Ephesians 4:15

ἀληθεύοντες δὲ ἐν ἀγάπῃ αὐξήσωμεν εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα, ὅς ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλή, ὁ Χριστός,

RBT Greek Interlinear:

Strongs 226; alētheuontes; ἀληθεύοντες; those who are being true; V-PPA-NMP

Strongs 1161; de; δὲ; and; Conj

Strongs 1722; en; ἐν; within; Prep

Strongs 26; agapē; ἀγάπῃ; agape-love; N-DFS

Strongs 837; auxēsōmen; αὐξήσωμεν; we should grow up; V-ASA-1P

Strongs 1519; eis; εἰς; into; Prep

Strongs 846; auton; αὐτὸν; himself; PPro-AM3S

Strongs 3588; ta; τὰ; the; Art-ANP

Strongs 3956; panta; πάντα; all; Adj-ANP

Strongs 3739; hos; ὅς; who/whosoever; RelPro-NMS

Strongs 1510; estin; ἐστιν; is; V-PIA-3S

Strongs 3588; hē; ἡ; the; Art-NFS

Strongs 2776; kephalē; κεφαλή; head; N-NFS

Strongs 5547; Christos; Χριστός; Christ; N-NMS

RBT Hebrew Literal:

and those who are being true within an agape-love,³ we should grow up into himself, the All, him who she is, the Head, an anointed one.

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
And speaking the truth in love, let us grow up into him in all things, who is the head, Christ:

LITV Translation:
but speaking the truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the head, the Christ,

ESV Translation:
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Footnotes

3

Being True/Trustworthy

"I, Myself am the truth"

ἀληθεύοντες (from ἀληθεύω) is often translated “speaking the truth,” but this rendering is reductive. The verb, though rare in classical Greek, encompasses a broader semantic range than verbal truth-telling. It more precisely means “being true” or “practicing truth”—that is, living in alignment as an agent of truth, without deceit, trustworthy.

The scholars could not help but amend qualifiers:

"From alethes; to be true (in doctrine and profession)" (Strong's Exhaustive)

“to act in accordance with the truth, to be truthful” (BDAG, emp. add.)

 “to profess the truth (true doctrine)” (Thayer)

or awkward verbalization:

"alētheúō (literally, "truthing").../alētheúō (literally, "to truth")" (HELPS)

And thus the primary meaning of being true was effectively covered up.

The participial form here denotes a habitual, ongoing disposition rather than a single verbal act. In the context of Ephesians 4:15, especially in contrast to the deceitful instability and gambling described in v.14 (κυβείᾳ, πλάνῃ), it is best understood as denoting a life marked by trustworthiness in every respect, carried out ἐν ἀγάπῃ (“in love”). Thus, the phrase implies not merely telling the truth lovingly, but embodying truth within love—a moral-existential orientation rather than a verbal utterance alone.

Aristotle’s Use of ἀληθεύω

In Aristotle, ἀληθεύω does not simply mean “to speak the truth” in the colloquial sense, but rather denotes a correspondence between thought (or speech) and reality. This usage is foundational to his correspondence theory of truth.

1. Truth in Judgment and Proposition

Aristotle defines truth (ἀλήθεια) and falsity (ψεῦδος) primarily in terms of propositions (φάσεις) and their correspondence to reality.

In Metaphysics Θ.10 (1051b3–5), he writes:

"ἀληθεύει μὲν ὁ τὸ διῃρημένον οἰόμενος διῃρῆσθαι, ἔψευσται δὲ ὁ ἐναντίως ἔχων."
“He is true who thinks that what is divided is divided; and he is false who thinks that what is united is divided.”

This is a paradigmatic formulation of truth as correspondence: the subject "ἀληθεύει" (is true) not because he speaks or asserts something, but because his judgment corresponds to the actual state of affairs.

2. Neutrality of Assertion and Negation

In Metaphysics Θ.10 (1062a25), Aristotle asserts:

"ὁ λέγων ἄνθρωπον ἢ οὐκ ἄνθρωπον οὐθὲν μᾶλλον ἀληθεύσει."
“He who says ‘man’ or ‘not-man’ will not be any more truthful than the other.”

Here, Aristotle emphasizes that neither affirmation nor negation is intrinsically more likely to be true; truth lies in correct correspondence, not grammatical form.

3. ἀληθεύεσθαι (Passive/Middle Voice) in Logical Contexts

In De Interpretatione (Int. 22b2), Aristotle uses the passive/middle form:

"ἀληθεύεσθαι ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ."
“To be made true of the same subject.”

This construction is often used when referring to propositions or categories: something is said truly of a subject when it belongs essentially or accidentally to that subject. This reflects truth as predicative accuracy.

Summary of Aristotle's Semantic Nuance

• ἀληθεύειν (active): to judge, assert, or think in accordance with reality.

• ἀληθεύεσθαι (passive/middle): for something (a statement, predicate, etc.) to be made true of a subject—used in logical analysis.

• Not merely “telling the truth” but epistemic accuracy, ontological correspondence, or logical validity.

• Contrast with ψεύδομαι (to be false), which similarly denotes error in judgment or assertion, not merely intentional deception.