4678. sophia

Strong's Concordance

sophia: skill, wisdom

Original Word: σοφία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: sophia
Phonetic Spelling: (sof-ee'-ah)
Definition: skill, wisdom
Usage: wisdom, insight, skill (human or divine), intelligence.

HELPS Word-studies

4678 sophía (cf. saphēs, "clear") – wisdom (properly, "clarity").

[4678 (sophía) is the root of the English terms, "sophistication" and "philosophy" – literally (respectively), "the art of using wisdom," "affection for wisdom."]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from sophos
Definition
skill, wisdom
NASB Translation
cleverness (1), learning (1), wisdom (49).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4678: σοφία

σοφία, σοφίας, ἡ (σοφός), Hebrew חָכְמָה, wisdom, broad and full intelligence (from Homer down); used of the knowledge of very diverse matters, so that the shade of meaning in which the word is taken must be discovered from the context in every particular case.

a. the wisdom which belongs to men: universally, Luke 2:40, 52; specifically, the varied knowledge of things human and divine, acquired by acuteness and experience, and summed up in maxims and proverbs, as was ἡ σοφία τοῦ Σολομῶνος, Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31; the science and learning τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, Acts 7:22 (cf. Winers Grammar, 227 (213) n.; Buttmann, § 134, 6); the art of interpreting dreams and always giving the sagest advice, Acts 7:10; the intelligence evinced in discovering the meaning of some mysterious number or vision, Revelation 13:18; Revelation 17:9; skill in the management of affairs, Acts 6:3; a devout and proper prudence in contact with men not disciples of Christ, Colossians 4:5; skill and discretion in imparting Christian truth, Colossians 1:28; Colossians 3:16; (2 Peter 3:15); the knowledge and practice of the requisites for godly and upright living, James 1:5; James 3:13, 17; with which σοφία ἄνωθεν κατερχομένη is put in contrast the σοφία ἐπίγειος, ψυχική, δαιμονιώδης, such as is the craftiness of envious and quarrelsome men. James 3:15, or σαρκικῇ σοφία (see σαρκικός, 1), craftiness, 2 Corinthians 1:12 (for the context shows that it does not differ essentially from the πανουργία of ; in Greek writings also σοφία is not infrequently used of shrewdness and cunning; cf. Passow (or Liddell and Scott), under the word, 2); the knowledge and skill in affairs requisite for the successful defense of the Christian cause against hostile accusations, Luke 21:15; an acquaintance with divine things and human duties, joined to a power of discoursing concerning them and of interpreting and applying sacred Scripture, Matthew 13:54; Mark 6:2; Acts 6:10; the wisdom or instruction with which John the Baptist and Jesus taught men the way to obtain salvation, Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:35 (on these passages, see δικαιόω, 2). In Paul's Epistles: a knowledge of the divine plan, previously hidden, of providing salvation for men by the expiatory death of Christ, 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Corinthians 2:6; Ephesians 1:8 (Winer's Grammar, 111 (105f)); hence, all the treasures of wisdom are said to be hidden in Christ, Colossians 2:3; with the addition of Θεοῦ (genitive of the author), 1 Corinthians 1:24; 1 Corinthians 2:7; πνευματικῇ, Colossians 1:9; πνεῦμα σοφίας καί ἀποκαλύψεως, Ephesians 1:17; λόγος σοφίας, the ability to discourse eloquently of this wisdom, 1 Corinthians 12:8; opposed to this wisdom is — the empty conceit of wisdom which men make a parade of, a knowledge more specious than real of lofty and hidden subjects: such as the theosophy of certain Jewish Christians, Colossians 2:23; the philosophy of the Greeks, 1 Corinthians 1:21; 1 Corinthians 2:1; with τοῦ κόσμου added, 1 Corinthians 1:20; 1 Corinthians 3:19; τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, 1 Corinthians 2:6; τῶν σοφῶν, 1 Corinthians 1:19; ἀνθρώπων, 1 Corinthians 2:5 (in each of these last passages the word includes also the rhetorical art, such as is taught in the schools), cf. Fritzsche, Romans, vol. i, p. 67f; σοφία τοῦ λόγου, the wisdom which shows itself in speaking (R. V. wisdom of words), the art of the rhetorician, 1 Corinthians 1:17; λόγοι (ἀνθρωπίνης (so R in 1 Corinthians 1:4 (all texts in 1 Corinthians 1:13))) σοφίας, discourse conformed to philosophy and the art of rhetoric, 1 Corinthians 2:4, 13.

