Topical Encyclopedia
The term "brutish" in the Bible is often used to describe a lack of understanding or wisdom, akin to the behavior of animals that act on instinct rather than reason. It is a term that conveys a sense of spiritual and intellectual dullness, often associated with idolatry and moral corruption.
Old Testament UsageIn the Old Testament, the Hebrew word often translated as "brutish" is "ba'ar" (בַּעַר), which can mean senseless or foolish. This term is used to describe those who lack spiritual insight and understanding. For example, in
Psalm 92:6 , it is written, "A senseless man does not know, and a fool does not understand." Here, the "senseless man" is described as brutish, lacking the wisdom to comprehend the works of God.
Jeremiah 10:8 also uses this term in the context of idolatry: "But they are altogether senseless and foolish, instructed by worthless idols made of wood!" The prophet Jeremiah criticizes the people for their foolishness in worshiping idols, equating their lack of understanding with being brutish.
Proverbs and Wisdom LiteratureThe Book of Proverbs frequently contrasts wisdom with foolishness, and the brutish person is often depicted as one who rejects wisdom.
Proverbs 12:1 states, "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." The term "stupid" here is synonymous with being brutish, highlighting a rejection of wisdom and correction.
Prophetic LiteratureIn the prophetic books, the term is used to describe the spiritual state of the people.
Ezekiel 21:31 says, "I will pour out My indignation upon you; I will blow against you with the fire of My wrath, and deliver you into the hands of brutal men, skilled in destruction." Here, "brutal men" are those who act without moral restraint, emphasizing the destructive nature of being brutish.
New Testament ContextWhile the specific term "brutish" is not commonly found in the New Testament, the concept is present in the descriptions of those who live according to the flesh rather than the Spirit.
Romans 1:21-22 describes those who, "although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." This passage reflects the brutish nature of rejecting God's truth and wisdom.
Theological ImplicationsFrom a theological perspective, being brutish is associated with a rejection of divine wisdom and an embrace of worldly or fleshly understanding. It is a state of spiritual blindness and moral insensitivity, often leading to idolatry and sin. The Bible calls believers to seek wisdom and understanding from God, contrasting the brutish nature with the enlightened mind of one who follows the Lord.
Practical ApplicationIn practical terms, the call to avoid being brutish is a call to pursue wisdom, understanding, and spiritual discernment. Believers are encouraged to seek God's guidance and to cultivate a heart that is receptive to His teachings, avoiding the pitfalls of foolishness and moral insensitivity.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
a.) Pertaining to, or resembling, a brute or brutes; of a cruel, gross, and stupid nature; coarse; unfeeling; unintelligent.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
BRUTE; BRUTISHbroot, brootish (ba`ar, "stupid"; alogos, "without speech," hence, irrational, unreasonable (Acts 25:272 Peter 2:12Jude 1:10 the King James Version)): The man who denies God acts in an irrational way. Such persons are described as brutish (Psalm 49:10;Psalm 92:6;Psalm 94:8Jeremiah 10:14, 21;Jeremiah 51:17). These are stupid, unteachable. This is a graphic description of the atheist. The proverb, "No fool like the learned fool," is especially true of the ignorance of the unbelievers of the Scriptures. Their obj ections to the Bible, as a rule, are utterly ridiculous. The word is occasionally used in the sense of thoughtless ignorance. Brutish counsel is counsel that is foolish, unreasonable (Isaiah 19:11). The term is used by Agur (Proverbs 30:2) to express the low estimate he has of himself and his conscious lack of knowledge.
Jacob W. Kapp
Strong's Hebrew
1197b. baar -- to bebrutish... 1197a, 1197b. baar. 1198 . to be
brutish. Transliteration: baar Short
Definition: stupid. Word Origin denominative verb from beir
...1197. ba'ar -- to burn, consume
ba'ar. 1196, 1197. ba'ar. 1197a . to burn, consume. Transliteration:
ba'ar Phonetic Spelling: (baw-ar') Short Definition:brutish....
1198. baar -- brutishness
...brutish person, foolish. From ba'ar; properly, foot (as consumed); ie (by exten.)
