person who believes, has faith, or relies on someone, in contrast to one who does not believe 13. Strong's describes this as the subjective sense, "trustful" 2, and Dodson includes "believing" among the word's meanings 4.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
πιστός, -ή, -όν
(< πείθω), [in LXX chiefly for נֶאֱמָן;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4103 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidpis-tos'
objectively, trustworthy; subjectively, trustful
Fromfrom G3982;
King Jamesbelieve(-ing, -r), faithful(-ly), sure, true.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
(πείθω):
B passive, to be trusted or believed:
B.I of persons, faithful, trusty, ἑταῖρος Refs 8th c.BC+: comparative -ότερος Refs 5th c.BC+: superlative πιστότατος Refs 8th c.BC+ a trusted friend of P., Ergias cited in Refs 4th c.BC+; οἱ πιστοί, in Persia, trusty councillors, Refs 5th c.BC+; τάδε Περσῶν πιστὰ καλεῖται Refs 4th c.BC+
B.I.2 trustworthy, worthy of credit, Refs 5th c.BC+. adverb, - τῶς καὶ ἀδόλως Refs
B.I.3 genuine, π. Ἀταλάντης γόνος Refs 5th c.BC+; Θηρικλέους π. τέκνον, of a cup, Refs 5th c.BC+; unmistakable, νόσοι πονηραὶ καὶ π. LXX
B.II of things, trustworthy, sure, ὅρκια π. Refs 8th c.BC+; τέκμαρ τῶνδε, τεκμήρια, μαντεῖα, Refs 5th c.BC+; οὐκέτι πιστὰ γυναιξίν no longer can one trust women, Refs 8th c.BC+; οὐκ ἔχοντες τὴν ἐλπίδα.. πιστὴν ἔτι no longer having such hope as could be relied on, Refs 5th c.BC+; ὑπόληψις ἡ πιστοτάτη, of knowledge, Refs 4th c.BC+
B.II.2 deserving belief, credible, π. καὶ οἰκότα Refs 5th c.BC+; πιθανὸν καὶ π. Refs
B.III πιστόν, τό, as substantive, pledge, security, warrant, τὸ π. τῆς ἀληθείας Refs 5th c.BC+ its honesty, Refs; τὸ π. ἔχοντες.. κἂν περιγενέσθαι feeling confidence that.., Refs 5th c.BC+; πιστὰ θεῶν, of oaths, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐδώκαμεν καὶ ἐλάβομεν πιστά we gave and received pledges, with future infinitive, Refs 5th c.BC+
B active, believing, relying on, τινι Refs 6th c.BC+; trustful, τῆς ἐλευθερίας τὸ π. Refs 5th c.BC+
B.2 obedient, loyal, τὴν τῶν Ἀθηναίων χώραν οἰκείαν καὶ π. ποιήσασθαι Refs 5th c.BC+
B.3 faithful, believing, NT
C adverb πιστῶς with good faith, μὴ π. καταμαρτυρηθείς Refs 5th c.BC+; loyally, Refs 4th c.BC+: comparative -οτέρως Refs 4th c.BC+
C.2 persuasively, in comparative, πιστότερον ἢ ἀληθέστερον Refs 5th c.BC+; credibly, demonstrably, Refs 5th c.BC+; unmistakably, κριθῆναι Refs 2nd c.AD+
C.3 with disposition to believe, Refs 4th c.BC+: comparative, πιστότερον πρὸς ἐκείνους ἢ πρὸς ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς διακείμενοι Refs 5th c.BC+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
Every form this word takes in Biblang, with the Greek it corresponds to and how often the New Testament uses it.
| Job in the sentence case | masculine singular | feminine singular | neuter singular | masculine plural | feminine plural | neuter plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| subject nominative | pistos33×πιστὸς | pistas1×πιστὴ | pistem2×πιστὸν | pistois7×πιστοὶ | pistais | pisteim2×πιστά |
| object accusative | piston3×πιστὸν | pistan1×πιστὴν | pistoin2×πιστοὺς | pistain1×πιστὰς | ||
| direct address vocative | pistor2×πιστέ | pistar | pistoir | pistair | ||
| of, belonging to genitive | pistou2×πιστοῦ | pistau1×πιστῆς | pisteu | pistoiu2×πιστῶν | pistaiu | pisteiu |
| to, for dative | pisto4×πιστῷ | pista | piste | pistoi4×πιστοῖς | pistai | pistei |
Tinted cells are forms the New Testament never uses, so there is no Greek to show against them — but they are still correct Biblang, built from the slots below like any other.
Why these forms, and no others — the slots that make them
pist is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Words built on the same stem
Other words sharing the exact same stem — not merely related in meaning.
