'Mad' in the Bible

You shall be driven mad by the sight of the things you see.

Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see that the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me?

When Jehu came out to the servants of his master, one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this madman come to you?” And he said to them, “You know [very well] the man and his talk.”

I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”

“[Cease your mad running after idols to]Keep your feet from becoming bareAnd your throat from becoming dry;But you said, ‘It is hopeless!For I have loved strangers and foreign gods,And I will walk after them.’

“A drought on her waters, and they will dry up!For it is a land of [worthless] idols,And they are mad over fearsome idols [those objects of terror in which they foolishly trust].

Babylon has been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand,Intoxicating all the earth.The nations drank her wine;Therefore the nations have gone mad.

The days of punishment have come;The days of retribution are at hand;Let Israel know this!The prophet is [considered] a fool;The man [of God] who is inspired is [treated as if] demented,Because of the abundance of your wickedness and guilt,And because your deep antagonism [toward God and the prophets] is so great.

Whatever [plot] you [Assyrians] devise against the Lord,He will make a complete end of it;Affliction [of God’s people by the hand of Assyria] will not occur twice.

Many of them said, “He has a demon and He is mad [insane—He raves and rambles]. Why listen to Him?”

While Paul was making this defense, Festus said loudly, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great education is turning you toward madness.”

But Paul replied, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent and noble Festus, but [with a sound mind] I am uttering rational words of truth and reason.

If we are out of our mind [just unstable fanatics as some critics say], it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit.