Original Word: ἀνόητος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: anoétos
Pronunciation: ah-NO-ay-tos
Phonetic Spelling: (an-o'-ay-tos)
Definition: Foolish, unwise, senseless
Meaning: foolish, thoughtless.

Word Origin: Derived from the negative particle "α" (a) meaning "not" and "νοέω" (noeō) meaning "to understand" or "to think."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent in Strong's Concordance, the concept of foolishness is often represented by words like "כְּסִיל" (kesil, Strong's H3684) and "אֱוִיל" (ewil, Strong's H191), which convey a similar sense of moral and spiritual folly.

Usage: The term "anoétos" is used in the New Testament to describe a lack of understanding or discernment. It often conveys a sense of spiritual or moral foolishness, rather than mere intellectual deficiency. The word suggests a willful ignorance or a failure to apply wisdom and insight, particularly in spiritual matters.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, wisdom and understanding were highly valued, both in philosophical circles and in everyday life. The term "anoétos" would have been a strong rebuke, indicating not just a lack of knowledge, but a failure to live according to the wisdom that was available. In the Jewish context, wisdom was closely associated with living in accordance with God's law, so being "foolish" implied a deviation from God's ways.

453 anóētos (from 1 /A "without" and 3539 /noiéō, "to think") – properly, non-thinking, i.e. not "reasoning through" a matter (with proper logic); unmindful, which describes acting in a "mindless, dense" way ("just plain stupid").

Word Origin
from alpha (as a neg. prefix) and noétos (mental); from noeó
Definition
not understanding
NASB Translation
foolish (5), foolish men (1).

STRONGS NT 453: ἀνόητος

ἀνόητος, ἀνόητον (νοητός from νοέω);

1. not understood, unintelligible;

2. generally active, not understanding, unwise, foolish: Romans 1:14 (opposed to σοφοί); Luke 24:25; Galatians 3:1, 3; Titus 3:3. ἐπιθυμίαι ἀνόητοι, 1 Timothy 6:9. (Proverbs 17:28; Psalm 48:13 (); and often in Attic writings; (cf. Trench, § lxxv.; Ellicott on Galatians 3:1; Schmidt, chapter 147 § 20).)

foolish, unwise.

From a (as a negative particle) and a derivative of noieo; unintelligent; by implication, sensual -- fool(-ish), unwise.

see GREEK a

see GREEK noieo

ανοητοι ανόητοι ανόητοί ἀνόητοι ἀνόητοί ανοητοις ανοήτοις ἀνοήτοις ανόητος ανοήτου ανοητους ανοήτους ἀνοήτους ανοήτω anoetoi anoētoi anóetoi anóetoí anóētoi anóētoí anoetois anoētois anoḗtois anoetous anoētous anoḗtousInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts