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; Luk 12:20; Rom 2:20; 1Co 15:36; 2Co 11:16 (twice), 2Co 11:19 (contrasted with phronimos, “prudent”); 2Co 12:6, 2Co 12:11; Eph 5:17; 1Pe 2:15.
signifies “not understanding” (a, negative, noeo, “to perceive, understand”), not applying nous, “the mind,” Luk 24:25; in Rom 1:14; Gal 3:1, Gal 3:3 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, Tit 3:3; in 1Ti 6:9 it is associated with evil desires, lusts. See UNWISE.
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, Mat 23:19, “fools;” Mat 25:2-3, Mat 25:8, “foolish;” in 1Co 3:18, “a fool;” the Apostle Paul uses it of himself and his fellow-workers, in 1Co 4:10, “fools” (i.e., in the eyes of opponents); (b) of things, 2Ti 2:23, “foolish and ignorant questionings;” so Tit 3:9; in 1Co 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 1Co 1:27, “the foolish (things) of the world.”
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.
is used (a) in the casual sense, “to make foolish,” 1Co 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 SAVOUR.
“to be beside oneself” (from para, “contrary to,” and phren, “the mind”), “to be deranged,” 2Co 11:23, RV, “as one beside himself,” for AV, “as a fool.”
denotes “foolishness” (akin to A, No. 3 and B, No. 1), and is used in 1Co 1:18, 1Co 1:21, 1Co 1:23; 1Co 2:14; 1Co 3:19.
“senselessness,” is translated “foolishness” in Mar 7:22; 2Co 11:1, 2Co 11:17, 2Co 11:21, “foolishness” RV (AV, “folly” and “foolishly”). See FOLLY.
Note: Morologia denotes “foolish talking,” Eph 5:4. See TALKING.