noun · feminine
sofias
Strong’sG4678
wisdom
stem sofi-51 times in the New Testamentin 12 of 27 books4 of 10 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
Wisdom, or skill and intelligence generally — ranging from practical know-how in the ordinary affairs of life up to the highest and fullest mental excellence 1. It covers wisdom of every kind, whether worldly or spiritual 124, and is used of human wisdom in matters such as public speaking, spiritual understanding, and the learning attributed to particular people or nations 1.
The word is also used of divine wisdom — the wisdom that belongs to God himself and to Christ, and, in one strand of usage, wisdom spoken of almost as a person 1. Among the Jews it could describe wisdom as an attribute of God, closely bound up with reverence for him 3.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
σοφία, -ας, ἡ
[in LXX chiefly for חׇכְמָה;]
SYN.: σύνεσις, intelligence; φρόνησις, prudence, which with σ. make up (Arist., N. Eth., i, 13) the three intellectual ἀρεταί. σ. is wisdom primary and absolute; in distinction from which φ. is practical, σύνεσις critical, both being applications of σ. in detail (cf. Lft., and ICC on Col 1:9; Lft., Notes, 317 f.; Tr., Syn., § lxxv; Cremer, 870 ff.).
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4678 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidsof-ee'-ah
wisdom (higher or lower, worldly or spiritual)
Fromfrom G4680;
King Jameswisdom.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
Ionic dialect -ιη, ἡ, properly cleverness or skill in handicraft and art, as in carpentry, τέκτονος, ὅς ῥά τε πάσης εὖ εἰδῇ σ. Refs 8th c.BC+; of the Telchines, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἡ ἔντεχνος σ., of Hephaestus and Athena, Refs 5th c.BC+; of Daedalus and Palamedes, Refs 5th c.BC+; in music and singing, τέχνῃ καὶ σ. Refs 6th c.BC+; in medicine or surgery, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἡ περὶ Ὁμήρου σ. Refs 4th c.BC+: rare in plural, Refs 5th c.BC+
2 skill in matters of common life. sound judgement, intelligence, practical wisdom, etc., such as was attributed to the seven sages, like{φρόνησις}, Refs 6th c.BC+; ἡ τῶν δεινῶν σ., opposed to ἀμαθία, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὴν τότε καλουμένην σ., οὖσαν δὲ δεινότητα πολιτικὴν καὶ δραστήριον σύνεσιν Refs 1st c.AD+; also, cunning, shrewdness, craft, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ λοιδορῆς αι θεοὺς ἐχθρὰ σ. Refs 5th c.BC+
3 learning, wisdom, μείζω τινὰ ἢ κατ᾽ ἄνθρωπον σοφίαν σοφοί Refs 5th c.BC+; frequently in Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ σοφὸν οὐ σοφία (see. σοφός Refs 4th c.BC+, speculative wisdom, “EN” 1141a19, Refs; defined as θείων τε καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων ἐπιστήμη, Refs; but also of natural philosophy and mathematics, σ. τις καὶ ἡ φυσική Refs 4th c.BC+
4 among the Jews, ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου LXX; Σοφία, recognized first as an attribute of God, was later identified with the Spirit of God,LXX
5 later as a title, ἡ ὑμετέρα, ἡ ὑμῶν σ., Refs 6th c.AD+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
Every form this word takes in Biblang, with the Greek it corresponds to and how often the New Testament uses it.
| Job in the sentence case | one singular | more than one plural |
|---|---|---|
| subject nominative | sofias12×σοφία | sofiais |
| object accusative | sofian14×σοφίαν | sofiain |
| direct address vocative | sofiar | sofiair |
| of, belonging to genitive | sofiau12×σοφίας | sofiaiu |
| to, for dative | sofia13×σοφίᾳ | sofiai |
Tinted cells are forms the New Testament never uses, so there is no Greek to show against them — but they are still correct Biblang, built from the slots below like any other.
Why these forms, and no others — the slots that make them
sofia is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
51 occurrences, every one of them listed
sofias“wisdom”subjectnominative singular12×
Matthew 11:19… filos kai hamartōloiu. kai dikaiita tas sofias apo teiu ergeiu autau.… of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her actions.”
Matthew 13:54… autoin kai legarō; Pothen houto tas sofias houtas kai tais dunamiais?… Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked.
