Greek word · G3474

μωρός

mōros

foolish

Dull, stupid, foolish. As a term of address, 'fool!' or 'moron!' In Jewish-Greek usage, 'folly' can also carry moral and religious weight: the fool is the one who ignores God (compare Hebrew nābāl in Ps 14:1; the LXX of Deut 32:6 uses μωρός for a people that has forsaken God).

Appears 12 times in 12 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

μωρός, -ά, -όν

[in LXX for נָבָל, etc.; frequently in Sir. ;]

1. prop., of the nerves, dull, sluggish (Hipp., Arist.).

2. Of the mind, dull, stupid, foolish: Matthew 5:22 (see Field, Notes, 3 ff.) Matthew 7:26 23:17, 19 (T, WH, txt., R, om.) Matthew 25:2-3, 8, 1 Corinthians 3:18 4:10; of things, παράδοσις, Mark 7:13 (T, WH, txt., R, om.) : ζητήσεις, 2 Timothy 2:23, Titus 3:9; τὸ μ. τ. θεοῦ, 1 Corinthians 1:25; τὰ μ. τ. κόσμου, 1 Corinthians 1:27.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Matthew 5:22

Range of meaning

Dull, stupid, foolish. As a term of address, 'fool!' or 'moron!' In Jewish-Greek usage, 'folly' can also carry moral and religious weight: the fool is the one who ignores God (compare Hebrew nābāl in Ps 14:1; the LXX of Deut 32:6 uses μωρός for a people that has forsaken God).

Against the English

'You fool!' is accurate. To modern ears, though, 'fool' sounds mild and almost old-fashioned. In context it was a contemptuous dismissal of a person as worthless, close to calling someone godless.

How it drifted

The modern English word has softened into 'silly person', so it no longer carries the insult it had when shouted at someone in a culture where public honour mattered.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in classical and Koine Greek. Matthew uses it of the foolish builder (7:26) and the foolish virgins (25:2), and Jesus says 'you blind fools' (μωροὶ καὶ τυφλοί) to scribes and Pharisees (23:17). LXX wisdom literature uses it for those who reject wisdom.

From the study of 2 Timothy 2:23

Range of meaning

Dull, sluggish, foolish, stupid. Of things: insipid, pointless. The related verb mōrainō is used of salt that 'loses its taste' (Matt 5:13). In the Greek Old Testament and Jewish wisdom tradition, the 'fool' is someone who ignores God's wisdom, so the word has a moral edge as well as an intellectual one.

Against the English

Nearly every translation says 'foolish,' which is accurate. The English 'moron' was coined from it in 1910 as a clinical term, but nothing clinical is meant here.

Used elsewhere in the period

Matt 7:26 (the foolish builder); 25:2–8 (the foolish virgins); 1 Cor 1:25–27 (God's 'foolishness'); Titus 3:9 (the same pairing, 'foolish controversies'). In the Greek Old Testament it often translates Hebrew words for the fool (e.g., Sir 21–22).

From the study of 1 Corinthians 1:27

Range of meaning

Dull, sluggish, stupid, foolish. Used of people lacking sense, of insipid things (tasteless salt, compare Matt 5:13 mōranthē), and of ideas that seem absurd. In this passage it is part of a word-family: mōria ("folly") of the cross (1:18, 21, 23), mōrainō ("make foolish", 1:20), and to mōron tou theou ("the foolishness of God", 1:25).

Against the English

"Foolish" is accurate. Modern readers may hear a moral "fool", as in Proverbs, or a light "silly". Here the main sense is social and intellectual: what educated people dismiss as stupid and not worth taking seriously. English "moron" comes from this word.

Used elsewhere in the period

Classical Greek uses it for stupidity and dullness. In the Greek Old Testament it renders words like nabal (Deut 32:6, "foolish people"). Greco-Roman writers called belief in a crucified god madness. Justin Martyr later reports that critics called it "madness" (mania) to put a crucified man second after God (1 Apol. 13).

Where it appears

Matthew · 6

  1. Matthew 5:22 μωρέ, Fool,

    But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.

    Here: Shouted at someone: 'You fool!' or 'You moron!' It is the Greek root of English 'moron', a contemptuous way of writing a person off as stupid. A minority reads it as Hebrew mōreh, 'rebel' (see debates).

  2. Matthew 7:26 μωρῷ foolish

    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.

    Here: 'Foolish': the opposite of the 'sensible, shrewd' (phronimos) builder of v. 24. In the Jewish wisdom tradition this fool is not short of brains. He lives as if what is coming will not come.

  3. Matthew 23:17 μωροὶ Foolish

    You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?

  4. Matthew 25:2 μωραὶ foolish

    Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

  5. Matthew 25:3 μωραὶ foolish

    The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil.

    Here: Matthew uses this word for people who fail to act on what they know is coming. It is the same word as the "foolish man" who built on sand (7:26). It describes their lack of foresight, not their intelligence.

  6. Matthew 25:8 μωραὶ the foolish

    The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

    Here: 'The foolish ones.' In this story their folly is a failure of foresight: they did not plan for a delay. It is the same word used for the man who built on sand (7:26).

1 Corinthians · 4

  1. 1 Corinthians 1:25 μωρὸν foolishness

    For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

    Here: An adjective, "foolish", used here as a noun: "the foolish thing." It picks up the cross, which Paul has just called "foolishness" (mōria) to Greeks (v. 23). It is a blunt word: stupid, senseless, ridiculous.

  2. 1 Corinthians 1:27 μωρὰ foolish things

    But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

    Here: "What counts as stupid." The word picks up the "folly" (mōria) of the cross in 1:18–25. It is neuter even though the Corinthian believers are meant, which makes them a class, a little impersonal, the way the world sees them. Placed first in the sentence, it carries the emphasis.

  3. 1 Corinthians 3:18 μωρὸς foolish

    Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise.

    Here: Placed first in its clause for emphasis. It picks up the 'folly' of the cross in 1:18–25: to 'become a fool' is to accept a message the age's wise call stupid, and to give up one's standing in their eyes.

  4. 1 Corinthians 4:10 μωροὶ [are] fools

    We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored.

    Here: 'Fools': people judged to lack sense. The word picks up the 'foolishness' (mōria) of the message about the cross in 1:18–25. This is the world's verdict on the apostles, and Paul accepts it.

2 Timothy · 1

  1. 2 Timothy 2:23 μωρὰς foolish

    But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling.

    Here: Describes the debates as senseless and empty. In Jewish wisdom tradition 'foolish' means more than lacking intelligence: it describes what goes nowhere and leads away from godly wisdom.

Titus · 1

  1. Titus 3:9 μωρὰς Foolish

    But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, arguments, and quarrels about the law, because these things are pointless and worthless.

    Here: Placed first for emphasis. It labels the debates as senseless: they look clever but produce nothing. In the Pastoral letters it describes speculative wrangling, as in 2 Tim 2:23, 'foolish and ignorant debates'.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.