Greek word · G3105
μαίνομαι
mainomai
to rave
To be mad, rave, be in a frenzy or out of one's mind. It is related to mania. In the Greek world it covered ecstatic frenzy (the mainades, or maenads, of Dionysus), prophetic trance, rage and plain senseless talk. It was often thought to come from a spirit or god.
Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
μαίνομαι
[in LXX: Jeremiah 25:16 (הָלַל hith.) Jeremiah 29:26 (שָׁגַע pu.), Wisdom of Solomon 14:28, a). ;]
1. to rage, be furious.
2. to rave, be mad: John 10:29, Acts 12:15 26:24-25, 1 Corinthians 14:23 (cf. ἐμ-μαίνομαι).†
(AS)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
To be mad, rave, be in a frenzy or out of one's mind. It is related to mania. In the Greek world it covered ecstatic frenzy (the mainades, or maenads, of Dionysus), prophetic trance, rage and plain senseless talk. It was often thought to come from a spirit or god.
- Against the English
'Insane' (BSB, WEB, ESV, NASB) can sound clinical, like a psychiatric diagnosis. 'Mad' (KJV, YLT) and 'raving mad' (NIV) get closer to the picture of wild, senseless speech. The ancient word refers to behaviour and speech, not to a medical condition.
- How it drifted
Modern 'insane' carries legal and medical ideas from psychiatry. The ancient word described what people could see and hear: raving, frenzied talk.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Acts 12:15 (the household tells Rhoda 'you are raving'). Acts 26:24–25 (Festus: 'You are out of your mind, Paul'; Paul: 'I am not out of my mind'). 1 Cor 14:23 (outsiders will say 'you are mad'). Herodotus links madness with divine punishment. Plato (Phaedrus 244a) speaks of god-sent mania.
- Range of meaning
To be out of one's mind, to rave, to act or talk in a frenzy. Mania covers several things: wild rage, delusion, the frenzy of Dionysian worshippers, and in Greek thought even the 'inspired madness' of prophets and poets. In everyday speech, though, 'you're mad' simply meant 'you're talking nonsense, you've lost your grip.'
- Against the English
KJV 'beside thyself … mad', modern 'insane', 'out of your mind', 'crazy'. All are in the right area. 'Insane' can sound clinical or legal to modern ears, but Festus is not diagnosing anything. He is reacting to a message that sounds absurd to him.
- How it drifted
In American English 'mad' now usually means 'angry', so KJV readers can misread 'much learning doth make thee mad'. 'Insane' carries modern psychiatric and legal meanings that the Greek outburst does not have.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Classical Greek often pairs mania with sōphrosynē ('sound-mindedness') as opposites. Xenophon (Memorabilia 1.1.16) lists 'what is sōphrosynē, what is mania' among the questions Socrates explored. Plato (Phaedrus 244a–245a) discusses madness that is a gift from the gods. In the NT, Jesus' opponents say 'he has a demon and is raving (mainetai)' (John 10:20). Rhoda is told 'You're mad (mainē)' (Acts 12:15). Paul warns that outsiders seeing uncontrolled tongues will say 'you are mad' (1 Cor 14:23).
- Range of meaning
To be out of one's mind: to rave, act or speak like a madman. Related to μανία ('mania'). In Greek usage it covered ordinary insanity and also the frenzies of religion: Bacchic ecstasy, possession, the raving of oracles. To call someone μαινόμενος was to say their words should not be taken seriously.
- Against the English
BSB, NIV and NLT have 'insane'. KJV and YLT have 'mad', which today usually means 'angry', and WEB has 'crazy'. 'Insane' is the clearest modern choice. None of them carries the religious-frenzy overtone the Greek could have.
- How it drifted
English 'mad' moved over the centuries from mainly meaning 'insane' (the 1611 sense) to mainly meaning 'angry', especially in American English.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In the NT it appears in John 10:20 ('He has a demon and is raving'), Acts 12:15 (Rhoda: 'You are out of your mind') and 1 Cor 14:23 (outsiders would say tongue-speakers 'are mad'). The related noun μανία is in Acts 26:24. Greek writers set mania against sōphrosynē: Plato, Phaedrus 244a–245a, contrasts god-sent mania with human sound-mindedness, and Xenophon, Memorabilia 1.1.16, lists sōphrosynē and mania among the opposites Socrates discussed.
Where it appears
John · 1
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John 10:20 μαίνεται· is insane;
Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?”
Here: 'He is raving' or 'out of his mind'. It means talking wildly and without sense. The charge is that his words, especially his claims about laying down and taking up his life (vv.17–18), are lunatic babble.
Acts · 3
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Acts 12:15 μαίνῃ. You rave.
“You are out of your mind,” they told her. But when she kept insisting it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
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Acts 26:24 μαίνῃ You are insane
At this stage of Paul’s defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness!”
Here: 'You're raving!' / 'You're out of your mind!' Not a medical diagnosis. It is a sharp verdict that what Paul is saying makes no sense. The same form is said to Rhoda in Acts 12:15 when she reports something 'impossible' (Peter alive at the gate).
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Acts 26:25 μαίνομαί I am insane
But Paul answered, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus; I am speaking words of truth and sobriety.
Here: Paul repeats Festus's own verb (μαίνῃ, 'you are raving', v. 24) and turns it back on him. It means being out of one's mind and talking wildly, not being angry.
1 Corinthians · 1
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1 Corinthians 14:23 μαίνεσθε; you are mad?
So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who are uninstructed or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.