Mark 6:2… Pothen houto houteim, kai tinas tas sofias tas dōirantas houto, kai tais dunamiais …… ideas?” they asked. “What is this wisdom He has been given? And how …
Luke 7:35kai dikaiita tas sofias apo panteiu teiu tekneiu autau.But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
Luke 11:49dia houtem kai tas sofias tou theou legata; Apostelami eis autoin …Because of this, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send …
1 Corinthians 1:30… avō en Christo Iēso, hos genita sofias ni apo theou, dikaiosunas tē kai …… Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and …
1 Corinthians 3:19tas gar sofias tou kosmou houtou mōrias para to …For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in …
Ephesians 3:10… epouranei dia tau ekklēsau tas polupoikilas sofias tou theou,… now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known …
James 3:15ouk atō houtas tas sofias anōthen katerchorōntas, alla epigeias, psuchikas, daimoniōdas;Such wisdom does not come from above, but …
James 3:17tas de anōthen sofias prōtem men hagnas atō, epeita eirēnikas, …But the wisdom from above is first of all …
Revelation 7:12… eulogias kai tas doxas kai tas sofias kai tas eucharistias kai tas timas …saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power …
Revelation 13:18hōde tas sofias atō; tos echarōntos nouon psēfizatar ton …Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has insight …
sofian“wisdom”objectaccusative singular14×
Matthew 12:42… teiu perateiu tau gēau akouara tan sofian Solomōnou, kai idou polloterem Solomōnou hōde.… of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater …
Luke 11:31… teiu perateiu tau gēau akouara tan sofian Solomōnou, kai idou polloterem Solomōnou hōde.… of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater …
Luke 21:15mis gar dōami vi stomem kai sofian ha ouk duneli antistēara ē antilegara …… I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will …
Acts 7:10… autou, kai dōata auto charitan kai sofian enantion Faraō basilevou Aiguptau, kai katastēata …… troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king …
1 Corinthians 1:19grafotē gar; Apolami tan sofian toiu sofoiu, kai tan sunesian toiu …… is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of …
1 Corinthians 1:20… houtou? ouchi mōranata tos theos tan sofian tou kosmou?… Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
1 Corinthians 1:22… kai Ioudaiois sēmeim aitalō kai Hellēnois sofian zētalō;… demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom,
1 Corinthians 1:24… Hellēnoi, Christon theou dunamian kai theou sofian.… the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1 Corinthians 2:6Sofian de lalanō en toi teleioi, sofian …… however, we speak a message of wisdom — but not the wisdom of this …
1 Corinthians 2:6Sofian de lalanō en toi teleioi, sofian de ouk tou aiōnou houtou oude …… message of wisdom — but not the wisdom of this age or of the …
1 Corinthians 2:7alla lalanō theou sofian en mustērie, tan apokruptorēntan, han proorizata …… speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for …
2 Peter 3:15… adelfos Paulos kata tan dōirantan auto sofian grafata vi,… Paul also wrote you with the wisdom God gave him.
Revelation 5:12… labara tan dunamian kai plouton kai sofian kai ischuan kai timan kai doxan …… to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory …
Revelation 17:9Hōde tos nouos tos echarōntos sofian. tais hepta kefalais hepta oreim alō, …This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains …
sofiau“wisdom”of, belonging togenitive singular12×
Acts 6:3… vu marturorōntoin hepta plēroin pneumeu kai sofiau, hoin katastēani epi tau chreiau houtau;… be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will assign this responsibility to …
Romans 11:33Ō bathem ploutou kai sofiau kai gnōsiau theou; hōs anexeraunēteim teim …… depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable …
1 Corinthians 1:21… ouk gnōskata tos kosmos dia tau sofiau ton theon, eudokata tos theos dia …… of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was …
1 Corinthians 2:1… erchama ouk kata huperochan logou ē sofiau katangelarōntos vi tem marturiem tou theou.… did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the …
1 Corinthians 2:4… tem kērugmem mu ouk en peithoi sofiau alla en apodeixia pneumeu kai dunamiau,… were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the …
1 Corinthians 2:13… kai lalanō ouk en didaktoi anthrōpinau sofiau logoi, alla en didaktoi pneumeu, pneumatikei …… in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the …
1 Corinthians 12:8… gar dia teu pneumeu dōotō logos sofiau, alloso de logos gnōsiau kata tem …… through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge …
Ephesians 1:17… patros tau doxau, dōateia vi pneumem sofiau kai apokalupsiau en epignōsia autou,… may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of …
Colossians 2:3… ho alō pantois tois thēsaurois tau sofiau kai gnōsiau apokrufois.… are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:23hotineim atō logon men echarōnteim sofiau en ethelothrēskia kai tapeinofrosuna kai afeidia …… restrictions indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-prescribed worship, their false …
James 1:5Ei de tinos vu leipotō sofiau, aitatōr para tou dōarōntou theou pantoi …Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives …
James 3:13… anastrofau teim ergeim autou en prauta sofiau.… in the humility that comes from wisdom.
sofia“wisdom”to, fordative singular13×
Luke 2:40… de paidiem auxanate kai krataiote plērorōntem sofia, kai charitas theou ate epi autem.… became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was …
Luke 2:52Kai Iēsus prokoptate sofia kai hēlikia kai charita para theo …And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with …
Acts 6:10kai ouk ischuale antistēara ta sofia kai te pneume he lalate.… could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he …
Acts 7:22kai paideuita Mōusos panta sofia Aiguptioiu, ate de dunatos en logoi …… Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful …
1 Corinthians 1:17… Christos baptizarō alla euangelizorō, ouk en sofia logou, hina mē keniteia tos stauros …… the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be …
1 Corinthians 1:21epeidē gar en ta sofia tou theou ouk gnōskata tos kosmos …For since in the wisdom of God the world through its …
1 Corinthians 2:5… tas pistias vu mē ateiō en sofia anthrōpoiu alla en dunamia theou.… faith would not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
2 Corinthians 1:12… kai eilikrineia tou theou, ouk en sofia sarkika alla en charita theou, anastrefina …… are from God — not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
Ephesians 1:8hau perisseuata eis nin en panta sofia kai fronēsia… He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Colossians 1:9… epignōsian teu thelēmeu autou en panta sofia kai sunesia pneumatika,… of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
Colossians 1:28… kai didaskarōntois panton anthrōpon en panta sofia, hina parastēaneia panton anthrōpon teleion en …… admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone …
Colossians 3:16… enoikatōr en vi plousiōs en panta sofia; didaskarōntois kai nouthetarōntois heautoin psalmoi, humnoi, …… and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns …
Colossians 4:5“wisdom”En sofia peripatavōr pros toin exō, ton kairon …Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time.