b. supreme intelligence, such as belongs to God: Revelation 7:12, also to Christ, exalted to God's right hand, Revelation 5:12; the wisdom of God as evinced in forming and executing his counsels, Romans 11:33; with the addition of τοῦ Θεοῦ, as manifested in the formation and government of the world, and to the Jews, moreover, in the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 1:21; it is called πολυποίκιλος from the great variety of ways and methods by which he devised and achieved salvation through Christ, Ephesians 3:10. In the noteworthy passage, Luke 11:49 (where Christ ascribes to 'the wisdom of God' what in the parallel, Matthew 23:34, he utters himself), the words ἡ σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶπεν seem to denote the wisdom of God which is operative and embodied as it were in Jesus, so that the primitive Christians, when to comfort themselves under persecution they recalled the saying of Christ, employed that formula of quotation (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:24, 30,etc.); but Luke, in ignorance of this fact, took the phrase for a part of Christ's saying. So Eusebius (h. e. 3, 32, 8), perhaps in the words of Hegesippus, calls those who had personally heard Christ οἱ αὐταῖς ἀκοαῖς τῆς ἐνθεου σοφίας ἐπακοῦσαι κατηξιώμενοι; cf. Grimm in the Studien und Kritiken for 1853, p. 332ff. (For other explanations of the phenomenon, see the commentaries on Luke, the passage cited Cf. Schürer, Zeitgesch. § 33, V. 1 and references.) [SYNONYMS: on the relation of σοφία to γνῶσις see γνῶσις, at the end. "While σοφία is 'mental excellence in its highest and fullest sense' (Aristotle, eth. Nic. 6, 7), σύνεσις and φρόνησις are both derivative and special — applications of σοφία to details: σύνεσις, critical, apprehending the bearing of things, φρόνησις, practical, suggesting lines of action" (Lightfoot on Colossians 1:9); but cf. Meyer on Colossians, the passage cited; Schmidt, chapter 13 § 10; chapter 147 § 8. See σοφός, at the end]

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

wisdom.

From sophos; wisdom (higher or lower, worldly or spiritual) -- wisdom.

see GREEK sophos

Forms and Transliterations

σοφια σοφία σοφίᾳ σοφιαν σοφίαν σοφιας σοφίας sophia sophía sophíāi sophian sophían sophias sophías

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 11:19 N-NFS
GRK: ἐδικαιώθη ἡ σοφία ἀπὸ τῶν
NAS: Yet wisdom is vindicated
KJV: sinners. But wisdom is justified of
INT: was justified the wisdom by the

Matthew 12:42 N-AFS
GRK: ἀκοῦσαι τὴν σοφίαν Σολομῶνος καὶ
NAS: to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
KJV: to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
INT: to hear the wisdom of Solomon and

Matthew 13:54 N-NFS
GRK: τούτῳ ἡ σοφία αὕτη καὶ
NAS: [did] this man [get] this wisdom and [these] miraculous powers?
KJV: this wisdom, and
INT: to this [man] the wisdom this and

Mark 6:2 N-NFS
GRK: τίς ἡ σοφία ἡ δοθεῖσα
NAS: and what is [this] wisdom given
KJV: what wisdom [is] this which is given
INT: what the wisdom that has been given

Luke 2:40 N-DFS
GRK: ἐκραταιοῦτο πληρούμενον σοφίᾳ καὶ χάρις
NAS: increasing in wisdom; and the grace
KJV: filled with wisdom: and
INT: became strong being filled with wisdom and [the] grace

Luke 2:52 N-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ ἡλικίᾳ
NAS: kept increasing in wisdom and stature,
KJV: Jesus increased in wisdom and stature,
INT: in wisdom and stature

