Bible Dictionary
VILE, VILLANY
“Vile” can mean despised, dishonorable, filthy, foolish, humble, or of little account, depending on its context. “Villany” refers to emptiness, folly, or wicked conduct.
Definition
Vile can mean despised, despicable, lightly esteemed, empty, foolish, dishonorable, filthy, humble, or of little account. Villany denotes emptiness, folly, or wicked conduct. Neither word always has its strongest modern meaning.
Biblical Usage
Scripture uses vile for what is despised, dishonorable, filthy, foolish, or humble, including being of small account. Villany occurs in passages where the sense is emptiness or folly.
Historical Background
Older English usage allowed vile to describe something common, ordinary, or humble. Modern speech more often limits it to what is contemptible or morally filthy.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>vil, vil'-an-i: The original words for "vile" and "villany" are used in about 10 different senses, e.g. despised (1Sa 15:9), despicable (Da 11:21 the King James Version), lightly esteemed (De 25:3), empty (Jud 19:24 the King James Version), foolish (Isa 32:6, the King James Version and the English Revised Version), dishonorable (Ro 1:26), filthy or dirty (Jas 2:2), humiliation (Php 3:21).</p><p>Villany occurs but twice in the King James Version (Isa 32:6; Jer 29:23), and signifies emptiness or folly (so the Revised Version (British and American)). From the foregoing meanings it will be seen that the word "vile" does not always bear the meaning which has come to be invariably given it in our present-day speech. Anything common or ordinary or humble might, in the Scriptural sense, be termed "vile." So Job 40:4, the Revised Version (British and American) "Behold, I am of small account"; also "the low estate of his handmaid" (Lu 1:48). Ordinarily, however, the idea of contemptible, despicable, is read into the word.</p><p>William Evans</p>