μωρ-ία G3472
Foolishness, folly; the quality of being senseless or absurd, used by Paul to describe the paradox of the gospel.
A noun denoting foolishness or folly — the state of lacking sense or wisdom. Paul deploys this word with striking irony in 1 Corinthians, where the 'foolishness' of God's message through the cross confounds the wisdom of the world (1 Cor 1:18, 21). The Spanish 'necedad' and German 'Torheit' both capture the notion of senselessness, while the French 'folie' adds an overtone of madness. In 1 Cor 3:19, the tables turn: worldly wisdom is declared foolishness before God.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Foolishness or folly, the quality of being absurd or lacking wisdom. All five NT occurrences cluster in 1 Corinthians, where Paul builds a sustained paradox: the cross-message appears as μωρία to the perishing, yet it is God's power (1 Cor 1:18). The multilingual glosses — Spanish 'necedad' (senselessness), French 'folie' (madness), German 'Torheit' (folly) — all converge on cognitive absurdity. Paul reappropriates this term to invert the Greek philosophical hierarchy of σοφία over μωρία. 5×
AR["جَهالَةً", "جَهالَةٌ", "جَهالَةِ"]·ben["মূর্খতা", "মূর্খতা;", "মূর্খতার"]·DE["Torheit"]·EN["foolishness"]·FR["folie"]·heb["אִוֶּלֶת"]·HI["मूर्खता"]·ID["kebodohan"]·IT["stoltezza"]·jav["bodho", "kabodhowan", "kabodhowan;"]·KO["어리석음"]·PT["loucura"]·RU["безумие"]·ES["necedad"]·SW["ni-upumbavu", "upumbavu", "upumbavu;"]·TR["ama-", "aptallık", "inananları-"]·urd["بے-وقوفی", "بے-وقوفی-کے"]
Related Senses
H3045 1. Qal: to know, perceive, understand (829×)H5315 1. soul, inner being (647×)H3820a 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (572×)H4672 1. Qal: find, discover (289×)G1492 1. know facts or truths (285×)H3824 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (250×)H1245 1. seek, search for (200×)G1097 1. know, be acquainted with (196×)H2142 1. Qal: remember, recall (173×)G2588 1. heart (inner self, mind, will) (158×)H0977 1. choose, select (Qal active) (145×)G2147 1. find, discover (144×)G5590 1. soul, inner self (100×)H4672 2. Niphal: be found, be discovered (99×)H1875 1. seek, search for (96×)H5315 2. life, vitality (94×)H1847 1. knowledge, discernment (90×)H2450 1. wise, prudent (84×)H7911 1. Qal: to forget (83×)H3684 1. fool, dullard (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
μωρ-ία, Ionic dialect -ιη, ἡ, (μῶρος) folly, Refs 5th c.BC+; μωρίην ἐπιφέρειν τισί to impute folly to them, Refs 5th c.BC+; μωρίαν ὀφλισκάνειν to be charged with it, Refs 5th c.BC+; μωρίᾳ φιλονικεῖν foolishly, Refs; τῆς μ. what folly! Refs 5th c.BC+; of illicit love, Refs 5th c.BC+