Luke 7:35 N-NFS
GRK: ἐδικαιώθη ἡ σοφία ἀπὸ πάντων
NAS: Yet wisdom is vindicated by all
KJV: But wisdom is justified of
INT: was justified wisdom by all

Luke 11:31 N-AFS
GRK: ἀκοῦσαι τὴν σοφίαν Σολομῶνος καὶ
NAS: to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
KJV: to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
INT: to hear the wisdom of Solomon and

Luke 11:49 N-NFS
GRK: καὶ ἡ σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ
NAS: reason also the wisdom of God said,
KJV: said the wisdom of God,
INT: also the wisdom of God

Luke 21:15 N-AFS
GRK: στόμα καὶ σοφίαν ᾗ οὐ
NAS: you utterance and wisdom which
KJV: a mouth and wisdom, which all
INT: a mouth and wisdom which none

Acts 6:3 N-GFS
GRK: πνεύματος καὶ σοφίας οὓς καταστήσομεν
NAS: of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom
KJV: Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint
INT: of [the] Spirit and wisdom whom we will appoint

Acts 6:10 N-DFS
GRK: ἀντιστῆναι τῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ τῷ
NAS: to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit
KJV: to resist the wisdom and
INT: to resist the wisdom and the

Acts 7:10 N-AFS
GRK: χάριν καὶ σοφίαν ἐναντίον Φαραὼ
NAS: him favor and wisdom in the sight
KJV: and wisdom in the sight
INT: favor and wisdom before Pharoah

Acts 7:22 N-DFS
GRK: ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ Αἰγυπτίων ἦν
NAS: in all the learning of the Egyptians,
KJV: in all the wisdom of the Egyptians,
INT: in all [the] wisdom of [the] Egyptians he was

Romans 11:33 N-GFS
GRK: πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως
NAS: both of the wisdom and knowledge
KJV: both of the wisdom and
INT: of riches both of wisdom and knowledge

1 Corinthians 1:17 N-DFS
GRK: οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ λόγου ἵνα
NAS: but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech,
KJV: not with wisdom of words, lest
INT: not in wisdom of word that

1 Corinthians 1:19 N-AFS
GRK: Ἀπολῶ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν
NAS: I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE,
KJV: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
INT: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise

1 Corinthians 1:20 N-AFS
GRK: θεὸς τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ κόσμου
NAS: made foolish the wisdom of the world?
KJV: made foolish the wisdom of this
INT: God the wisdom the world

1 Corinthians 1:21 N-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ
NAS: For since in the wisdom of God
KJV: that in the wisdom of God
INT: in the wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:21 N-GFS
GRK: διὰ τῆς σοφίας τὸν θεόν
NAS: through its wisdom did not [come to] know
KJV: the world by wisdom knew not
INT: by the wisdom God

1 Corinthians 1:22 N-AFS
GRK: καὶ Ἕλληνες σοφίαν ζητοῦσιν
NAS: and Greeks search for wisdom;
KJV: the Greeks seek after wisdom:
INT: and Greeks wisdom seek

1 Corinthians 1:24 N-AFS
GRK: καὶ θεοῦ σοφίαν
NAS: of God and the wisdom of God.
KJV: of God, and the wisdom of God.
INT: and God's wisdom

1 Corinthians 1:30 N-NFS
GRK: ὃς ἐγενήθη σοφία ἡμῖν ἀπὸ
NAS: became to us wisdom from God,
KJV: unto us wisdom, and righteousness,
INT: who was made wisdom to us from

1 Corinthians 2:1 N-GFS
GRK: λόγου ἢ σοφίας καταγγέλλων ὑμῖν
NAS: or of wisdom, proclaiming
KJV: or of wisdom, declaring
INT: of word or wisdom proclaiming to you

1 Corinthians 2:4 N-GFS
GRK: ἐν πειθοῖς σοφίας λόγοις ἀλλ'
NAS: words of wisdom, but in demonstration
KJV: words of man's wisdom, but in
INT: in persuasive of wisdom words but

Strong's Greek 4678
51 Occurrences

σοφία — 25 Occ.
σοφίαν — 14 Occ.
σοφίας — 12 Occ.