Bible Lexicons

σοφός, ή, όν, skilled in any handicraft or art, clever, ἁρματηλάτας ς . Pi. P. 5.115, cf. N. 7.17; κυβερνήτης A. Supp. 770; μάντις Id. Th. 382; οἰωνοθέτας S. OT 484 (lyr.); of a sculptor, E. Fr. 372; even of hedgers and ditchers, Margites Fr. 2; but in this sense mostly of poets and musicians, Pi. O. 1.9, P. 1.42, 3.113; ἐν κιθάρᾳ ς . E. IT 1238 (lyr.), cf. Ar. Ra. 896 (lyr.), etc.; τὴν τέχνην -ώτερος ib. 766; περί τι Pl. Lg. 696c; γλώσσῃ ς . S. Fr. 88.10; σοφὸς ὁ πολλὰ εἰδὼς φυᾷ, μαθόντες δὲ λάβροι Pi. O. 2.86 .

2. clever in practical matters, wise, prudent, ὁ χρήσιμ' εἰδώς, οὐχ ὁ πόλλ' εἰδώς, ς . A. Fr. 390; esp. statesmanlike, in which sense the seven Sages were so called, Dicaearch. ap. D.L. 1.40: hence, shrewd, worldly-wise, Thgn. 120, Pi. I. 2.12, Hdt. 3.85; ς. ἄνδρες εἰσὶ Θεσσαλοὶ Id. 7.130; ς. παλαιστὴς . ., ἀλλὰ χαἱ χαἱ σοφαὶ γνῶμαι . . ἐμποδίζονται S. Ph. 431, cf. 440, Aj. 1374; πολλὰ ς . A. Ag. 1295; ἃ δεῖ ς . E. Ba. 655 sq.; τῶν λεγομένων πονηρῶν μέν, σοφῶν δέ Pl. R. 519a: also σοφαὶ πραπίδες Pi. O. 11(10).10; φύσις Ar. V. 1282: even of animals, X. Cyn. 3.7 ( Comp. ), 6.13 ( Sup. ); ς. πειθώ Pi. P. 9.39 codd. ( σοφοῖς Bgk.); εὐβουλία A. Pr. 1038: τὸ ς . my little trick, Pl. R. 502d; your clever notion, Id. Euthd. 293d; τἀπ' ἐμοῦ σοφά, δάκρυα my tears, all the resources that I have, E. IA 1214; εἰ δίκαια, τῶν σοφῶν κρείσσω τάδε better than all craft, S. Ph. 1246; σοφόν [ἐστι ] c. inf., E. Hec. 228 . more generally, learned, wise, τὸ μὲν ς. [αὐτὸν] καλεῖν ἔμοιγε μέγα εἶναι δοκεῖ καὶ θεῷ μόνῳ πρέπειν Pl. Phdr. 278d, cf. 279c, Prt. 329e, Revelation 21 a ( Comp. ), 22c ( Sup. ); opp. ἀμαθής, ib. 25d ( Comp. ); of sophists, ib. 20a, Prt. 309d, X. Mem. 2.1.21, etc.; universally and ideally wise, ὁ ς., τουτέστιν ὁ τὴν τοῦ ἀληθοῦς ἐπιστήμην ἔχων Chrysipp.Stoic. 2.42, cf. 3.167, al.: later σοφώτατος as a title, esp. of lawyers or professors, PIand. 16.4 (v/vi A.D.), POxy. 126.6 (vi A.D.) .

3. subtle, ingenious, opp. ἀμαθής ( 1445 ) and σαφής, Ar. Ra. 1434 ( Adv. ); σοφόν τοι τὸ σαφές, οὐ τὸ μὴ σαφές E. Or. 397; τὸ σοφὸν οὐ σοφία wisdom overmuch is no wisdom, Id. Ba. 395 (lyr.); τί οὖν ἦν τοῦτο; οὐδὲν ποικίλον οὐδὲ σοφόν nothing curious or recondite, D. 9.37 . — For the senses of ς ., v. Arist. EN 1141a10 . — mostly abs., but c. acc. rei, E. Ba. 655, Pl. Phlb. 17c, etc.; also ἐν οἰωνοῖς, κιθάρᾳ, E. IT 662, 1238 (lyr.); εἴς τι Id. Fr. 162 ( Sup. ); περί τι or τινος, Pl. Smp. 203a, Revelation 19 c: rarely c. gen., σοφὸς κακῶν A. Supp. 453: also c. inf., πῶς δῆτ' ἔγωγ' ἂν . . Διὸς γενοίμην εὖ φρονεῖν σοφώτερος; S. Fr. 524.7 .

II of things, cleverly devised, wise, νόμος Hdt. 1.196 ( Sup. ); νοήματα, ἔπεα, Pi. O. 7.72 ( Sup. ), P. 4.138, etc.; γνῶμαι S. Aj. 1091; νοῦς Id. El. 1016; πάντα προσφέρων σοφά all wise sayings, Id. Fr. 763, cf. Ph. 1245; χρόνου τε διατριβὰς σοφωτάτας ἐφηῦρε Id. Fr. 479; σοφώτερ' ἢ κατ' ἄνδρα συμβαλεῖν ἔπη E. Med. 675; ς. φυγή Id. Supp. 151; οὐδὲν σοφὸν εἶναι shows no great wisdom, Arist. EN 1137a10 .

III Adv. σοφῶς cleverly, wisely, etc., first (?) in S. (?) Fr. 1122; then in E. Alc. 699, Ba. 1271 codd., Heracl. 558, Ar. Ra. 1434, etc.: Comp. -ώτερον E. Hec. 1007: Sup. -ώτατα Id. Hel. 1528, Ar. Nu. 522: — σοφῶς, as an exclamation of applause, Plu. 2.45f, Mart. 3.46.8, etc. (Not in Ep., exc. in Margites l.c. and as ancient v.l. ( Eust. 1023.14 ) in Il. 23.712; but v. σοφία, σοφίζομαι .)