βέβαιος (bebaios)
bebaios
firm
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 8 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective bebaios describes something that is firm, secure, or stable. In the New Testament it often carries a legal sense of being guaranteed or confirmed, ensuring that a promise or arrangement cannot be broken. This word appears eight times, with a significant concentration in Hebrews and Second Peter, where it anchors theological concepts like promises, covenants, and hope.
Its root idea connects to stability, suggesting something firmly established on a solid foundation. For instance, Hebrews uses it to describe the anchor of the soul, which is both firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19), and to characterize the covenant as legally binding (Hebrews 9:17). In Romans, Paul explains that faith ensures God’s promise remains bebaios, or irrevocable, for all who believe (Romans 4:16).
Translators typically render this word as "sure," "firm," or "confirmed." The emphasis is not merely on physical steadiness but on the reliability of what has been declared. Whether referring to prophetic words in Second Peter (2 Peter 1:19) or the call and election of believers (2 Peter 1:10), the term points to a divine guarantee that stands firm against uncertainty.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word bebaios reminds us that God’s promises are not fragile wishes but solid realities. When Scripture calls a promise sure or firm, it means the foundation is unshakable. You can rest in this stability, knowing that what God has declared will not fade with changing circumstances.
This assurance anchors your soul during uncertain times. Like a heavy anchor holding a ship in a storm, this divine certainty keeps you steady when life feels turbulent. The hope described here is not a vague optimism but a guaranteed future secured by God’s faithfulness.
As you navigate daily challenges, remember that your calling and election are made sure through diligence and faith. This firmness invites you to stand confident, not in your own strength, but in the reliable character of the One who keeps His word.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 8 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- unshakable2×
- sure2×
- unalterable,1×
- more certain1×
- firm1×
- [is] affirmed,1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- βεβαίαν5×
- βέβαιος,1×
- βεβαία,1×
- βεβαιότερον1×
Key Verses
-
Romans 4:16
For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the offspring, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
Paul uses this term to show that faith ensures God's promise remains irrevocable for all believers, not just those under the law.
-
Hebrews 6:19
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil,
The author describes hope as an anchor of the soul, emphasizing its role in providing secure stability within the divine presence.
-
II Peter 1:10
Therefore, brothers, be more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.
Peter urges believers to be diligent so that their calling and election remain confirmed, preventing spiritual stumbling.