The word “foolish” appears 58 times throughout the books of the Bible. The graph below shows the locations of each appearance. It begins with Genesis in the top left and concludes with Revelation in the bottom right.
Here are the 30 most important Bible scriptures on foolishness.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Psalm 14:1
To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.
James 1:26
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
Romans 14:1
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:20
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
1 Corinthians 1:21
For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
1 Corinthians 1:23
But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.
1 Corinthians 1:25
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Corinthians 3:19
For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”
Ecclesiastes 7:25
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Luke 16:13
“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Matthew 5:22
“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”
Proverbs 10:23
Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.
Proverbs 14:16
One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.
Proverbs 15:14
The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
Proverbs 15:2
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
Proverbs 17:28
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
Proverbs 18:2
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
Proverbs 19:3
When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord.
Proverbs 22:15
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
Proverbs 24:9
The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
Proverbs 26:11
Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.
Proverbs 27:22
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him.
Proverbs 28:26
Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
Proverbs 29:11
A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.
Psalm 118:8
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.
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60 Transcendent Verses on Trust
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68 Powerful Verses on Forgiveness
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Natalie Regoli is a child of God, devoted wife, and mother of two boys. She has a Master's Degree in Law from The University of Texas. Natalie has been published in several national journals and has been practicing law for 18 years.