Bible Dictionary
FEIGN
To feign is to invent, pretend, disguise, or act deceptively. Scripture condemns feigned words, false appearances, insincere obedience, and pretending to possess righteousness or madness.
Definition
To feign is to devise, pretend, disguise, or act under a false appearance. The word may describe inventing something from one's own heart, pretending to be another person or a mourner, feigning madness, or acting under a mask. It may also denote deceit, fraud, falsehood, or insincere obedience.
Biblical Usage
Scripture uses feign for false words, deceptive appearances, pretended righteousness, feigned madness, and obedience that is only outward. It can also describe lips that are not sincere and conduct that amounts to lying or flattering. The Revised Version sometimes changes related renderings such as “make” or “made” to “feign” or “feigned.”
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>fan (badha, nakhar; plastos): Occurs</p><p>(1) in the sense of "to devise," "invent" as the translation of badha', "to form," "to fashion" (Ne 6:8, "Thou feignest them out of thine own heart"; compare 1Ki 12:33, English Versions of the Bible "devised of his own heart"); of plastos, "formed," "molded" (2Pe 2:3, "with reigned words make merchandise of you");</p><p>(2) in the sense of "pretense," nakhar, "to be foreign," "strange" (1Ki 14:5, "feign herself to be another woman," 1ki 14:6; compare Ge 42:7; Pr 26:24); 'abhal, "to mourn," "to act as a mourner" (2Sa 14:2); halal, "to make a show," Hithpael, "to be mad," "to feign madness" (of David, 1Sa 21:13; compare Jer 25:16; 50:38); hupokrinomai, "to give judgment, or act, under a mask" (Lu 20:20, "who feigned themselves to be righteous");</p><p>(3) in the sense of "deceit" "fraud," "insincerity," mirmah, "prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips" (Ps 17:1); sheqer, "falsehood," "a lie," "Judah hath not returned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly" (Jer 3:10; compare /APC 2Esdras 8:28); kahash, "to lie," "to feign, or flatter" (2Sa 12:45; Ps 18:44; 66:3; 81:15), where the text of the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American), "shall submit themselves," is rendered the margin (the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American)), "yield feigned obedience, Hebrew lie." the Revised Version (British and American) has "feign" for "make" (2Sa 13:5), and "feigned" for "made" (2Sa 13:6).</p><p>W. L. Walker</p>