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
67 occurrences, every one of them listed
pistos“faithful”subjectnominative singular33×
Matthew 24:45Tinos ara atō tos pistos doulos kai fronimos hon katastēata tos …Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master …
Matthew 25:21… agathor kai pistor, epi oligeim ase pistos, epi polleiu sin katastēami; eiserchasar eis …… and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will …
Matthew 25:23… agathor kai pistor, epi oligeim ase pistos, epi polleiu sin katastēami; eiserchasar eis …… and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will …
Luke 12:42… tos kurios; Tinos ara atō tos pistos oikonomos, tos fronimos, hon katastēati tos …… Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master …
Luke 16:10Tos pistos en elachiste kai en polle pistos …Whoever is faithful with very little will also be …
Luke 16:10… pistos en elachiste kai en polle pistos atō, kai tos en elachiste adikos …… with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest …
Luke 19:17… Euge, agathor doulor, hoti en elachiste pistos genesa, asōr exousian echarōntos epanō deka …… good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you …
John 20:27… mu, kai mē genosōr apistos alla pistos.… into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”
1 Corinthians 1:9pistos tos theos dia hou kaliva eis …… Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
1 Corinthians 4:2… loipem zētotō en toi oikonomoi hina pistos tinos heuriskiteia.… of stewards that they be found faithful.
1 Corinthians 7:25… de dōamō hōs elēorēntos hupo kuriou pistos arō.… who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
1 Corinthians 10:13… vin ouk labatē ei mē anthrōpinos; pistos de tos theos, hos ouk easati …… common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be …
2 Corinthians 1:18pistos de tos theos hoti tos logos …But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not …
Ephesians 6:21… vi Tuchikos tos agapētos adelfos kai pistos diakonos en kurio,Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell …
Colossians 1:7… tou agapētou sundoulou nu, hos atō pistos huper nu diakonos tou Christou,… beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
Colossians 4:7… vi Tuchikos tos agapētos adelfos kai pistos diakonos kai sundoulos en kurio,… He is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in …
1 Thessalonians 5:24pistos tos kalarōntos vin, hos kai poiati.The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.
2 Thessalonians 3:3pistos de atō tos kurios, hos stērizati …But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and …
1 Timothy 1:15pistos tos logos kai pantau apodochau axios, …This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ …
1 Timothy 3:1Pistos tos logos; ei tinos episkopau oregotō, …This is a trustworthy saying: If anyone aspires to be …
1 Timothy 4:9pistos tos logos kai pantau apodochau axios,This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance.
2 Timothy 2:11pistos tos logos; ei gar sunapothnēskana, kai …This is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him …
2 Timothy 2:13ei apistanō, ekeinos pistos menatō; arnera heauton ouk dunotō.if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
Titus 3:8Pistos tos logos, kai peri houteiu boulomō …This saying is trustworthy. And I want you to emphasize …
Hebrews 2:17… adelfoi homoiira, hina eleēmonos geneteia kai pistos archierevos teim pros ton theon, eis …… He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God …
Hebrews 3:5kai Mōusos men pistos en holo to oiko autou hōs …Now Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s …
Hebrews 10:23katechaneiō tan homologian tau elpidau aklinan, pistos gar tos epangelerantos;… profess, for He who promised is faithful.
1 John 1:9ean homologaneiō tain hamartain nu, pistos atō kai dikaios hina afiēkateia ni …… we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our …
Revelation 1:5… apo Iēsu Christou, tos marturos tos pistos, tos prōtotokos toiu nekroiu kai tos …and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead …
Revelation 2:10… kai echavi thlipsian hēmeraiu deka. genosōr pistos achri thanatou, kai dōami si ton …… suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will …
Revelation 2:13… hēmerai Antipos, tos marturos mu, tos pistos mu, hos apoktenita para vi, hopou …… even in the days of My faithful witness Antipas, who was killed among …
Revelation 3:14… legatō tos Amēn, tos marturos tos pistos kai alēthinos, tas archas tau ktisiau …… the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of …
Revelation 19:11… leukos, kai tos kathorōntos epi auton pistos kalorōntos kai alēthinos, kai en dikaiosuna …… horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges …
piston“faithful”objectaccusative singular3×
1 Timothy 1:12… Christo Iēso to kurio nu, hoti piston min hēgeta titherantos eis diakonian,… strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service.
