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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Proverbs 26

Proverbs 26: the fool, the sluggard, the talebearer, and the man who hides hatred

General context

The first twelve verses concern the fool. Honour is not seemly for him, as snow in summer or rain in harvest; a rod is for the fool's back as a whip for the horse and a bridle for the ass. Two sayings stand side by side: answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him; answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. a parable in the mouth of fools is like the unequal legs of the lame and like a thorn in a drunkard's hand; giving honour to a fool is like binding a stone in a sling. As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly, and there is more hope of a fool than of a man wise in his own conceit. Then the slothful man: he says there is a lion in the way; he turns on his bed as a door on its hinges; he is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. Then strife: meddling with strife not one's own is like taking a dog by the ears; the man who deceives his neighbour and says, Am not I in sport? is like a madman casting firebrands; where there is no wood the fire goes out, and where there is no talebearer strife ceases; the talebearer's words are wounds. Then hidden hatred: burning lips and a wicked heart are a potsherd covered with silver dross; he that hates dissembles with his lips, and when he speaks fair he is not to be believed, for there are seven abominations in his heart. Whoever digs a pit falls in it, and the rolled stone returns on him.

Cited passages: Proverbs 26:1, Proverbs 26:2, Proverbs 26:3, Proverbs 26:4, Proverbs 26:5, Proverbs 26:6, Proverbs 26:7, Proverbs 26:8, Proverbs 26:9, Proverbs 26:10, Proverbs 26:11, Proverbs 26:12, Proverbs 26:13, Proverbs 26:14, Proverbs 26:15, Proverbs 26:16, Proverbs 26:17, Proverbs 26:18, Proverbs 26:19, Proverbs 26:20, Proverbs 26:21, Proverbs 26:22, Proverbs 26:23, Proverbs 26:24, Proverbs 26:25, Proverbs 26:26, Proverbs 26:27, Proverbs 26:28

Proverbs 26 (KJV)

1As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool.

2As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.

3A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.

4Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

5Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

6He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.

7The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

8As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.

9As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

10The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.

11As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

12Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

13The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.

14As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.

15The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.

16The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.

17He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

18As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death,

19So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?

20Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

21As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.

22The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

23Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.

24He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;

25When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.

26Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.

27Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

28A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

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Historical context

There is no new heading; the chapter belongs to the proverbs that 25:1 says the men of Hezekiah copied out. The Lord is not named; the only reference to God is verse 10, "The great God that formed all things", whose rewarding of the fool and of transgressors the text states without explaining. Verses 4 and 5 give opposite commands about answering a fool, each with its own reason, and the chapter leaves both standing. Several verses repeat earlier sayings: the slothful man's lion (verse 13) matches 22:13 in substance, his hand in his bosom (verse 15) matches 19:24, and verse 22 repeats 18:8 word for word. "Seven men" in verse 16 and "seven abominations" in verse 25 are numbers the text uses without listing them. "The whole congregation" of verse 26 is unnamed. Verses 7 and 9 both speak of "a parable in the mouth of fools", so the collection comments on its own form, a parable, and on who should not carry one. The deceiver's excuse in verse 19, "Am not I in sport?", is quoted speech given to a type. No person or place is named anywhere in the chapter.

Cited passages: Proverbs 25:1, Proverbs 26:10, Proverbs 26:4, Proverbs 26:5, Proverbs 26:13, Proverbs 22:13, Proverbs 26:15, Proverbs 19:24, Proverbs 26:22, Proverbs 18:8, Proverbs 26:16, Proverbs 26:25, Proverbs 26:7, Proverbs 26:9, Proverbs 26:19

Literary context

The chapter is arranged by figure: the fool (verses 1 to 12), the slothful man (13 to 16), the meddler and talebearer (17 to 22), and the man who hides hatred (23 to 28). The first block is built largely on "As ... so" comparisons, which draw on animals and objects: snow, rain, bird, swallow, horse, ass, a stone in a sling, a thorn, a dog and his vomit. The pair of verses 4 and 5 uses the same opening words with "not" removed, and the two reasons answer each other, being like the fool or leaving him wise in his own conceit. "Wise in his own conceit" then links the blocks, said of the man in verse 12 and of the sluggard in verse 16. The strife block builds a fire: firebrands in verse 18, wood and fire in verses 20 and 21, and the talebearer as the fuel whose absence lets the fire go out. The last block moves inward, from lips to heart to hatred laid up within, and ends with two sayings of return, the pit that takes its digger and the stone that rolls back, before a final line on lying and flattering mouths. The silver dross of verse 23 recalls 25:4, where dross was taken away; here it only covers a potsherd.

Cited passages: Proverbs 26:1, Proverbs 26:2, Proverbs 26:8, Proverbs 26:11, Proverbs 26:4, Proverbs 26:5, Proverbs 26:12, Proverbs 26:16, Proverbs 26:18, Proverbs 26:20, Proverbs 26:21, Proverbs 26:24, Proverbs 26:27, Proverbs 26:28, Proverbs 26:23, Proverbs 25:4

Key moments

  1. Snow in summer (Proverbs 26:1). Honour for a fool is compared to snow in summer and rain in harvest.
  2. Answer not a fool (Proverbs 26:4). The reader is told not to answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be like him.
  3. Answer a fool (Proverbs 26:5). The next verse says to answer a fool according to his folly, lest he think himself wise.
  4. A dog to his vomit (Proverbs 26:11). A fool returning to folly is compared to a dog returning to its vomit.
  5. A door on its hinges (Proverbs 26:14). The slothful turns on his bed as a door turns on its hinges.
  6. No wood, no fire (Proverbs 26:20). Without wood a fire goes out, and without a talebearer strife ceases.
  7. Digging a pit (Proverbs 26:27). Whoever digs a pit falls in it, and a rolled stone returns on the roller.

For reflection

Verse 4 says not to answer a fool according to his folly, and verse 5 says to answer him so, each with a different reason. What is a reader to do with two commands the chapter places side by side and declines to choose between?