Hebrew word · H1947

הוֹלֵלָה

veholelot

madness

Madness or folly in the sense of irrational, deluded, reckless thinking and behaviour. It is related to the verb halal (in its reflexive form, "to act like a madman, to boast wildly").

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

madness

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ecclesiastes 9:3

Range of meaning

Madness or folly in the sense of irrational, deluded, reckless thinking and behaviour. It is related to the verb halal (in its reflexive form, "to act like a madman, to boast wildly"). It is found only in Ecclesiastes (1:17; 2:12; 7:25; 9:3; 10:13), usually paired with sikhlut ("folly") and set against chokhmah ("wisdom").

Against the English

"Madness" in modern English often suggests mental illness or simple anger. The Hebrew means a mind out of touch with reality: the opposite of wisdom, a kind of moral and intellectual delirium.

How it drifted

Medical and psychological language since the 19th century has given "madness" a clinical colouring that the Hebrew lacks.

Used elsewhere in the period

Eccl 7:25 ("the evil of folly and the foolishness of holelot"); 10:13 ("the end of his talk is evil holelut"). The Greek translation consistently renders it periphereia, "going around in circles", meaning wandering, confused thinking.

From the study of Ecclesiastes 7:25

Range of meaning

Madness, delusion, senseless and uncontrolled behavior. It is plural in form but abstract in sense. The word comes from a verb meaning "to act mad" or, in another stem, "to make someone a fool."

Against the English

All the major versions say "madness," which is a fair rendering. KJV, ESV, NASB and BSB differ on how it relates to the preceding word, not on the word itself.

How it drifted

Modern readers may hear either "angry" or a medical diagnosis. The Hebrew word is about behavior that has lost touch with reality and acts against its own interests. It is not a clinical category.

Used elsewhere in the period

As a noun it is found only in Ecclesiastes (1:17; 2:12; 7:25; 9:3; and the variant form hôlēlût at 10:13). The related verb describes David pretending to be mad at Gath (1 Samuel 21:13), nations reeling as if drunk (Jeremiah 25:16; 51:7), and oppression that "makes a wise man mad" (Ecclesiastes 7:7). The Greek usually renders it with words meaning "going round in circles" (periphora).

Where it appears

Ecclesiastes · 4

  1. Ecclesiastes 1:17 הוֹלֵל֖וֹת madness

    So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.

  2. Ecclesiastes 2:12 וְהוֹלֵל֖וֹת and madness

    Then I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what more can the king’s successor do than what has already been accomplished?

  3. Ecclesiastes 7:25 הוֹלֵלֽוֹת׃ madness

    I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.

    Here: "Madness," plural in form but abstract in meaning: senseless, unhinged behavior. It is the verse's final and strongest word, so the sequence climbs from wrongdoing to stupidity to folly to something like derangement.

  4. Ecclesiastes 9:3 וְהוֹלֵל֤וֹת and madness

    This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil and madness while they are alive, and afterward they join the dead.

    Here: "And madness" (literally plural, "madnesses"). This is Qohelet's word for reckless, deluded thinking that has lost touch with reality. It is the opposite of wisdom, not a clinical diagnosis.

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