Matthew 5:22 Thou fool

dianetavegia · Apr 15, 2005

Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Why is the person who calls another a 'fool' in danger of the fire of hell? Is it unjustified anger? Is it the severity of the remark? It is quetioning the persons salvation? The word 'foolish' is used many times in scripture.

Raca: Vain fellow

Thou Fool: The New Testament. There are fewer Greek terms employed for the fool and these are essentially negative, indicating that the fool is lacking in sense and intelligence. The gravity of the condition of the fool can be seen in the warning of Jesus that to call a person such is to be in danger of "the fire of hell" (Matt 5:22). The designation "fool" is considerably more derogatory than other terms of abuse. Clearly, to be a fool in this biblical sense is a serious matter.

http://bible1.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/BakersEvangelicalDictionary/bed.cgi?number=T269

Matthew 7:26
But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn't act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

From same link as above:
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Paul makes frequent ironic reference to foolishness, particularly in 1 and 2 Corinthians. He deprecates the wisdom of the world, which characterizes God's action in Jesus as nonsensical and scandalous. Human understanding erroneously takes God's wisdom to be foolishness and God's strength to be weakness since God's actions do not fit human reason or expectation. Indeed, from a worldly perspective God uses the foolish thing and calls the foolish person (1 Cor 1:27-28).

Paul characterizes his self-defense in 2 Corinthians as foolish. He is forced by circumstances to employ worldly methods of refutation of charges arraigned against him (2 Cor 11:1-6). He is forced to fight fire with fire. Further he recognizes that he is considered a fool by the world because of his suffering for the gospel (1 Cor 4:10).

Elsewhere in the New Testament foolish has a more conventional sense. Believers are urged not to be foolish (Eph 5:15-16) and to distinguish carefully between heavenly and earthly wisdom (Jas 3:13-18).

This negative attitude toward foolishness is understandable when its practices are observed. Among these practices are: relying on earthly wealth (Luke 12:20); failing to recognize that the ministry of Jesus is God's visitation to claim his own bride (Matt 25:1-13); turning away from the gospel of grace to legalism (Gal 3:1-3); worshiping the creature rather than the Creator (Rom 1:18-23); and abrogating the demands of God with meaningless distinctions (Matt 23:16-22). Perhaps even more significant than the above characteristics is a failure to act on the words of Jesus by building a house without an adequate foundation (Matt 7:26-27), and a failure to believe the good news of Jesus' resurrection (Luke 24:25 — here the foolish are described as "slow of heart" the Old Testament expression is "without heart, " without understanding, as in Prov 9:16). The believer is not to be foolish, but to "understand what the Lord's will is" (Eph 5:17).

chipsgirl · Apr 15, 2005

I always felt that a fool in biblical sense was a serious manner because it meant that if you were being one, then you were not living Christian-like. If you call someone a fool wouldn't it mean you are judging, therefore, you are possibly the fool as well?

dianetavegia · Apr 15, 2005

The word "fool" does not signify a man of weak parts, one that is very ignorant in things natural; this the word Raca imports; but a wicked reprobate man; in which sense Solomon often uses the word. The Persic version renders it here "wicked". There is a manifest gradation in the text from causeless anger in the breast, or reproachful words; and from thence to a censorious judging of a man's spiritual and eternal estate, which is what is here condemned. "Thou fool", is, thou wicked man, thou ungodly wretch, thou graceless creature, whose portion will be eternal damnation. Calling a man by such names was not allowed of by the Jews themselves, whose rules are:

``he that calls his neighbour a servant, let him be excommunicated; a bastard, let him be beaten with forty stripes; (evr) , "a wicked man", let him descend with him into his life or livelihood F26.''

The gloss upon it is,

``as if he should say, to this the sanhedrim is not obliged, but it is lawful to hate him, yea to lessen his sustenance, and exercise his trade,''

which was done to bring him to poverty and distress. So, it seems, the sanhedrim were not obliged to take notice of him. Again, they say,

``it is forbidden a man to call his neighbour by a name of reproach everyone that calls his neighbour (evr) , "a wicked man", shall be brought down to hell;''

which is pretty much what Christ here says,
shall be in danger of hell fire;
or deserving of hell fire; or liable to, and in danger of punishment, even "unto hell fire". An expression much like this may be observed in Jarchi, on (Isaiah 24:23) where he speaks of some persons (Mnhgl Mnhg ybyywxm) , "who are guilty", deserving, or in danger of "hell unto hell". The word (geenna) , here used, and which is often used in the New Testament for "hell", is but the Hebrew (Mnh ayg) , "Ge-Hinnom", the valley of Hinnom, where the children were caused to pass through the fire to Moloch. This place, the Jewish writers say,

``Was a place well known, near to Jerusalem, a valley, whose fire was never quenched; and in which they burned the bones of anything that was unclean, and dead carcasses, and other pollutions.''

Hence the word came to be used among them, as might be shown in innumerable instances, to express the place and state of the damned; and very fitly describes it.
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John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

I had not given this much thought until today while cleaning. I have deep thoughts while deep in dust.

chipsgirl · Apr 15, 2005

I see.

TCassidy · Apr 15, 2005

Originally posted by dianetavegia:
Why is the person who calls another a 'fool' in danger of the fire of hell?
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He isn't.

In Matthew 3 Jesus's public ministry begins with the announcement of John the Baptist that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, Emmanuel or "God with us."

In chapter 4 Jesus, based on his authority from the Father, calls unto Himself His disciples and teaches them (something that was reserved for Rabbis who had been given the keys to the Temple library as a badge of authority).

In chapter 5 Jesus gives the disciples the beatitudes in verses 1-12 and the similitudes in verses 13-16. Then, in verses 17 and following he begins to teach them about Himself confirming that the authority of the Law is His authority, the authority of the Prophets is His authority, and the authority of the word of God is His authority.

Now notice verse 22. Whoever is angry with his brother, without cause, is in danger of judgment (temporal, not spiritual), and whoever says to his brother "Raca" is in danger of the Sanhedrin, but whoever says "You fool" is in danger of hell. Note that the addressee "brother" is missing from this last warning. That is because Jesus is not talking about calling a brother a fool, but, rather, is talking about calling Him a fool for His claimes in the previous verses which, when understood in context, are a not so thinly veiled claim to deity. When Jesus claims to be God in the flesh, the one calling Him a "fool" for making that claim is very much in danger of hell fire.

In fact, in the bible, God calls people "fool" several times, and so does Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:36.

dianetavegia · Apr 15, 2005

I don't find anyone who agrees with you in the concordances, TCassidy.
(Darby's Synopsis of New Testament; Geneva Study Bible; Gill's Exposition of the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset, Brown; Matthew Henry Complete)

The Jews used four kinds of punishments, before their government was taken away by Herod: hanging, beheading, stoning, and burning. It is burning that Christ meant, because burning was the greatest punishment; therefore by making mention of a judgment, a council, and a fire, he shows that some sins are worse than others are, but yet they are all such that we must give account for them, and will be punished for them.
The 1599 Geneva Study Bible
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named edited only

[ April 15, 2005, 06:39 PM: Message edited by: dianetavegia ]

natters · Apr 15, 2005

Originally posted by dianetavegia:
Why is the person who calls another a 'fool' in danger of the fire of hell? Is it unjustified anger? Is it the severity of the remark? It is quetioning the persons salvation? The word 'foolish' is used many times in scripture.
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Just my 2 cents: it's hard to call someone a "fool" without holding animosity in your heart, or at least opening yourself up to those sorts of feelings. If you're not careful, pretty soon you can have a real bad attitude towards that person, possibly even developing into hate - and "whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."

It is possible to call someone a fool and not allow the negative feelings develop. That why I think the verse says "in danger of" instead of "will experience" - the danger is there, but it's not a certainty. Like "whosoever speeds in their car is in danger of crashing" does not guarantee you will crash if you speed.

TCassidy · Apr 15, 2005

Originally posted by dianetavegia:
I don't find anyone who agrees with you in the concordances, (name not my own edited)
(Darby's Synopsis of New Testament; Geneva Study Bible; Gill's Exposition of the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset, Brown; Matthew Henry Complete)
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Well, I am not too concerned whether some commentators agree with me. You asked for my input and I gave it.

gb93433 · Apr 15, 2005

To call someone a fool is to judge them. We do not have the capability to judge people correctly.

Prov. 26:12, "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."

Prov. 29:20, "Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him."

Ps. 14:1, "The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good."

The person who is hasty in his words is lower than a fool and the fool has said there is no God.

Jesus sees abusive language as the same as murder as does the book of James.

James 2:11, "For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not commit murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law."

Watchman · Apr 15, 2005

Originally posted by dianetavegia:

Why is the person who calls another a 'fool' in danger of the fire of hell? Is it unjustified anger? Is it the severity of the remark? It is questioning the persons salvation? The word 'foolish' is used many times in scripture.

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For my two cents worth, I would say one will speak according to what is in one's heart. Anyone can have a slip of the tongue, but to seek someone's hurt by malicious words, how does the love of God abide in such a person?
In short, this person is not lost because of the words, the words are indicative that they are lost.

Matthew 5:22 Thou fool

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