Of cattle brutishness; (concretely) stupid --brutish (person), foolish....
1199. Baara -- an Israelite woman
... woman NASB Word Usage Baara (1). Baara. From ba'ar;brutish: Baara, an Israelitish
woman -- Baara. see HEBREW ba'ar. 1198, 1199. Baara. 1200 . Strong's Numbers
Library
"For they that are after the Flesh do Mind,"
... xlix.20, and xciv.8, "Understand, yebrutish among the people," &c., and Psal
xcii.6, "Thebrutish man understands not this," and Ecclesiastes 3:18, "that they...
The Many-Sided Contrast of Wisdom and Folly
... THE PROVERBS THE MANY-SIDED CONTRAST OF WISDOM AND FOLLY. 'Whoso loveth instruction
loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof isbrutish.2. A good man...
Psalm 49
... he seeth that wise men die,. andbrutish fools also. Do perish; and their wealth,
when dead,.... unto the beasts that die. ^13Thusbrutish folly plainly is....
The Judgment of Paris.
... dignity; Athena, manliness; Aphrodite, pleasure; Hermes, language, which interprets
(hermeneutikos) thought; the shepherd Paris, unreasoned andbrutish passion...
The Cedars of Lebanon.
... We are in danger of falling into a low, stupid,brutish view of this wonderful world
of God in which we live; in danger of thinking of nature"that is, of the...
Whether in the Resurrection the Soul Will be Reunited to the Same...
... into the life of the brutes if it lived as a brute in this world) it would seem
that it will not resume the same body, but either a heavenly or abrutish body....
A Homily for Humble Folks
... Tabernacle, Newington. "Surely I am morebrutish than any man, and have
not the understanding of a man.""Proverbs 30:2. Sometimes...
"Who Walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. "
... GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON}{GREEK SMALL LETTER
GAMMA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON}{GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA},brutish, yea,...
Heavenly Contemplation Assisted by Sensible Objects, and Guarded...
... forsake them? Will the licentious man rather part with his credit, estate
and salvation, than with hisbrutish delights? If the...
"Who Walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that...
... been taken with somewhat of the beauty of it, and so far enamoured with the love
of it, as to account all the world mad andbrutish that followed these lower...
Thesaurus
Brutish (12 Occurrences)... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. BRUTE;
BRUTISH.
... Such persons are described as
brutish (Psalm 49:10; Psalm 92:6; Psalm 94:8 Jeremiah 10:14, 21; Jeremiah 51:17).
...Stupid (20 Occurrences)
... (See NAS RSV). Jeremiah 10:8 But they are togetherbrutish and foolish:
the instruction of idols! it is but a stock. (See NAS RSV)....
Brute (4 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. BRUTE;BRUTISH.... Such persons are described asbrutish
(Psalm 49:10; Psalm 92:6; Psalm 94:8 Jeremiah 10:14, 21; Jeremiah 51:17)....
Fraud (15 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 10:14 Every man is becomebrutish and is without knowledge; every goldsmith
is disappointed by his engraved image; for his molten image is falsehood...
Founder (5 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 10:14 Every man isbrutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded
by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no...
Refiner (10 Occurrences)
... (YLT). Jeremiah 10:14Brutish is every man by knowledge, Put to shame is every
refiner by a graven image, For false 'is' his molten image....
Devoid (4 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 10:14 Every man is becomebrutish and is without knowledge; every goldsmith
is disappointed by his engraved image; for his molten image is falsehood...
Brutal (2 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) Of or pertaining to a brute; as, brutal nature. 2. (a.) Like a brute; savage;
cruel; inhuman;brutish; unfeeling; merciless; gross; as, brutal manners....
Senseless (22 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 19:11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the counsel of the wisest
counsellors of Pharaoh is becomebrutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son...
Goldsmith (6 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 10:14 Every man is becomebrutish and is without knowledge; every goldsmith
is disappointed by his engraved image; for his molten image is falsehood...
Resources
How should a Christian respond to bullying? | GotQuestions.orgThe Haters: The KJV Only Movement | GotQuestions.orgBrutish: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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