Dictionaries :: Fool, Foolish, Foolishly, Foolishness

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

Fool, Foolish, Foolishly, Foolishness:

signifies "without reason" (a, negative, phren, "the mind"), "want of mental sanity and sobriety, a reckless and inconsiderate habit of mind" (Hort), or "the lack of commonsense perception of the reality of things natural and spiritual... or the imprudent ordering of one's life in regard to salvation" (G. Vos, in Hastings' Bible Dic.); it is mostly translated "foolish" or "foolish ones" in the RV; Luk 11:40; 12:20; Rom 2:20; 1Cr 15:36; 2Cr 11:16 (twice), 19 (contrasted with phronimos, "prudent"); 12:6, 11; Eph 5:17; 1Pe 2:15.

Fool, Foolish, Foolishly, Foolishness:

signifies "not understanding" (a, negative, noeo, "to perceive, understand"), not applying nous, "the mind," Luk 24:25; in Rom 1:14; Gal 3:1, 3 it signifies "senseless," an unworthy lack of understanding; sometimes it carries a moral reproach (in contrast with sophron, "sober-minded, self-controlled") and describes one who does not govern his lusts, Tts 3:3; in 1Ti 6:9 it is associated with evil desires, lusts.
See UNWISE.

Fool, Foolish, Foolishly, Foolishness:

primarily denotes "dull, sluggish" (from a root muh--, "to be silly"); hence, "stupid, foolish;" it is used

(a) of persons, Mat 5:22, "Thou fool;" here the word means morally worthless, a scoundrel, a more serious reproach than "Raca;" the latter scorns a man's mind and calls him stupid; moros scorns his heart and character; hence the Lord's more severe condemnation; in Mat 7:26, "a foolish man;" Mat 23:17, 19, "fools;" Mat 25:2, 3, 8, "foolish;" in 1Cr 3:18, "a fool;" the Apostle Paul uses it of himself and his fellow-workers, in 1Cr 4:10, "fools" (i.e., in the eyes of opponents);

(b) of things, 2Ti 2:23, "foolish and ignorant questionings;" so Tts 3:9; in 1Cr 1:25, "the foolishness of God," not moria, "foolishness" as a personal quality (see C, No. 1), but adjectivally, that which is considered by the ignorant as a "foolish" policy or mode of dealing, lit., "the foolish (thing);" so in ver. 27, "the foolish (things) of the world."

Fool, Foolish, Foolishly, Foolishness:

denotes "without discernment," or "understanding" (a, negative, suniemi, "to understand"); hence "senseless," as in the RV of Rom 1:21 (AV, "foolish"), of the heart; in Rom 10:19, AV, "foolish," RV, "void of understanding."
See UNDERSTANDING.

Note: For "fools," Eph 5:15, see UNWISE, No. 3.

Fool, Foolish, Foolishly, Foolishness:

is used

(a) in the casual sense, "to make foolish," 1Cr 1:20;

(b) in the Passive sense, "to become foolish," Rom 1:22; in Mat 5:13; Luk 14:34 it is said of salt that has lost its flavor, becoming tasteless.
See SAVOR.

Fool, Foolish, Foolishly, Foolishness:

"to be beside oneself" (from para, "contrary to," and phren, "the mind"), "to be deranged," 2Cr 11:23, RV, "as one beside himself," for AV, "as a fool."

Fool, Foolish, Foolishly, Foolishness:

denotes "foolishness" (akin to A, No. 3 and B, No. 1), and is used in 1Cr 1:18, 21, 23; 2:14; 3:19.

Fool, Foolish, Foolishly, Foolishness:

"senselessness," is translated "foolishness" in Mar 7:22; 2Cr 11:1, 17, 21, "foolishness" RV (AV, "folly" and "foolishly").
See FOLLY.

Note: Morologia denotes "foolish talking," Eph 5:4.
See TALKING.