In vain
εἰκῇStrong’s G1500eikē
Appears in 6 verses of the New Testament
In short
Eikē is the Greek word usually translated “vain” and “vainly”. It appears in 6 verses of the New Testament.
“But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”
Meaning
Usually translated “vain” and “vainly”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- in vain 6
- vainly 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Galatians 2
- Matthew 1
- Romans 1
- 1 Corinthians 1
- Colossians 1
5 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Romans 13:4For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
- 1 Corinthians 15:2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
- Galatians 3:4Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
- Galatians 4:11I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
- Colossians 2:18Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
Greek dictionary
εἰκῇ eikē · in vain
εἰκῇ (-ῆ, Rec., as in cl.), adv., [in LXX: Pro.28:25 (εἰκῇ)* ;] 1. without cause or reason: Mat.5:22 (E, mg.), Col.2:18 (ICC). 2. vainly, fruitlessly, to no purpose: Rom.13:4, 1Co.15:2, Gal.3:4 4:11, Col.2:18. † (AS)
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “vain” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
VAIN, adjective
[Latin vanus; Eng. wan, wane, want.]
- Empty; worthless; having no substance, value or importance. 1 Peter 1:18“Every man walketh in a vain show” Psalms 39:6“Why do the people imagine a vain thing?” Psalms 2:1
- Fruitless; ineffectual.
- Proud of petty things, or of trifling attainments; elated with a high opinion of one's own accomplishments, or with things more showy than valuable; conceited.
- Empty; unreal; as a vain chimers.
All definitions
- Showy; ostentatious.
- Light; inconstant; worthless. Proverbs 12:11
- Empty; unsatisfying.
- False; deceitful; not genuine; spurious. James 1:26
- Not effectual; having no efficacy“Bring no more vain oblations” Isaiah 1:13“In vain they do worship me” Matthew 15:9
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.