παραφρονία (paraphronia)
paraphronia
insanity
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun paraphronia denotes a state of insanity or madness, describing a mind that has lost its rational footing. It appears only once in the New Testament, in 2 Peter 2:16, where it characterizes the behavior of false teachers who have abandoned sound judgment.
Its meaning is rooted in the prefix para, indicating something beside or contrary to, combined with phrēn, referring to the mind or understanding. This etymology suggests a deviation from normal mental function rather than mere foolishness. The text uses this term to highlight the severity of their error, portraying it as a loss of reason that leads them to speak blasphemies against truth.
Translators typically render this word as "insanity" or "madness," capturing the extreme departure from reality described in the passage. By using such strong language, the author emphasizes that these individuals are not simply mistaken but are operating under a fundamental distortion of their cognitive faculties, making their teachings dangerous and deceptive.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word paraphronia appears only once in Scripture, describing a profound loss of rational footing. It points to a mind that has deviated so far from truth that it becomes dangerous and deceptive. In 2 Peter 2:16, this term highlights the severity of false teaching, showing how abandoning sound judgment leads to blasphemy against reality.
For your faith, this serves as a sobering reminder to hold fast to what is true. When we encounter teachings that distort core truths, we are not dealing with mere disagreement but with a fundamental break from reason. Grounding ourselves in Scripture protects our minds from such deviation, keeping us steady when others lose their way.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- madness.1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- παραφρονίαν.1×
Key Verses
-
II Peter 2:16
but he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A speechless donkey spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the madness of the prophet.
This unique occurrence uses the word to describe the prophet's madness, which was silenced by a donkey, emphasizing the absurdity of rejecting divine truth.