Did you know the word faith is only used two times in the Old Testament?

Question

But it is used 229 times in the New Testament. (KJV)

(Deuteronomy 32:20) And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

(Habakkuk 2:4) Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

Answer 1

Actually, the Hebrew word "emunah" is used 49 times in the OT, including Habakkuk 2:4. It is variously translated as: faith, faithfulness, truth, faithfully, office, faithful, stability, steady, truly and verily.

The Hebrew word translated as "faith" at Deut. 32:20 is an entirely different word than the the one used in Hab. 2:4. It's "emuwn" and means "faithfullness, trusting" and is used 5 times in the OT.

So we see words translated as "faith" 54 times in the OT that I'm aware of. I'm sure there are more.

The Greek word used in the NT is "pistis," and is used 244 times. The word "oligopistos," meaning "little faith" is used 5 times, such as at Matthew 6:30 ("Oh ye of little faith").

Answer 2

Really.....only twice?


Deuteronomy 32:20
Habakkuk 2:4
Numbers 12:7
Deuteronomy 7:9
1 Samuel 2:35
1 Samuel 22:14
2 Samuel 20:19
Nehemiah 7:2
Nehemiah 9:8
Nehemiah 13:13
Psalm 12:1
Psalm 31:23
Psalm 89:37
Psalm 101:6
Psalm 119:86
Psalm 119:138
Proverbs 11:13
Proverbs 13:17
Proverbs 14:5
Proverbs 20:6
Proverbs 25:13
Proverbs 27:6
Proverbs 28:20
Isaiah 1:21
Isaiah 1:26
Isaiah 8:2
Isaiah 49:7
Jeremiah 42:5
Daniel 6:4
Hosea 11:12
2 Kings 12:15
2 Kings 22:7
2 Chronicles 19:9
2 Chronicles 31:12
2 Chronicles 34:12
Proverbs 29:14
Jeremiah 23:28
1 Samuel 26:23
Psalm 5:9
Psalm 36:5
Psalm 40:10
Psalm 88:11
Psalm 89:1
Psalm 89:2
Psalm 89:5
Psalm 89:8
Psalm 89:24
Psalm 89:33
Psalm 92:2
Psalm 119:75
Psalm 119:90
Psalm 143:1
Isaiah 11:5
Isaiah 25:1
Lamentations 3:23
Hosea 2:20

Answer 3

The Old Testament saw God in action constantly. Parting the red sea, manna from heaven, quail from heaven, walls of Jericho coming down, those great prophets, Daniel who gave Nebu his dream and the 3 Hebrew young men who went into the furnace and came out unburned. The Temple people heard the breathing of God in the Holy of Holies. The Israelites were so accustomed to God taking care of them that they got to where they thought they could do anything and God would protect them. They even starting worshiping other gods and this is when God turned His back on them and let Satan punish them.

To lose the protection of God is a fearful thing. In John 20:29
Jesus said to doubting Thomas, "Thomas because thou hast seen me, thou believes, blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

This is the FAITH that we have today. We know Christ lives within us. We trust the Lord for our protection and provision.
Unlike the Hebrew Israelite people we do not see the Shakinah Glory but we know our Lord lives within us. That is FAITH.

Answer 4

You are getting some terrible answers to a question you didn't ask. Faith is implied with our father, Abraham. "Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness." -Genesis. The very moment he believed God's promise, he was made eternally and forever righteous in God's sight. No addendum. Not "plus if you live a good life and give 10% yadda yadda", no the true Christians do that out of a grateful heart. This is why Abe was the "Father of Faith".

Answer 5

I just did a search in the King James version and got 56 hits on faith, faithfulness & faithful.

The NIV has 136.


What is your point?

Answer 6

It was understood and should be even to this day that faith isn't just belief. Faith is belief with ACTION taken on the belief.
A person can believe all they want, but they must act on their belief.
That is faith.

Answer 7

Wrong. The following are from the NIV Old Testament. And this does not include the words faithful and faithless.

Exodus 21:8
If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her.

Deuteronomy 32:51
This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.

Joshua 22:16
"The whole assembly of the LORD says: 'How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now?

Judges 9:16
"Now if you have acted honorably and in good faith when you made Abimelech king, and if you have been fair to Jerub-Baal and his family, and if you have treated him as he deserves-

Judges 9:19
if then you have acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family today, may Abimelech be your joy, and may you be his, too!

1 Samuel 14:33
Then someone said to Saul, "Look, the men are sinning against the LORD by eating meat that has blood in it." "You have broken faith," he said. "Roll a large stone over here at once."

• 2 Chronicles 20:20
Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful."

Isaiah 7:9
The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.' "

Isaiah 26:2
Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith.

Habakkuk 2:4
"See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith

Malachi 2:10
[ Judah Unfaithful ] Have we not all one Father ? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?

Malachi 2:11
Judah has broken faith. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the LORD loves, by marrying the daughter of a foreign god.

Malachi 2:14
You ask, "Why?" It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.

Malachi 2:15
Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.

Malachi 2:16
"I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, "and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment," says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.

Answer 8

229 times in new testament

Answer 9

In the OLD Testement you lived by the law. In the new testement you live by faith...

oK.. whats the point?

Answer 10

Because he cares about how we live and what we do. Christians do not seem to understand how silly it is to think he only cares about whether we believe in him.