Proverbs 26:1-9

CHAPTER 26
TEXT Proverbs 26:1-9

1.

As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest,

So honor is not seemly for a fool.

2.

As a sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying,

So the curse that is causeless alighteth not.

3.

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass,

And a rod for the back of fools.

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 his own feet, and drinketh in damage.

7.

The legs of the lame hang loose;

So is a parable in the mouth of fools.

8.

As one that bindeth a stone in a sling,

So is he that giveth honor to a fool.

9.

As a thorn that goeth up into the hand of a drunkard,

So is a parable in the mouth of fools.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 26:1-9

1.

What does seemly mean (Proverbs 26:1)?

2.

Restate the last clause of Proverbs 26:2 in your own words.

3.

What does Psalms 32:9 say that fits in with Proverbs 26:3?

4.

What does Proverbs 26:4 mean?

5.

Why would God give the instruction of Proverbs 26:5 after what He said in Proverbs 26:4?

6.

What is meant by cutteth off his own feet (Proverbs 26:6)?

7.

What can happen to a parable in the mouth of a fool (Proverbs 26:7)?

8.

What is the comparison in Proverbs 26:8?

9.

What is the comparison in Proverbs 26:9?

PARAPHRASE OF 26:1-9

1.

Honor doesn-'t go with fools any more than snow with summertime or rain with harvest time!

2.

An undeserved curse has no effect. Its intended victim will be no more harmed by it than by a sparrow or swallow flitting through the sky.

3.

Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a rebel with a rod to his back!

4, 5.

When arguing with a rebel, don-'t use foolish arguments as he does, or you will become as foolish as he is! Prick his conceit with silly replies!

6.

To trust a rebel to convey a message is as foolish as cutting off your feet and drinking poison!

7.

In the mouth of a fool a proverb becomes as useless as a paralyzed leg.

8.

Honoring a rebel will backfire like a stone tied to a slingshot!

9.

A rebel will misapply an illustration so that its point will no more be felt than a thorn in the hand of a drunkard.

COMMENTS ON 26:1-9

Proverbs 26:1. A fool receives no honor nor does he have a sense of honor. The two go together as poorly as snow and summer and as rain and harvest. How many times a fool shows that he is a fool with poor rearing or a poor set of values by not joining in with giving honor to those to whom honor is due. Such a one is a poor one to marry, for neither will he bestow honor on his wife as 1 Peter 3:7 and Proverbs 31:28-29 teach.

Proverbs 26:2. The ancients feared a curse pronounced by another. The point of the verse is, Do right, and you have nothing to fear from people's curses. At times it seems that some birds are aimlessly flying, just for the sake of flying, actually going nowhere. Even so a false curse will aimlessly go nowhere. In keeping with this verse are two eastern proverbs: The jackal howls: will my old buffalo die? The dog barksstill the caravan passes: will the barking of the dog reach the skies?

Proverbs 26:3. Those who have worked around animals often use a whip because animals don-'t always do what they want them to do by other means. So, a whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the back of fools. We are told in Psalms 32:9, Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding; Whose trappings must be bit and bridle to hold them in. Proverbs 10:13 says, A rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

Proverbs 26:4. Pulpit Commentary: Do not lower yourself to the fool's level by answering his silly questions or arguing with him as if he were a sensible man...Instances may be seen in Matthew 21:23-25; Matthew 22:17-21; John 21:21-22.

Proverbs 26:5. Since the writer of Proverbs 26:4-5 was inspired, and since their seemingly conflicting instructions are in successive verses, there is no possible charge of contradiction as disbelievers might urge if they were found in different Chapter s or in different books of the Bible. Being carried together they demand that we ascertain the why behind the two instructions. First of all, this verse shows that sometimes you answer a fool according to his folly, and Proverbs 26:4 shows that sometimes you don-'t, In each instance you will have to be the judge when it is appropriate and wise to do so and when it isn-'t. Warburton says: The reasons given why a fool should not be answered according to his folly is -lest he (the answerer) should be like unto him-'. The reason given why the fool should be answered according to his folly is -lest he (the fool) should be wise in his own conceit-'. As an example of this verse a certain preacher was asked a silly or useless or unanswerable question (like what were the names of Jesus-' sisters), and he told the man he would find the answer in the second chapter of Jude!

Proverbs 26:6. Proverbs 25:13 speaks of the faithful messenger: As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, So is a faithful messenger to them that send him; For he refresheth the soul of his masters. But this verse speaks of sending a message by a fool. Chances are something will be bersirk: maybe he will never arrive with it; maybe he will get it all mixed up; etc. He will bring damage to the one sending him. By so doing he will maim (cut off the feet of) his business, prosperity, or self in some way. Proverbs 25:19 warns about putting confidence in an unfaithful man.

Proverbs 26:7. A lame man's legs are not sound and may be at least in part invalid, and so is a parable or a wise saying in the mouth of a fool. He will misapply the parable or the point of the saying. He will render the parable invalid.

Proverbs 26:8. Most stones shot from a sling are more or less shot at random, actually wasted, reaching no vital destination (like killing a dangerous animal). Clarke: It is entirely thrown away. Is not the same true of bestowing honor upon a fool? It is wasted upon one who does not appreciate it, does not know what to do with it, and will not be the better for it. To elevate a servant to a place of rulership is to bring trouble upon the world (Proverbs 30:21-22).

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 26:1-8

1.

What does a fool lack, according to Proverbs 26:1?

2.

How can a false curse and a flying bird be alike (Proverbs 26:2)?

3.

What about a horse or ass necessitates a whip at times (Proverbs 26:3)?

4.

Why should one not answer a fool according to his folly (Proverbs 26:4)?

5.

Why should one at other times answer a fool according to his folly (Proverbs 26:5)?

6.

What could happen by sending a message by a fool (Proverbs 26:6)?

7.

What about a parable in the mouths of fools (Proverbs 26:7)?

8.

Why should we not give honor to a fool (Proverbs 26:8)?