Biblical Concept: Fool

 

Vocabulary:  The New testament vocabulary words translated “fool” have literal translations related to the functioning of the human mind.  Examples: anoetos  (avno,htoj) a = not, nous = mind; asunetos (avsu,netoj) a = not, suniemi = understanding; aphrosune (avfrosu,nh) a = not, phren = thinking; paraphroneo (parafrone,w) para =beside, phren = thinking; moros (mwro,j) dull, foolish.

 

Points of Doctrine:

 

1) Fools have subjectivity at the point of God consciousness. 

 

Psalm 14:1, say no God.

Psalm 53:1, say no God.

Psalm 74:18, a foolish people has spurned Thy name.

Psalm 74:22, the foolish man reproaches Thee all day long.

Proverbs 19:3; foolishness of man subverts his way, his heart rages against the LORD.

Deuteronomy 32:21, idolatry = a foolish nation.

Romans 1:21; know God, but not honor.  Also 1:22, 1:28-32.

1 Corinthians 1:18, the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness.  See 1:21-25; 2:14.

Isaiah 32:6, speak error against the LORD.

Jeremiah 4:22a, for My people are foolish, They know Me not.

Luke 12:20-21, not rich toward God.

 

2) Fools malfunction toward God’s word. 

 

1 Samuel 13:13, you have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment.

Job 42:8, your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job.

Proverbs 1:7, fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 10:8, not receive commands.

Ecclesiastes 5:1, draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools.  Also 5:4.

Isaiah 9:17, every one of them is godless and an evildoer, every mouth is speaking foolishness.

Isaiah 44:25; Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back, And turning their knowledge into foolishness.

Jeremiah 5:4, they do not know the way of the LORD Or the ordinance of their God.

Ezekiel 13:3, foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing.

Matthew 7:26; hears these words, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man.

Matthew 23:17, you fools and blind men. (Jesus to Scribes and Pharisees.)

Luke 24:25, not believe prophets.

Galatians 3:1,3; foolish Galatians (back to Law).

Ephesians 5:17, understand what the will of the Lord is (attitude of improvement).

James 2:20; foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless.

 

3) Fools have a volitional problem.

 

Psalm 49:13, this is the way of those who are foolish. (See the context.)

Psalm 107:17; fools, because of their rebellious way.

Proverbs 1:22, fools hate knowledge.

Proverbs 913, The woman of folly is boisterous, She is naive, and knows nothing.

Proverbs 12:23, the heart of fools proclaims folly.

Proverbs 14:8, the folly of fools is deceit.

Proverbs 14:17, a quick-tempered man acts foolishly.

Proverbs 14:24, the folly of fools is foolishness.

Proverbs 15:7, The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so.

Proverbs 15:14, the mouth of fools feeds on folly.

Proverbs 17:10, no rebuke reception.

Proverbs 17:16, no sense.

Proverbs 17:24, improper focus.

Proverbs 23:9, despise the wisdom.

Proverbs 24:7, wisdom is too high.

Proverbs 27:22, committed to foolishness.

Proverbs 30:32, if you have been foolish in exalting yourself.

Ecclesiastes 4:13, A poor, yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction.

Ecclesiastes 7:4, the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.  Also 7:5.

Ecclesiastes 7:9, anger resides in the bosom of fools.

Isaiah 32:6a, speaks nonsense.

Jeremiah 5:21; have eyes, but see not; Who have ears, but hear not.

Mark 7:22; deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.

 

4) Fools love to sin. 

 

Proverbs 10:23, wickedness is like sport.

Proverbs 13:16, displays folly.

Proverbs 13:19, an abomination to fools to depart from evil.

Proverbs 14:9, fools mock at sin.

Proverbs 14:16, arrogant and careless.

Proverbs 15:5, rejects his father's discipline.

Proverbs 15:21, folly is joy to him who lacks sense.

Proverbs 17:7, excellent speech is not fitting for a fool.

Proverbs 17:12, powerful desire for folly.

Proverbs 24:9, the devising of folly is sin.

Proverbs 26:11, powerful desire to repeat folly.

Proverbs 29:11, always loses his temper.

Proverbs 29:20, hasty in his words.

Proverbs 30:22, earth quakes under a satisfied fool.

Ecclesiastes 5:3, effort versus words.

Isaiah 32:6b, heart inclines toward wickedness.

Jeremiah 4:22b, they are shrewd to do evil.

1 Timothy 6:9; rich, temptation, snare, and many foolish and harmful desires.

 

5) Fools are self centered.

