Extended Strong's Greek Lexicon (Abbott-Smith based)
in vain
Usage: μάτην (prop. accusative of μάτη, a fault, folly), adv., [in LXX for הָבַל, שָׁוְא, etc. ;] in vain, to no purpose: Mat.15:9, Mrk.7:7" (LXX) .† (AS)
Strong's Number
G3155
Language
Greek
Linked Usages
23
Books
10
Strong's G3155 Quick Answer
Strong's G3155 μάτην (maten) is a Greek Strong's word-study entry. maten (mat'-ayn) adv. 1. folly 2. (adverbially) to no purpose, futilely It has 23 linked Bible usages across 10 books. Visible English usage signals include vain, lord, cause, said, and without. Indexed coverage on this page includes New Testament, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, and Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha.
- Meaning
- maten (mat'-ayn) adv. 1. folly 2. (adverbially) to no purpose, futilely
- Usage
- 23 linked usages
- Books
- 10 indexed books
- Corpus
- New Testament, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, and Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha
- Usage Words
- vain, lord, cause, said, and without
Meaning and Definition
maten (mat'-ayn) adv. 1. folly 2. (adverbially) to no purpose, futilely [accusative case of a derivative of the base of G3145 (through the idea of tentative manipulation, i.e. unsuccessful search, or else of punishment)] KJV: in vain Root(s): G3145 See also: G3154
Across Lexicons
How independent scholarly lexicons define Strong's G3155. Each definition is shown with its source so you can compare and cite the original reference works.
English Usage Signals
Frequent English words from the visible usage excerpts. These are not a replacement for the original-language definition, but they make the usage pattern easier to scan.
vain
lord
cause
said
without
man
vainly
thee
thyself
after
city
worship
How Strong's G3155 Usage Compares
Indexed coverage includes Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha, and New Testament. Each section below keeps corpus counts and sample passages visible so readers can compare the word across contexts instead of reading one flat concordance list.
- The largest indexed corpus on this page is Septuagint / Greek Old Testament with 18 linked usages.
- This page lets readers compare New Testament usage with Septuagint / Greek Old Testament usage, which is a key THF advantage over narrower Strong's pages.
- Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha rows are counted separately so readers can decide how those texts relate to the main word study.
In the Septuagint (LXX)
Strong's G3155 (μάτην) appears 22 times in the Greek Septuagint — the Old Testament the New Testament authors quoted.
Sample Septuagint occurrences:
- 3 Kingdoms 20:20 — μάτην
- 2 Maccabees 7:18 — μάτην
- 2 Maccabees 7:34 — μάτην
- 4 Maccabees 16:8 — μάτην
- Ezekiel 14:23 — μάτην
Strong's G3155 by Corpus
Indexed usage grouped by testament and extended corpus so readers can compare this word across the Bible, Septuagint, deuterocanonical books, and 1 Enoch where present.
Strong's G3155 in the New Testament
2 indexed usages in New Testament.
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Strong's G3155 in the Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
18 indexed usages in Septuagint / Greek Old Testament.
And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, mine enemy? and he said, I have found thee: because thou hast wickedly sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger;
For without cause they have hidden for me their destructive snare: Without a cause they have reproached my soul.
Surely man walks in a shadow; Nay, he is disquieted in vain: He lays up treasures, and knows not for whom he shall gather them.
Strong's G3155 in the deuterocanonical books / Apocrypha
3 indexed usages in Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha.
After him also they brought the sixth, who being ready to die said, Be not deceived without cause: for we suffer these things for ourselves, having sinned against our God: therefore marvelous things are done unto us.
But thou, O godless man, and of all other most wicked, be not lifted up without a cause, nor puffed up with uncertain hopes, lifting up thy hand against the servants of God:
Vainly, for your sakes, O sons, have I endured many pangs, and the more difficult anxieties of rearing.
Usage Excerpts
First 23 linked usage excerpts for Strong's G3155.
And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, mine enemy? and he said, I have found thee: because thou hast wickedly sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger;
For without cause they have hidden for me their destructive snare: Without a cause they have reproached my soul.
Surely man walks in a shadow; Nay, he is disquieted in vain: He lays up treasures, and knows not for whom he shall gather them.
Thou chastenest man with rebukes for iniquity, And thou makest his life to consume away like a spider’s web: Nay, every man is disquieted in vain. Pause.
And if he came to see me, his heart spoke vainly; He gathered iniquity to himself; He went forth and spoke in like manner.
But they vainly sought after my soul; They shall go into the lowest parts of the earth.
A Song of Degrees. Except the Lord build the house, They that build labor in vain: Except the Lord keep the city, The watchman watches in vain.
It is vain for you to rise early: Ye rise up after resting, Ye that eat the bread of grief; While he gives sleep to his beloved.
Lest he do thee some harm.
I am a strong city, a city in a siege: in vain shall I water it; for it shall be taken by night, and by day the wall shall fall.
And I will cause judgment to be for hope, and my compassion shall be for just measures, and ye that trust vainly in falsehood shall fall: for the storm shall by no means pass by you,
And the Lord has said, This people draw nigh to me with their mouth, and they honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me: but in vain do they worship me, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men.
For there are princes in Tanis, evil messengers.
For these are your makers, as ye think, and they that cause you to err in vain.
In vain have I smitten your children; ye have not received correction: a sword has devoured your prophets as a destroying lion; yet ye feared not.
And what wilt thou do? Though thou clothe thyself with scarlet, and adorn thyself with golden ornaments; though thou adorn thine eyes with stibium, thy beauty will be in vain: thy lovers have rejected thee, they seek thy life.
How will ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? In vain have the scribes used a false pen.
And they shall comfort you, because ye shall see their ways and their thoughts: and ye shall know that I have not done in vain all that I have done in it, saith the Lord.
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
After him also they brought the sixth, who being ready to die said, Be not deceived without cause: for we suffer these things for ourselves, having sinned against our God: therefore marvelous things are done unto us.
But thou, O godless man, and of all other most wicked, be not lifted up without a cause, nor puffed up with uncertain hopes, lifting up thy hand against the servants of God:
Vainly, for your sakes, O sons, have I endured many pangs, and the more difficult anxieties of rearing.
All Indexed Usage Links
Every indexed verse link for Strong's G3155, grouped by book.
3 Kingdoms 1 usage, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Psalms 7 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Proverbs 1 usage, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Isaiah 5 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Jeremiah 3 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Ezekiel 1 usage, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Matthew 1 usage, New Testament
Mark 1 usage, New Testament
2 Maccabees 2 usages, Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha
4 Maccabees 1 usage, Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha
Strong's G3155 FAQ
What does maten (μάτην) mean?
Maten (Strong's G3155) is a Greek word most simply glossed "in vain". maten (mat'-ayn) adv. 1. folly 2. (adverbially) to no purpose, futilely
How many times is maten (μάτην) used in the Bible?
This page currently indexes 23 linked usages for Strong's G3155 across 10 books.
Where can I study maten (μάτην) in context?
Use the linked verse references on this page to study Strong's G3155 in context. The indexed coverage includes New Testament, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, and Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha.
What English words translate maten (μάτην)?
The visible usage excerpts most often surface English words such as vain, lord, cause, said, without, and man. These are scanning signals from the displayed verses, not replacements for the original-language definition.
Does Strong's G3155 appear in the Septuagint or deuterocanonical books?
Yes. The current local index includes 18 in Septuagint / Greek Old Testament and 3 in Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha for Strong's G3155, with linked reader references where each row is available.