THE FULL ARTICLE — from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), general editor James Orr — public domain, printed whole.

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).

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.

William Evans