 

Proverbs 12:15, right in own eyes.

Proverbs 18:2, revealing own mind.

Proverbs 26:12, wise in own eyes.

Proverbs 28:26, trusts in own heart.

 

6) Fools affect those around them. 

 

Proverbs 3:35, fools display dishonor.

Proverbs 10:1, a foolish son is a grief to his mother.

Proverbs 10:14, mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

Proverbs 12:16 a fool's vexation is known at once.

Proverbs 14:7; leave or not discern words of knowledge.

Proverbs 14:29, he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.

Proverbs 14:33, in the bosom of fools it is made known.

Proverbs 15:2, the mouth of fools spouts folly.

Proverbs 15:20, a foolish man despises his mother.

Proverbs 17:21; sorrow, no joy, and foolish children.

Proverbs 17:25, A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her who bore him.

Proverbs 18:6, lips bring strife.

Proverbs 19:1, perverse in speech.

Proverbs 19:10, luxury is not fitting for a fool.

Proverbs 19:13, a foolish son is destruction to his father.

Proverbs 20:3, any fool will quarrel.

Proverbs 26:1, honor is not fitting for a fool.

Proverbs 26:6, do not send a foolish messenger.

Proverbs 26:7, so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.  Also 26:9.

Proverbs 26:10, do not hire a fool.

Proverbs 27:3, do not provoke a fool.

Proverbs 29:9, When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.

Ecclesiastes 9:17, the shouting of a ruler among fools.

Ecclesiastes 10:1, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor.

Ecclesiastes 10:3, obvious.  Also 2 Timothy 3:9.

 Ecclesiastes 10:6, folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places.

Titus 3:3, for we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

 

7) Fool = self induced misery.

 

Psalm 38:5, my wounds grow foul and fester. Because of my folly.

Proverbs 1:32, the complacency of fools shall destroy them.

 Proverbs 5:23, will die for lack of instruction, greatness of his folly he will go astray.

Proverbs 10:21, fools die for lack of understanding.

Proverbs 14:1; her house, the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

Proverbs 14:3 in the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back.

Proverbs 14:18, The naive inherit folly, But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

Proverbs 16:22, the discipline of fools is folly.

Proverbs 18:7; a fool's mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul.

Proverbs 18:13, He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him.

Proverbs 21:20, a foolish man swallows it up.

Ecclesiastes 2:14, walk in darkness.

Ecclesiastes 4:5, consumes his own flesh.

Ecclesiastes 10:2, a wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man's heart toward the left.

Ecclesiastes 10:12, own lips consume him.  Also 10:13.

Ecclesiastes 10:15, toil wearies.

 

8) Counter fools.

 

Deuteronomy 22:21; stone her to death, act of folly in Israel, you shall purge the evil from among you.

Psalm 69:5; O God, Thou who dost know my folly, And my wrongs are not hidden from Thee.

Psalm 85:8, I will hear what God the LORD will say; For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones; But let them not turn back to folly.

Proverbs 8:5; O fools, discern wisdom.

Proverbs 9:6 "Forsake your folly and live, And proceed in the way of understanding."

Proverbs 11:29, the foolish will be servant to the wisehearted.

Proverbs 13:20, the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Proverbs 19:29, Judgments are prepared for scoffers, And blows for the back of fools.

Proverbs 22:15, foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

Proverbs 26:4-5, answer a fool as his folly deserves.

Proverbs 26:8, do not honor a fool.

Ecclesiastes 2:13, And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.

Ecclesiastes 7:25; I directed my mind, to know the evil of folly, the foolishness of madness.

Isaiah 32:5, no longer will the fool be called noble.

Isaiah 35:8,and fools will not wander on it.

Isaiah 44:25, making fools out of diviners, turning their knowledge into foolishness,

Job 2:10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks.”

Romans 1:14; obligation, both to the wise and to the foolish.

1 Corinthians 1:20, God made foolish the wisdom of the world.

1 Corinthians 1:27, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

1 Corinthians 3:18, let him become foolish that he may become wise.

1 Corinthians 3:19, for the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God.

2 Corinthians 11:19, (do not) bear with the foolish gladly.

 Ephesians 5:4, no silly (foolish) talk.

2 Timothy 2:23, but refuse foolish and ignorant speculations (spiritual).

Titus 3:9, but shun foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law; for they are unprofitable and worthless.

1 Peter 2:15, by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

 

9) Not fools, but random acts of foolishness.

 

2 Samuel 24:10, I have acted very foolishly.

 

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