Topical Encyclopedia
The term "stupid" is often used in modern language to describe a lack of intelligence or common sense. In the context of the Bible, the concept of stupidity is frequently associated with foolishness, a lack of wisdom, or moral and spiritual insensitivity. The Bible, particularly in the wisdom literature, contrasts the wise with the foolish, often highlighting the consequences of living without regard for God's commandments and wisdom.
Old Testament ReferencesIn the Old Testament, the Hebrew word often translated as "fool" or "stupid" is "kesil," which denotes someone who is morally deficient or lacking in judgment. Proverbs, a book dedicated to imparting wisdom, frequently addresses the folly of stupidity.
Proverbs 12:1 states, "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." This verse underscores the biblical view that rejecting discipline and correction is a hallmark of stupidity, as it leads one away from the path of knowledge and wisdom.
The Psalms also reflect on the nature of foolishness.
Psalm 92:6 declares, "A senseless man does not know, and a fool does not understand." Here, the psalmist contrasts the understanding of the wise with the ignorance of the foolish, emphasizing that spiritual insight is beyond the grasp of those who are spiritually insensitive.
New Testament InsightsIn the New Testament, the Greek word "moros" is often translated as "foolish" or "stupid." Jesus uses this term in His teachings to describe those who are spiritually blind or unwise. In
Matthew 7:26 , Jesus warns, "But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand." This parable illustrates the danger of ignoring Christ's teachings, equating such disregard with stupidity that leads to ruin.
The Apostle Paul also addresses the concept of foolishness in his epistles. In
Romans 1:21-22 , he writes, "For 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." Paul highlights the spiritual stupidity of those who reject God, noting that their refusal to acknowledge Him leads to futile thinking and moral decay.
Moral and Spiritual ImplicationsThe Bible consistently associates stupidity with a rejection of God's wisdom and a failure to live according to His commandments. This is not merely an intellectual deficiency but a moral and spiritual failing. The wise person, according to Scripture, is one who fears the Lord and seeks His guidance, while the stupid or foolish person is one who disregards divine instruction and follows their own path.
The consequences of stupidity, as depicted in the Bible, are severe.
Proverbs 1:32 warns, "For the waywardness of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them." This verse serves as a stark reminder that spiritual and moral stupidity leads to destruction, both in this life and in the life to come.
Practical ApplicationFor believers, the biblical teaching on stupidity serves as a call to pursue wisdom and understanding through a relationship with God.
James 1:5 encourages, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." This promise assures Christians that God is willing to impart wisdom to those who seek it earnestly, providing a remedy for the spiritual and moral deficiencies associated with stupidity.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Very dull; insensible; senseless; wanting in understanding; heavy; sluggish; in a state of stupor; -- said of persons.
2. (a.) Resulting from, or evincing, stupidity; formed without skill or genius; dull; heavy; -- said of things.
Greek
3474. moros -- dull,stupid, foolish... dull,
stupid, foolish. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: moros Phonetic
Spelling: (mo-ros') Short Definition:
stupid, foolish Definition: (a) adj
...4456. poroo -- to petrify, ie to harden
... harden, blind. Apparently from poros (a kind of stone); to petrify, ie (figuratively)
to indurate (renderstupid or callous) -- blind, harden....
878. aphron -- without reason, foolish
... From a (as a negative particle) and phren; properly, mindless, ieStupid, (by
implication) ignorant, (specially) egotistic, (practically) rash, or (morally...
521. apaideutos -- uninstructed
... unlearned. From a (as a negative particle) and a derivative of paideuo; uninstructed,
ie (figuratively)stupid -- unlearned. see GREEK a. see GREEK paideuo....
3975. pachuno -- to thicken, to fatten, fig. to make dull
... fatten Definition: I fatten, thicken; pass. fig: I becomestupid, dull,
unfeeling. 3975 (from , "thick") -- properly, (with excessive...
3576. nothros -- sluggish, slothful
... dull, slothful. From a derivative of nothos; sluggish, ie (literally) lazy,
or (figuratively)stupid -- dull, slothful. see GREEK nothos....
453. anoetos -- not understanding
... non-thinking, ie not "reasoning through" a matter (with proper logic); unmindful,
which describes acting in a "mindless, dense" way ("just plainstupid")....
Strong's Hebrew
3684. kesil --stupid fellow, dullard, fool... 3683, 3684. kesil. 3685 .
stupid fellow, dullard, fool. Transliteration:
kesil Phonetic Spelling: (kes-eel') Short Definition: fool.
...2933. tamah -- to be stopped up,stupid
... 2932b, 2933. tamah. 2934 . to be stopped up,stupid. Transliteration: tamah
Phonetic Spelling: (taw-maw') Short Definition:stupid. Word Origin a prim....
3688. kasal -- to be or becomestupid
... 3687, 3688. kasal. 3689 . to be or becomestupid. Transliteration: kasal Phonetic
Spelling: (kaw-sal') Short Definition: foolish. Word Origin a prim....
