English · KJV

Proverbs 26

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

Proverbs on the Fool and Folly 1–12

1
As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool. ​
2
As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. ​
3
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.
4
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. ​
5
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. ​
6
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage. ​
7
The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools. ​
8
As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.
9
As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
10
The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors. ​
11
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. ​
12
Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him. ​

The Folly of the Sluggard 13–16

13
The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets. ​
14
As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. ​
15
The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth. ​
16
The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. ​

Avoiding Strife and Gossip 17–22

17
He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. ​
18
As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, ​
19
So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport? ​
20
Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. ​
21
As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.
22
The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. ​

The Danger of Deceit and Malice 23–28

23
Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross. ​
24
He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;
25
When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. ​
26
Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.
27
Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him. ​
28
A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Proverbs 26

Verse 1

honour is not seemly for a fool — 'Seemly' is naveh, fitting, found three times in Proverbs and each time of what does not suit a fool (17:7; 19:10; here). Rain at harvest is what Samuel called down in wheat harvest to show Israel how great their wickedness was (1 Sam 12:17–18).

Verse 2

the curse causeless — 'Causeless' is chinnam, 'for nothing'. A bird that wanders and a swallow that flies about settle nowhere, and a curse with no ground finds nowhere to land. Balaam could not curse 'whom God hath not cursed' (Num 23:8), and the LORD 'turned the curse into a blessing' (Deut 23:5).

Verse 4

Answer not a fool according to his folly — 'Answer' (anah) and 'folly' (ivveleth) are the same two words that open v.5, so the pair are matched word for word. 'Be like unto him' is shavah, to level or make equal: to answer in his manner is to stand on his ground.

Verse 5

lest he be wise in his own conceit — Literally 'in his own eyes' (ayin), as in 'Be not wise in thine own eyes' (3:7). The command reverses v.4 and gives its own reason. Set side by side, the two proverbs leave the reader to judge which the occasion calls for.

Verse 6

cutteth off the feet — The messenger is the sender's feet, so sending a message by a fool's hand loses them. 'Damage' is chamas, usually violence or wrong, and the sender 'drinketh' it. The faithful messenger is the opposite: he 'refresheth the soul of his masters' (25:13).

Verse 7

The legs of the lame are not equal — 'Not equal' is dalal, to hang loose or slack, so the lame man's legs do not carry him evenly. A mashal, a proverb or parable, in a fool's mouth has no better support. Verse 9 repeats the second line with a thorn in a drunkard's hand.

Verse 10

rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors — 'Rewardeth' is sakar, the ordinary verb 'to hire' (Deut 23:4, 'they hired against thee Balaam'). 'Transgressors' is literally those who pass by (abar, as in v.17). The Hebrew is compressed; the KJV reads God as repaying each one, as in Rom 2:6.

Verse 11

as a dog returneth to his vomit — Peter calls it 'the true proverb' of those who have known the way of righteousness and turn from it (2 Pet 2:21–22). The dog 'returneth' with shub, to turn back; the fool's verb is shanah, to repeat or do again, so folly is something done a second time.

Verse 12

wise in his own conceit — Literally 'in his own eyes' (ayin), as in 3:7. 'Hope' is tiqvah, and the same verdict falls on the man hasty in his words: 'there is more hope of a fool than of him' (29:20). Paul takes up the warning: 'Be not wise in your own conceits' (Rom 12:16).

Verse 13

There is a lion in the way — The sluggard (atsel, a word found in fourteen verses, all in Proverbs) names a lion twice, with two different words, shachal and ari. The excuse is nearly the same as in 22:13, 'There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.'

Verse 14

As the door turneth upon his hinges — A door swings on its hinge (tsir) and stays where it is, and the slothful turns on his bed (mittah) in the same way. The sleeper's own words are in 6:10 and 24:33, 'a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep'.

Verse 15

hideth his hand in his bosom — The first line is the same as 19:24. 'Bosom' is tsallachath, a deep dish, found only here, in 19:24 and in 2 Kings 21:13, where it is the dish that is wiped. 'It grieveth him' is la'ah, to be weary: even lifting the hand back to his mouth tires him.

Verse 16

wiser in his own conceit — This is the third time the chapter uses the phrase, 'in his own eyes' (vv.5, 12, 16), so the idle man is placed beside the fool and the self-wise. He thinks himself above seven men who can 'render a reason', ta'am, literally a taste, then a judgment.

Verse 17

meddleth with strife belonging not to him — One verb, abar, to pass over, gives both 'passeth by' and 'meddleth': the man crosses into a quarrel that is not his. 'Strife' is riv, a contest. Christ declined such a part: 'Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?' (Luke 12:14).

Verse 18

a mad man who casteth firebrands — Lahah, 'mad man', occurs only here and in Gen 47:13, where the land 'fainted'. 'Firebrands' is ziqah, rendered 'sparks' in Isa 50:11. The sentence is unfinished until v.19, which says who the man is like: the one who deceives his neighbour.

Verse 19

Am not I in sport? — Completes the comparison of v.18. 'Deceiveth' is ramah, to hurl (Ex 15:1, 'thrown into the sea'), so his deceit is thrown like the firebrands and arrows. Then he says sachaq, 'in sport', as though the harm were a jest.

Verse 20

where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth — Nirgan, 'talebearer', occurs only four times, all in Proverbs (16:28; 18:8; 26:20, 22). Fire with no wood goes out, and strife with no talebearer 'ceaseth' (shathaq, to subside). James says of the tongue, 'the tongue is a fire' (Jas 3:6).

Verse 22

the innermost parts of the belly — This verse is word for word 18:8. The 'inward parts' (cheder, chambers) of the belly are the same ones that 'the candle of the LORD' searches in 20:27. What the talebearer says goes down to the same depth.

Verse 23

a potsherd covered with silver dross — Cheres is broken earthenware and sig is dross, the refuse taken from silver (25:4; Isa 1:22). 'Burning lips' (dalaq, to flame) over 'a wicked heart' are the glaze on a broken pot. Christ names the same outside and inside: 'within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity' (Matt 23:28).

Verse 25

seven abominations in his heart — 'Speaketh fair' is literally makes his voice gracious (chanan). 'Abominations' is to'ebah, the word of 6:16, where seven things are named that the LORD hates, among them 'an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations' (6:18). Ps 28:3 describes the same speech: 'speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts'.

Verse 27

diggeth a pit shall fall therein — The pit (shachath) is a trap, and the stone rolled up returns (shub, to turn back) upon the one who rolled it. David says it of his enemies: 'He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made' (Ps 7:15; also 9:15; Eccl 10:8).

Verse 28

hateth those that are afflicted by it — 'Afflicted' is dak, crushed: the liar hates those he has crushed. 'Flattering' is chalaq, smooth, and 'ruin' is midcheh, an overthrow, a word found only here. Christ calls the devil 'a liar, and the father of it' (John 8:44).