Difference between revisions of "Fool"

<p> FOOL, n. Heb. </p> 1. One who is destitute of reason, or the common powers of understanding an idiot. Some persons are born fools, and are called natural fools others may become fools by some injury done to the brain. 2. In common language, a person who is somewhat deficient in intellect, but not an idiot or a person who acts absurdly one who does not exercise his reason one who pursues a course contrary to the dictates of wisdom. <p> [[Experience]] keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other. </p> 3. In scripture, fool is often used for a wicked or depraved person one who acts contrary to sound wisdom in his moral deportment one who follows his own inclinations, who prefers trifling and temporary pleasures to the service of God and eternal happiness. <p> The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. &nbsp;Psalms 14 . </p> 4. A weak christian a godly person who has much remaining sin and unbelief. <p> O fools, and slow of heart to believe all the prophets have written. &nbsp;Luke 24 . </p> <p> Also, one who is accounted or called a food by ungodly men. &nbsp;1 Corinthians 4:10 . </p> 5. A term of indignity and reproach. <p> To be thought knowing, you must first put the fool upon all mankind. </p> 6. One who counterfeits folly a buffoon as a king's fool. <p> I scorn, although their drudge, to be their fool or jester. </p> 1. To play the fool, to act the buffoon to jest to make sport. 2. To act like one void of understanding. <p> To put the fool on, to impose on to delude. </p> <p> To make a fool of, to frustrate to defeat to disappoint. </p> <p> FOOL, To trifle to toy to spend time in idleness, sport or mirth. </p> <p> Is this a time for fooling? </p> <p> FOOL, </p> 1. To treat with contempt to disappoint to defeat to frustrate to deceive to impose on. <p> When I consider life, 'tis all a cheat for fooled with hope, men favor the deceit. </p> 2. To infatuate to make foolish. 3. To cheat as, to fool one out of his money. 1. To fool away, to spend in trifles, idleness, folly, or without advantage as, to fool away time. 2. To spend for things of no value or use to expend improvidently as, to fool away money.

<p> The term fool in [[Scripture]] language differs from what is understood in the general acceptation of the word among men. By fool we mean one that is weak in his intellect, and an idiot. But not so in the word of God. Thus in the psalms, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.." (&nbsp;Psalms 14:1) But the sense is, that the wicked and ungodly have by their action said this. So again, that pride and haughtiness of men, which prompts them to reject Christ, this in Scripture language is called folly. Hence the apostle saith, "The world by wisdom knew not God; and it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 1:21) By comparing two passages in Scripture together, the sense of the word is very strongly marked. Thus the prophet Isaiah saith, speaking of bad men, that"It is a people of no understanding; therefore, he that made them will not have mercy upon them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour." (&nbsp;Isaiah 27:11) Now, that it might not be supposed, that this being void of understanding was the natural and unavoidable condition of idiotism, which brought upon them the displeasure of God, and for which the Lord would shew them no favour, the Holy Ghost, by his servant Job, hath very fully shewn in what that want of understanding consisted."And unto man he said, Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." (&nbsp;Job 28:28) </p>

<p> FOLLY, or FOOLISHNESS. The term fool is to be understood sometimes according to its plain, literal meaning, as denoting a person void of understanding; but it is often used figuratively, &nbsp;Psalms 38:5; &nbsp;Psalms 69:5 . "The fool," that is, the impious sinner, "hath said in his heart, There is no God," &nbsp;Psalms 14:1 . "I have sinned: do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly," &nbsp;1 Chronicles 21:8 . "Fools make a mock at sin," &nbsp;Proverbs 14:9 . See also the language of [[Tamar]] to her brother Amnon: "Do not this folly; for whither shall I cause my shame to go? And as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel," &nbsp;2 Samuel 13:13; that is, Thou wilt be accounted a very wicked person. Our Lord seems to have used the term in a sense somewhat peculiar in &nbsp;Matthew 5:22 : "Whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." But the whole verse shows the meaning to be, that when any one of his professed disciples indulges a temper and disposition of mind contrary to charity, or that peculiar love which the brethren of Christ are bound by his law to have toward each other, &nbsp;John 13:34 , not only showing anger against another without a cause, but also treating him with contemptuous language, and that with malicious intent, he shall be in danger of eternal destruction. </p>

<p> &nbsp;1 Samuel 26:21 (a) This is a type of one who has heard the Word of GOD but has deliberately refused to obey it. </p> <p> &nbsp;Psalm 14:1 (a) This indicates GOD's thought about the man who, in spite of all the evidence available, denies the existence of a personal GOD. </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 12:15 (a) The one who rejects the revelation of GOD and assumes his own thoughts and deductions about his path of life is a fool in GOD's sight. </p> <p> &nbsp;Matthew 5:22 (a) The man who mocks at the Christian who desires to live all out for GOD, and out and out for CHRIST in separation and consecration, and calls that Christian a fool for doing so, is condemned by GOD. He is opposed to GOD's plans. </p>

<p> ' <em> Ĕvı̂yl </em> (אֱוִיל, Strong'S #191), “fool.” This word appears primarily in the wisdom literature. A person described by <em> 'ĕvı̂yl </em> generally lacks wisdom; indeed, wisdom is beyond his grasp (Prov. 24:7). In another nuance, “fool” is a morally undesirable individual who despises wisdom and discipline (Prov. 1:7; 15:5). He mocks guilt (Prov. 14:9), and is quarrelsome (Prov. 20:3) and licentious (Prov. 7:22). Trying to give him instruction is futile (Prov. 16:22). </p>

<p> (represented by several Hebrew and Greek words, especially נָבָל nabal, ἄφρων ). The "fool" of Scripture is not an idiot, but an absurd person; not one who does not reason at all, but one who reasons wrong; also any one whose conduct is not regulated by the dictates of reason and religion (&nbsp;Psalms 14:1). Foolishness, therefore, is not a negative condition, but a condition of wrong action in the intellectual or sentient being, or in both (&nbsp;2 Samuel 13:12-13; &nbsp;Psalms 38:5). In the book of Proverbs, however, "foolishness" appears to be sometimes used for lack of understanding, although score generally for perverseness of will. The phrase "Thou fool" (&nbsp;Matthew 5:22) implies not only angry temper, by which such severe language is, prompted, but a scornful, contemptuous feeling, utterly inconsistent with the love and meekness which characterize disciples of Christ, and, of course exposing thee individual who is under its influence. to eternal punishment. (See [[Wisdom]]). </p>