Hebrews 3:2piston arōnton to poiaranto auton hōs kai …He was faithful to the One who appointed Him …
Hebrews 11:11… labata kai para kairon hēlikiau, epei piston hēgeta ton epangeleranton;… a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised.
pistor“faithful”direct addressvocative singular2×
Matthew 25:21… kurios autou; Euōs, doulor agathor kai pistor, epi oligeim ase pistos, epi polleiu …… master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with …
Matthew 25:23… kurios autou; Euōs, doulor agathor kai pistor, epi oligeim ase pistos, epi polleiu …… master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with …
pistou“faithful”of, belonging togenitive singular2×
Titus 1:9antechorōnton tou kata tan didachan pistou logou, hina dunatos ateiō kai parakalarō …He must hold firmly to the faithful word as it was taught, so …
1 Peter 5:12Dia Silouanou vi tou pistou adelfou, hōs logizomō, dia oligoiu grafama, …… Silvanus, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you …
pisto“faithful”to, fordative singular4×
2 Corinthians 6:15… Christou pros Beliar, ē tinas meridas pisto meta apistou?… and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
Galatians 3:9… tois ek pistiau eulogolō sun to pisto Abraam.So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the …
Colossians 4:9sun Onēsimo to pisto kai agapēto adelfo, hos atō ek …… him I am sending Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one …
1 Peter 4:19… pascharōntois kata tem thelēmem tou theou pisto ktisto paratitholōr tain psuchain autoiu en …… should entrust their souls to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
pistas“believing”subjectnominative singular1×
1 Timothy 5:16ei tinas pistas echatō chērain, eparkatōr autai, kai mē …If any believing woman has dependent widows, she must …
pistan“faithful”objectaccusative singular1×
Acts 16:15“faithful”… autau, parakalata legarōntas; Ei krinavē min pistan to kurio arō, eisercharantois eis ton …… she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house …
pistau“believer”of, belonging togenitive singular1×
Acts 16:1“believer”… ekei onome Timotheos, huios gunaikau Ioudaiau pistau, patrou de Hellēnou,… a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman and a Greek father.
pistem“faithful”subject or objectdirect singular2×
1 Corinthians 4:17… hos atō mu teknem agapētem kai pistem en kurio, hos vin anamimnēskati tain …… sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will …
3 John 1:5“faithfully”Agapētor, pistem poiasō hem ean ergazeseia eis toin …Beloved, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, and …
pistois“faithful”subjectnominative plural7×
Luke 16:11ei oun en to adiko mamōno pistois ouk geneva, tem alēthinem tinos vi …So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust …
Luke 16:12kai ei en te allotrie pistois ouk geneva, tem humeterem tinos dōati …And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who …
Acts 10:45kai ekstēala tois ek peritomau pistois hosois sunerchala to Petro, hoti kai …All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded …
1 Timothy 6:2… adelfois alō; alla mallon douleualōr, hoti pistois alō kai agapētois tois tau euergesiau …… receiving their good service are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles.
Revelation 17:14… meta autou klētois kai eklektois kai pistois.… by His called and chosen and faithful ones.”
Revelation 21:5… legatō; Grafasar, hoti houtois tois logois pistois kai alēthinois alō.… this down, for these words are faithful and true.”
Revelation 22:6Kai legata mi; Houtois tois logois pistois kai alēthinois, kai tos kurios, tos …… said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God …
pistoin“believe”objectaccusative plural2×
1 Timothy 6:2tois de pistoin echarōntois despotoin mē katafronalōr, hoti adelfois …Those who have believing masters should not show disrespect because …
1 Peter 1:21toin dia autou pistoin eis theon ton egeraranton auton ek …Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from …
pistoiu“believe”of, belonging togenitive plural2×
1 Timothy 4:10… hos atō sōtēros pantoiu anthrōpoiu, malista pistoiu.… everyone, and especially of those who believe.
1 Timothy 4:12… neotau katafronatōr, alla tupos genosōr toiu pistoiu en logo, en anastrofa, en agapa, …… but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love …
pistoi“faithful”to, fordative plural4×
Ephesians 1:1… hagioi toi arōntoi en Efesa kai pistoi en Christo Iēso;… To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Colossians 1:2toi en Kolossai hagioi kai pistoi adelfoi en Christo; charitas vi kai …To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace …
1 Timothy 4:3… ktizata eis metalēmpsian meta eucharistiau toi pistoi kai epignōskarēntoi tan alētheian.… received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
2 Timothy 2:2… mu dia polloiu marturoiu, houteim paratithesar pistoi anthrōpoi, hotinois hikanois eli kai heteroin …… among many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be qualified to …
pistain“faithful”objectaccusative plural1×
1 Timothy 3:11gunaikain hōsautōs semnain, mē diabolain, nēfaliain, pistain en pantei.… dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in all things.
pisteim“sure”subject or objectdirect plural2×
Acts 13:34… Dōami vi teim hosieim David teim pisteim.… will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’
Titus 1:6“faithful”… anenklētos, henau gunaikau andros, tekneim echarōntos pisteim, mē en katēgoria asōtiau ē anupotakteim.… must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.