By Larry Fasel

Matt 5:22

But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. (KJV)

To understand the Hebraic meaning to this verse we must first realize what one word means in one language is not what it means in another when translated. Added to this, is the fact that in some languages one word can have a number of different meanings. In Hebrew the word "fool" has distinct understandings. The first is the peti, often translated "simple," suggesting the idea of being open, spacious, wide. It carries with it the greatest potential that one will welcome instruction and correction from a wise man. Though often immature, inexperienced and easily fooled their mind is not barred to the entrance of wisdom. Close mindedness and stubbornness were common marks of fools that often stood before the sages in bible times. The peti was approachable and educable, a would-be learner. Look at the disciples Jesus picked. These were of a peti nature.

Acts 4:13

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant me, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

(KJV)

The second type was the "hardened fool" known as the kesil and ewil. Both share the same marks in their character. The idea behind both of these is that of thickness or fatness. Both are dense in the sense of moral deficiency. They are immune to the words of wisdom. The kesil is self-confident and set in his ways. He is also strong-willed, refusing to learn. He persists in evil – "as a dog returns to his vomit, so does the [kesil] return to his folly" (Proverbs 26:11). The kesil finds pleasure in doing evil and brings grief to his parents. The ewil shares many of the same senselessness and moral deficiency. He rejects instruction and babbles thoughtlessly (Proverbs 10:14). He is quick-tempered (Proverbs 14:19) likes to quarrel (Prov 20:3). Course and hard he will not be broken. He is arrogant and mocks at sin. Thirdly is the "mocking fool" known as the letz. This person is the scoffer or scorner as found in Psalm 1:1. He objects to both men and God. Arrogant in his ways, he is proud, sneering and very disruptive. He makes fun of all that is good or godly. Starting controversies, he insults others and is haughty as he knows all the answers - a true challenge for the sages of the Bible.

Lastly we have the worst of all, the nabal. It is to this kind of person Jesus is speaking about in Matthew 5:22. This is the person who says there is no God (Psalm 14:1). They are devoid of spiritual perception. For the time being God has no place in their thoughts. The prophet Isaiah (32:6) speaks of this person as being so evil that they would withhold water from a person who needed a drink. The nabal are at heart a vile persons, yet even this type of person is not beyond the reach of God. Nor are we to stand in judgement of this person for that alone belongs to the most high.

Assistance on definitions from Our Father Abraham, Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith , by Marvin R. Wilson.