Era 6 · The First KingsProverbs
Proverbs 26: Answer a Fool, and Answer Not
Two opposite sayings side by side, the fool's proverb, the sluggard's hinges, and the gossip's fire
"Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit" (26:4–5). The editors placed these side by side on purpose.
"The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools… As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools" (26:7, 9). A proverb used without judgment is useless or dangerous.
"As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly" (26:11). "As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed" (26:14).
"Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth" (26:20). "Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein" (26:27).
| Verse | The saying | Form | What to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26:1 | As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest | Comparison | Out of season and harmful (rain ruins the harvest, 1 Samuel 12:17–18) |
| 26:2 | As the bird by wandering… so the curse causeless shall not come | Comparison | An undeserved curse does not land; ketiv/qere: "not" / "to him" |
| 26:3 | A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back | Comparison | Fools understand only force |
| 26:4 | Answer not a fool according to his folly | Instruction | See the passage page |
| 26:5 | Answer a fool according to his folly | Instruction | See the passage page |
| 26:6 | He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool | Comparison | Cutting off one's own feet |
| 26:7 | The legs of the lame are not equal | Comparison | A proverb in a fool's mouth hangs useless |
| 26:8 | As he that bindeth a stone in a sling | Comparison | Honouring a fool is self-defeating |
| 26:9 | As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard | Comparison | A proverb misused wounds |
| 26:10 | The great God that formed all things | Comparison | One of the most obscure verses in Proverbs; often "Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool" |
| 26:11 | As a dog returneth to his vomit | Comparison | Quoted in 2 Peter 2:22 |
| 26:12 | Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? | Comparison | Worse than a fool |
| 26:13 | The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way | Narrative saying | Variant of 22:13 |
| 26:14 | As the door turneth upon his hinges | Comparison | Turning over, going nowhere |
| 26:15 | The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom | Narrative saying | Variant of 19:24 |
| 26:16 | The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men | Comparison | Self-satisfied laziness |
| 26:17 | Like one that taketh a dog by the ears | Comparison | Meddling in others' quarrels |
| 26:18 | As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death | Comparison (with v. 19) | A reckless man shooting at random |
| 26:19 | So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport? | Comparison | "Only joking" as an excuse for harm |
| 26:20 | Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out | Comparison | Gossip fuels quarrels |
| 26:21 | As coals are to burning coals | Comparison | The quarrelsome man kindles strife |
| 26:22 | The words of a talebearer are as wounds | Repeat | = 18:8; see the passage page |
| 26:23 | Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross | Comparison | Glaze over cheap pottery: a Ugaritic word (spsg, glaze) suggests "like glaze" for "silver dross" |
| 26:24 | He that hateth dissembleth with his lips | Instruction (vv. 24–26) | Hidden hatred |
| 26:25 | When he speaketh fair, believe him not | Instruction | "Seven abominations in his heart" |
| 26:26 | Whose hatred is covered by deceit | Instruction | Exposed before the assembly |
| 26:27 | Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein | Synonymous | Compare Psalm 7:15; Ecclesiastes 10:8 |
| 26:28 | A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it | Synonymous | Flattery ruins |
26:4–5: contradiction or design?
The two verses are adjacent and identical except for "not" and the reason given. The rabbis noticed the tension: the Talmud (Shabbat 30b) reports that the sages considered withdrawing Proverbs because its words contradicted one another, and resolved it: one verse refers to matters of Torah, the other to worldly matters. Most readers see a deliberate pairing: sometimes answering a fool drags you to his level; sometimes silence lets his folly stand as wisdom. Knowing which is which is wisdom itself. See the passage page and the investigation Contradictory Advice, Contextual Wisdom.
Proverbs about proverbs (26:7, 9)
These two sayings warn that a proverb is a tool that needs a skilled hand. Quoted mechanically, without judgment of the situation, it limps (v. 7) or wounds (v. 9). This is the principle on which the site presents the book: identify the kind of saying and its situation before drawing a life rule from it.
26:23 and Ugaritic
"Silver dross" (kesef sigim) over a pot makes little sense; the Ugaritic word spsg, "glaze," suggested reading kesapsagim, "like glaze": fervent lips and an evil heart are like glaze over an earthenware pot. This is a well-known example of Ugaritic illuminating Hebrew (H. L. Ginsberg, W. F. Albright); widely accepted.
What the evidence shows
- Proverbs 26:4–5 are placed side by side deliberately.
- The Talmud (Shabbat 30b) reports a debate about the contradiction in 26:4–5.
- 2 Peter 2:22 quotes Proverbs 26:11.
- Ugaritic spsg explains 26:23 as 'like glaze.'
- Proverbs 26:10 has a secure meaning. One of the most obscure verses in the book.
Continue the journey
Journey of a PassageProverbs 26:4–5: Answer a fool, and do not"Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.More from this lesson
Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- "The dog is turned to his own vomit again."
- "He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it."
- The gossip saying, first time.