2:23a

But reject: The Greek verb the Berean Standard Bible translates as reject means “avoid,” or “refuse,” or “don’t have anything to do with.”

foolish and ignorant: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as foolish and ignorant are synonyms.

foolish: The word “fool” in the Bible often means “a person who does not know what God is like or who perhaps does not even believe that he exists.” The word foolish here refers to the kinds of things such a person says or does. (See Luke 12:20 and 1 Corinthians 15:36.)

ignorant: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ignorant means “uneducated,” “stupid” or “uninstructed.”

(New International Version (2011 Revision)) arguments: In certain contexts, the Greek word used here could be translated as “speculation” (as in the Berean Standard Bible), or “discussion” or “debate.” In this case, however, the word has a negative meaning of “controversies” or “arguments.” This is why the New International Version (2011 Revision) is recommended as a reference to translate this word.

2:23b

for you know that it breeds quarreling: Paul said that when people argue about “foolish and ignorant” questions, the result is that they quarrel with those who believe differently than they do.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.