What does φρόνιμος (phrónimos) mean in the Bible?
Φρόνιμος describes someone sensible, prudent, discerning, or practically wise. Paul sometimes addresses readers as capable of judgment and sometimes uses the word ironically against self-conceit.
Greek · G5429
φρόνιμος
Thoughtful
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φρόνιμος G5429
Pronunciation phrónimos
What does φρόνιμος (phrónimos) mean in the Bible?
Φρόνιμος describes someone sensible, prudent, discerning, or practically wise. Paul sometimes addresses readers as capable of judgment and sometimes uses the word ironically against self-conceit.
Reader summary
Full entry for φρόνιμος (G5429) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G5429?
The BSB source-word alignment has 14 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include wise (4), conceited (2), wise [ones] (2), [a] wise (1), [are] wise (1).
Where does φρόνιμος (phrónimos) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 7:24. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (7), 1 Corinthians (2), Luke (2), Romans (2).
What This Word Actually Means
Φρόνιμος describes someone sensible, prudent, discerning, or practically wise. Paul sometimes addresses readers as capable of judgment and sometimes uses the word ironically against self-conceit. In 1 Corinthians 10:15, he asks sensible people to judge his argument that participation at sacred tables expresses real fellowship. Second Corinthians 11 sarcastically calls the Corinthians “wise” because they tolerate fools who exploit them.
Romans 11 warns Gentile believers against being wise in their own estimation as he reveals the mystery of Israel's partial hardening and future hope. The adjective therefore commends responsible discernment while exposing self-satisfied cleverness. Biblical prudence receives revelation, judges carefully, and remains humble before God's mercy.
How the Bible Uses It
Paul uses φρόνιμος for practical discernment and ironically for imagined wisdom. True prudence evaluates faithfully without becoming conceited or tolerant of abuse.
- 1Cor.10.15
I speak to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say.
Paul invites the Corinthians to exercise judgment about table fellowship, expecting prudent reasoning to recognize the incompatibility of idolatry and the Lord's table.
- 2Cor.11.19
For you gladly put up with fools, since you are so wise.
The sarcastic compliment exposes a church that considers itself wise while tolerating domineering and exploitative teachers.
- Rom.11.25
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
The mystery concerning Israel is disclosed to prevent Gentile conceit, so prudence must bow before God's mercy and covenant faithfulness.
Book contextPassage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It wise 4× Matthew 24:45, Matthew 25:2, Matthew 25:8, Luke 12:42
conceited 2× Romans 11:25, Romans 12:16
wise [ones] 2× Matthew 25:4, Matthew 25:9
[a] wise 1× Matthew 7:24
[are] wise 1× 1 Corinthians 4:10
as shrewd 1× Matthew 10:16
more shrewd 1× Luke 16:8
so wise 1× 2 Corinthians 11:19
to reasonable [people] 1× 1 Corinthians 10:15
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 7:24 φρονίμῳ to [a] wise Adjective - Dative Masculine Singular Matthew 10:16 φρόνιμοι to as shrewd Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural Matthew 24:45 φρόνιμος to wise Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 25:2 φρόνιμοι to wise Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural Matthew 25:4 φρόνιμοι to wise [ones] Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural Matthew 25:8 φρονίμοις to wise Adjective - Dative Feminine Plural Matthew 25:9 φρόνιμοι to wise [ones] Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural Luke 12:42 φρόνιμος to wise Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular Luke 16:8 φρονιμώτεροι to more shrewd Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural - Comparative Romans 11:25 φρόνιμοι to conceited Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 7:24
Aligned rows 14
Books represented 5
Matthew 7 Luke 2 Romans 2 1 Corinthians 2 2 Corinthians 1
Source forms
φρόνιμοι 8x phronimoi Matthew 10:16, Matthew 25:2, Matthew 25:4, Matthew 25:9
φρονίμοις 2x phronimois Matthew 25:8, 1 Corinthians 10:15
φρόνιμος 2x phronimos Matthew 24:45, Luke 12:42
φρονίμῳ 1x phronimō Matthew 7:24
φρονιμώτεροι 1x phronimōteroi Luke 16:8
Parsing patterns
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural 5x Matthew 10:16, Romans 11:25, Romans 12:16, 1 Corinthians 4:10
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural 3x Matthew 25:2, Matthew 25:4, Matthew 25:9
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular 2x Matthew 24:45, Luke 12:42
Adjective - Dative Feminine Plural 1x Matthew 25:8
Adjective - Dative Masculine Plural 1x 1 Corinthians 10:15
Adjective - Dative Masculine Singular 1x Matthew 7:24
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural - Comparative 1x Luke 16:8
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Test whether “wisdom” in the passage is sincere commendation or irony before applying it.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not equate φρόνιμος with superior education, social sophistication, or confidence in one's instincts.
