Proverbs 26 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Proverbs 26

26:1   Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
    so honor is not fitting for a fool.
2   Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
    a curse that is causeless does not alight.
3   A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
    and a rod for the back of fools.
4   Answer not a fool according to his folly,
    lest you be like him yourself.
5   Answer a fool according to his folly,
    lest he be wise in his own eyes.
6   Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
    cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
7   Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,
    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8   Like one who binds the stone in the sling
    is one who gives honor to a fool.
9   Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard
    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10   Like an archer who wounds everyone
    is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.¹
11   Like a dog that returns to his vomit
    is a fool who repeats his folly.
12   Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?
    There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13   The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
    There is a lion in the streets!”
14   As a door turns on its hinges,
    so does a sluggard on his bed.
15   The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
16   The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
    than seven men who can answer sensibly.
17   Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own
    is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
18   Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death
19   is the man who deceives his neighbor
    and says, “I am only joking!”
20   For lack of wood the fire goes out,
    and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
21   As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
    so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
22   The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
    they go down into the inner parts of the body.
23   Like the glaze² covering an earthen vessel
    are fervent lips with an evil heart.
24   Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
    and harbors deceit in his heart;
25   when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
    for there are seven abominations in his heart;
26   though his hatred be covered with deception,
    his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27   Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
    and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.
28   A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Footnotes

[1] 26:10 Or hires a fool or passersby
[2] 26:23 By revocalization; Hebrew silver of dross

Commentary

v1: The writer uses many proverbs with natural illustrations, see 25.13, 14, 25, 26. A fool is unworthy of honour.

v2: The Lord God honours His own, preserving them from the undeserving curse.

v3: Proper discipline is essential; whilst the wise need just a word, a fool needs a rod for his back.

v4-5: How to answer a fool; either way can be difficult and dangerous; we need discernment for each situation.

‘These are not contradictory statements. Rather, they complement each other. On the one hand, verse 4 stresses how we must answer unbelief not from its own basis and authority but from the rock-like authority of God and his word. Not to so do would be foolish and being foolish isn’t going to help anyone.

At the same time, verse 5 stresses the need to contrast this rock-like authority with folly. We are to walk around in the shoes of unbelief for the sake of argument and show up its foolishness, demonstrating that in the end it’s not built on solid rock but shifting sand.’ (Dan Strange, Making faith Magnetic)

v6-10: We should not give responsibility to a fool, see also 25.19; it is potentially dangerous, like an archer firing at random. Similarly, a fool is not expected to speak wise sayings; it does not match his character.

v11: The fool is incorrigible, he continues in his folly.

v12: But worse than a fool is a man wise in his own eyes; we are not to exalt ourselves

v13-16: The sluggard;

makes excuses for his own idleness;
loves sleep, and stays in bed much too long;
ordinary things become too much for him;
he is also wise in his own eyes, and will not apply God's standards in his own life. He therefore justifies his own inaction.

v17-26: The necessity of guarded lips. The writer graphically illustrates the mistakes we must avoid.

v17: We must not get involved in the quarrels of others.

v18-19: Deceit is to be avoided.

v20: A gossip maintains a quarrel, like wood on a fire.

v21: A quarrelsome man promotes strife, again, like feeding a fire.

v22: Gossip does have a serious effect on people.

v23: The wicked heart made manifest by fervent lips; a man's speech reveals the nature of his heart.

v24-26: Some cover hatred by kind words, but the reality will become known.

v27-28: A man will suffer for his wrong doing. The illustrations of v27 are not a reason to avoid work, for they illustrate v28. See 25.23, where the consequences of wrong words are inevitable.