1197b. baar -- to be brutish
... 1197a, 1197b. baar. 1198 . to be brutish. Transliteration: baar Short
Definition:stupid. Word Origin denominative verb from beir...
1198. baar -- brutishness
... Definition: senseless. Word Origin from baar Definition brutishness NASB Word
Usage senseless (3),stupid (2). brutish person, foolish. From...
2954. taphash -- to be gross
... be fat. A primitive root; properly, apparently to be thick; figuratively, to be
stupid -- be fat. 2953, 2954. taphash. 2955 . Strong's Numbers.
5036. nabal -- foolish, senseless
... foolish, vile person. From nabel;stupid; wicked (especially impious) -- fool(-ish,
-ish man, -ish woman), vile person. see HEBREW nabel. 5035b, 5036....
5530. sakal -- a fool
... Word Origin from sakal Definition a fool NASB Word Usage fool (5), foolish (1),
stupid (1). foolish, sottish. From cakal; silly -- fool(-ish), sottish....
3515. kabed -- heavy
... From kabad; heavy; figuratively in a good sense (numerous) or in a bad sense (severe,
difficult,stupid) -- (so) great, grievous, hard(-ened), (too) heavy(-ier...
Library
Introduction
... Either, first, Because being extremely ignorant Atheism arises fromstupid
ignorance. andstupid, they have never duly considered...
Letter cxviii. (AD 410. )
... it before me in these words: "You know the ways of men, how prone they are to censure,
and how any one will be regarded as illiterate andstupid who, when...
Diamond Said Nothing to his Mother About his Adventures. ...
... Youstupid Diamond!... "I am verystupid," he said; "but I never saw you so small
before, not even when you were nursing the primrose."....
When Diamond Went Home to Breakfast, He Found his Father and...
... They're apt to getstupid with tumbling over each other's heads.... "Now,
I do think you must bestupid, my, dear" said North Wind....
The Labours of John Cennick, 1739-1755.
... For this he was regarded as a prig, and a young fellow in the company remarked,
"There is just such astupid religious fellow at Oxford, one Kinchin." Forthwith...
The Lord Coming to his Temple
... It makes each writer, each thinker"or rather dreamer"however shallow his heart and
stupid his brain"and all our hearts are but too shallow, and all our...
Concerning the Figments of the Physical Theologists, who Neither...
... But if any one insist that he worships the one true God,"that is, the Creator of
every soul and of every body,"withstupid and monstrous idols, with human...
The Holy Spirit Bearing Witness to Jesus Christ.
... Sometimes we almost wonder if the inquirer isstupid that he cannot see it.
No, he is notstupid, except with that spiritual blindness...
When a Revival is to be Expected.
... Religion. 7. When sinners are careless andstupid, and sinking into hell
unconcerned, it is time the church should bestir themselves. It...
De Profundis.
... His patience with any poor soul of man; who sets Himself against none but the insolent,
the proud, the malicious, the mean, the wilfullystupid and ignorant...
Thesaurus
Stupid (20 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Stupid (20 Occurrences).
... (See RSV). Job 18:3 Wherefore
are we counted as beasts, and reputed
stupid in your sight? (DBY NAS RSV NIV).
...Dull (16 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (superl.) Slow of understanding; wanting readiness
of apprehension;stupid; doltish; blockish.... 12. (vi) To become dull orstupid....
Brutish (12 Occurrences)
... (a.) Pertaining to, or resembling, a brute or brutes; of a cruel, gross, andstupid
nature; coarse; unfeeling; unintelligent.... These arestupid, unteachable....
Fat (150 Occurrences)
... 18:17. Comp. Exodus 29:13-22; Leviticus 3:3-5). It is used figuratively
for a dull,stupid state of mind (Psalm 17:10). In Joel...
Brute (4 Occurrences)
... broot, brootish (ba`ar, "stupid"; alogos, "without speech," hence, irrational,
unreasonable (Acts 25:27 2 Peter 2:12 Jude 1:10 the King James Version)): The...
Stupidity (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The quality or state of beingstupid; extreme
dullness of perception or understanding; insensibility; sluggishness....
Folly (68 Occurrences)
... angry, quarrel and cause strife (Proverbs 11:29; Proverbs 14:17 'iwweleth; 29:9);
unrestrained in his anger (Job 5:2 Proverbs 17:12); silly,stupid even with...
Fool (95 Occurrences)
... angry, quarrel and cause strife (Proverbs 11:29; Proverbs 14:17 'iwweleth; 29:9);
unrestrained in his anger (Job 5:2 Proverbs 17:12); silly,stupid even with...
Wisest (2 Occurrences)
... NIV). Isaiah 19:11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish. The counsel
of the wisest counselors of Pharaoh has becomestupid. How...
Insensate (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.) Lacking sensibility; destitute of understanding;
stupid; foolish; as, an insensate decision. Multi-Version Concordance...
Resources
There are no stupid questions. Really? | GotQuestions.orgAbout GotQuestions.org | GotQuestions.orgHow should a Christian respond to bullying? | GotQuestions.orgStupid: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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