μωραίνω (mōrainō)
mōrainō
be foolish
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb mōrainō describes a transition into folly or uselessness, functioning as both an intransitive action and a transitive cause. In its active sense, it means to make someone foolish or to prove them wrong, a usage seen when Paul challenges the wisdom of the world in 1 Corinthians 1:20. Here, God’s plan is described as making the wise appear foolish through their own reasoning.
The word also carries a vivid physical metaphor regarding salt. In Matthew 5:13 and Luke 14:34, Jesus uses mōrainō to describe salt that has lost its flavor. This usage suggests that "foolishness" in this context is not merely intellectual error but a loss of essential character or effectiveness. The sources note that just as tasteless salt fails its purpose, so too does wisdom without substance become useless.
This dual meaning connects moral failure with practical ineffectiveness. While the root word refers to a fool, the verb emphasizes the process of becoming so. In Romans 1:22, it appears in the passive voice, describing those who claim to be wise yet become foolish by exchanging truth for falsehood. The term thus bridges ethical decay and functional failure.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
This word describes a loss of essential character, whether in our thinking or our influence. When Paul writes that God makes the wisdom of this world foolish, he highlights how human reasoning often falls short of divine truth. It is a reminder that relying solely on our own intellect can lead us away from the clarity found in Scripture.
Jesus uses a striking image of salt losing its flavor to illustrate spiritual ineffectiveness. Salt that cannot season food is cast out; similarly, faith without genuine substance fails to impact the world around us. This calls us to examine whether our lives retain the distinctive taste of Christ’s love and truth.
May we seek wisdom that endures, grounded in God’s Word rather than fleeting human ideas. Let your life remain flavorful and true, reflecting the light of the Gospel in every season.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- shall become tasteless,2×
- they became fools1×
- has made foolish1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- μωρανθῇ,2×
- ἐμώρανεν1×
- ἐμωράνθησαν1×
Key Verses
-
I Corinthians 1:20
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
Paul uses this word to show how God’s plan overturns human pride by exposing worldly wisdom as insufficient.
-
Matthew 5:13
“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.
Jesus applies the term to salt that has lost its taste, warning that believers who lose their distinctiveness become useless for God's purposes.
-
Romans 1:22
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
The passive form describes those who claim wisdom but actually become foolish by rejecting the truth about God.