Wise (in a most general application)
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Sophos means wise, skilled, discerning, or prudent according to the standard in view. The adjective can describe people considered wise by society, a capable builder, believers who walk carefully, or God as the only wise One.
Reader summary
Full entry for σοφός (G4680) · Open the biblical lexicon
Sophos means wise, skilled, discerning, or prudent according to the standard in view. The adjective can describe people considered wise by society, a capable builder, believers who walk carefully, or God as the only wise One.
The BSB source-word alignment has 20 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include wise (10), [the] wise (2), [is] wise (1), [were] wise (1), an expert (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 11:25. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (11), Romans (4), Matthew (2), Ephesians (1).
Sophos means wise, skilled, discerning, or prudent according to the standard in view. The adjective can describe people considered wise by society, a capable builder, believers who walk carefully, or God as the only wise One. Because the standard can change, the word never authorizes admiration by itself. Romans exposes people who claim wisdom while exchanging God’s glory for idols, then praises the only wise God.
First Corinthians announces that what appears foolish in God’s saving work is wiser than human wisdom and that God shames the wise through what the world discounts. Ephesians calls believers to walk as wise, and James requires wisdom to become visible in good conduct and humble deeds. Christian wisdom is therefore not mere intelligence, polish, or influence.
It receives God’s revelation, bows before the cross, orders life under the Lord, and produces humble obedience rather than self-exalting claims.
Sophos identifies wisdom or skill, but each passage supplies the governing standard. The New Testament contrasts self-claimed worldly wisdom with God’s wisdom and with humble, obedient conduct.
At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
Jesus praises the Father’s revelatory freedom. Socially recognized wisdom does not compel divine disclosure, while dependent recipients receive what pride misses.
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,
Self-claimed wisdom collapses within humanity’s exchange of God’s glory for created images. The surrounding worship decision exposes the claim.
To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Paul’s concluding doxology directs glory through Jesus Christ to the only wise God. Divine wisdom governs the gospel mystery described nearby.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
Paul uses deliberate paradox to humble human standards before God’s saving work in the crucified Christ. God is not literally foolish or weak.
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
Wisdom governs a careful walk in the surrounding calls to redeem the time, understand the Lord’s will, and live under the Spirit’s influence.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
James tests a claim to wisdom through good conduct and humble deeds. Character provides visible evidence of the wisdom professed.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Wisdom encompassing practical skill, learning, and discernment across life's domains, not merely intellectual knowledge.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 22 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
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Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 6 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 19 lexical occurrence verses.
Scripture provides the wisdom necessary to understand God’s salvation plan.2 Timothy 3:14-17
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sophos exposes competing standards of wisdom. Matthew 11 shows that recognized learning cannot place the Father under obligation, while dependent recipients receive His revelation. Romans 1 describes self-proclaimed wisdom becoming folly through idolatrous exchange, and Romans 16 ends by giving glory to the only wise God through Jesus Christ. First Corinthians uses paradox to overturn confidence in human standards: the saving message of Christ crucified, dismissed as foolish and weak, displays wisdom and power beyond human comparison.
Ephesians 5 moves wisdom into daily conduct as believers pay careful attention to their walk, understand the Lord’s will, and live as His people in evil days. James 3 tests a wise person’s claim through good conduct and humility. Biblical wisdom is not hostility toward learning or skill. It is knowledge and judgment rightly ordered under God’s revelation, centered on Christ, and made visible in obedient, peaceable, humble life.
1Cor.1.25
Sophos is an adjective meaning wise or skilled, with context deciding whether the standard is human reputation, practical competence, moral discernment, or divine wisdom. The local BSB word table contains nineteen New Testament verse witnesses, including a comparative form in 1 Corinthians 1:25.
Old Testament wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, receives instruction, rejects idolatrous autonomy, and becomes visible in righteous conduct. The New Testament brings that pattern under the revelation of the Father and the saving wisdom displayed in Christ crucified.