- Do not use prudence as a reason to avoid obedience once Scripture has made the faithful path clear.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Practical wisdom expressed in sensible conduct, distinct from mere intellectual knowledge or self-conceit
Strong's G5429
Lexical occurrences 14 verses Greek text appearances 14 times Word forms 7 forms 14 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Matthew 10:16 Source Gloss
thoughtful
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Practical wisdom expressed in sensible conduct, distinct from mere intellectual knowledge or self-conceit
(φρονέω), [in LXX for בִּין, חָכָם etc. ;] practically wise, sensible, prudent: Mat.10:16 24:45, Luk.12:42, 1Co.10:15; opposite to μωρός, Mat.7:24 25:2, 4 25:8-9, 1Co.4:10; to ἄφρων, 2Co.11:19; φ. παρ᾽ ἑαυτῷ (EV, wise in one's own conceit), Rom.11:25 12:16 (cf. Pro.3:7); compar., -ώτερος, Luk.16:8.
Synonymssee: σοψός
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
14 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 7:24 Adjective Dative Singular Masculine
φρονίμῳ, fronimw
intelligent, prudent
Read verse Matthew 10:16 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
φρόνιμοι fronimoi
intelligent, prudent
Read verse Matthew 24:45 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
φρόνιμος, fronimov
intelligent, prudent
Read verse Matthew 25:2 Adjective Nominative Plural Feminine
φρόνιμοι, fronimoi
intelligent, prudent
Read verse Matthew 25:4 Adjective Nominative Plural Feminine
φρόνιμοι fronimoi
intelligent, prudent
Read verse Matthew 25:8 Adjective Dative Plural Feminine
φρονίμοις fronimoiv
intelligent, prudent
Read verse Matthew 25:9 Adjective Nominative Plural Feminine
φρόνιμοι, fronimoi
intelligent, prudent
Read verse Luke 12:42 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
φρόνιμος, fronimov
intelligent, prudent
Read verse Luke 16:8 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
φρονιμώτεροι fronimwteroi
intelligent, prudent
Read verse Romans 11:25 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
φρόνιμοι, fronimoi
intelligent, prudent
Read verse Romans 12:16 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
φρόνιμοι fronimoi
intelligent, prudent
Read verse 1 Corinthians 4:10 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
φρόνιμοι fronimoi
intelligent, prudent
Read verse 1 Corinthians 10:15 Adjective Dative Plural Masculine
φρονίμοις fronimoiv
intelligent, prudent
Read verse 2 Corinthians 11:19 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
φρόνιμοι fronimoi
intelligent, prudent
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.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 7 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.
Form patterns 7 Aligned forms 14 Case pattern Nominative (11) Number pattern Plural (11)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Plural · Masculine Matt 10:16 · Rom 11:25 · Rom 12:16 · 1 Cor 4:10 · 2 Cor 11:19 5×
Nominative · Plural · Feminine Matt 25:2 · Matt 25:4 · Matt 25:9 3×
Nominative · Singular · Masculine Matt 24:45 · Luke 12:42 2×
Nominative · Plural · Masculine Luke 16:8 1×
Dative · Singular · Masculine Matt 7:24 1×
Dative · Plural · Feminine Matt 25:8 1×
Dative · Plural · Masculine 1 Cor 10:15 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
prudent discernment in navigating hostile circumstances and dangers
servant who demonstrates practical wisdom in managing household responsibilities
contrast between sensible foresight and foolish lack of preparation for readiness
self-conceit and presumptuous confidence in one's own understanding and judgment
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 14 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
φρόνιμος is built from this root:
φρήν G5424
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Prudence is not suspicion dressed as wisdom. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul expects believers to reason from the meaning of fellowship and recognize that participation at the Lord's table cannot be joined to idolatry. In 2 Corinthians 11, his irony shows how a self-image of sophistication can coexist with astonishing tolerance of abusive leaders. Romans 11 addresses another danger: Gentile Christians may interpret their place in God's saving work as grounds for superiority over Israel.
Paul reveals mystery in order to humble, not inflate, them. Φρόνιμος therefore joins careful judgment with teachability. The prudent person receives God's revealed categories, tests consequences, recognizes manipulation, and remains aware of personal limits. Churches should cultivate mature reasoning without creating elites whose confidence goes unchecked. Gospel wisdom is accountable to Scripture, attentive to the vulnerable, and astonished by mercy.
Anchor passage
1Cor.10.15
Doctrinal connections
- 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, prudent judgment about worship and fellowship
- 2 Corinthians 11:16-21, irony, exploitation, and counterfeit wisdom
- Romans 11:17-36, humility before mystery and mercy
- Proverbs 14:8-18, prudence examining the path
- Genesis 41:33-40, practical wisdom in service of preservation
- Matthew 7:24-27, the wise builder hearing and doing Jesus' words
Φρόνιμος belongs to the φρον- family of thinking and practical judgment. It often means prudent or sensible rather than intellectually brilliant. Tone matters: Paul can use the adjective sincerely or sarcastically, and the surrounding rhetoric reveals which.
From Old to New Testament
Wisdom literature praises the prudent who sees, listens, and acts according to truth. Jesus calls the obedient hearer wise. Paul brings prudence under the cross and God's mercy, where discernment is active but conceit is excluded.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain