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Proverbs 26

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.

Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.

Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.

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

Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool.

Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!”

As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.

The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.

Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death

is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking!”

For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are fervent lips with an evil heart.

Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart;

when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart;

though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.

A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Scripture quotations marked “ESV” are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Proverbs 26

Chapter 26 focuses extensively on the fool and the scoffer, offering vivid and often humorous portraits of various forms of foolishness and their consequences, along with counsel on how to respond to fools and how to avoid their fate. The chapter opens with the observation that honor is not fitting for a fool just as snow in summer or rain in harvest is unsuitable, establishing the grotesque inappropriateness of foolish persons exercising authority or receiving respect they do not deserve. The chapter devotes sustained attention to the tongue and speech: the fool's lips bring strife and his mouth calls for blows; whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from trouble; smooth lips and a deceitful heart make for a scoffer. Memorable images include the fool being like a dog returning to its vomit as a fool returning to his folly; the sluggard turning on his bed as a door on hinges (going round and round without moving forward); and the feet of those quick to run to evil showing an inability to stop. The chapter also addresses how to respond to fools: answering according to his folly lest he think himself wise, or not answering lest the fool be wise in his own conceit, suggesting that there is no simple formula for dealing with fools. Chapter 26 is distinctive in its focus on a single character type, providing extended character analysis that goes beyond brief couplets to present the fool as a recognizable social problem requiring strategic response.

Proverbs 26:12

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him—a statement that self-satisfied pride is more destructive than simple foolishness, establishing that refusal to recognize one's limitation is the worst form of folly. The theological significance involves the principle that self-awareness is prerequisite for growth.

Proverbs 26:13

The sluggard says, 'There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!'—the beginning of a portrait of the lazy person's excuse-making, echoing 22:13 and emphasizing habitual pattern. The excuse is absurd yet the sluggard clings to it. The theological significance involves the principle of rationalization.

Proverbs 26:14

As a door swings on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed—a description of the lazy person's cyclical, unproductive movement, establishing that the sluggard's only activity is pointless. The image of the hinge describes futile back-and-forth motion. The theological significance involves the principle of wasted life.

Proverbs 26:15

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth—a repetition of 19:24, emphasizing the sluggard's profound apathy. The image recurs because this truth about laziness is fundamental. The theological significance involves the principle of the self-destructiveness of sloth.

Proverbs 26:16

The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly—a statement that the lazy person's self-assessment is absurdly inflated, establishing that the sluggard combines laziness with arrogance. The contrast between the sluggard's opinion and actual wise people's judgment is stark. The theological significance involves the principle of the fool's blindness to his condition.

Proverbs 26:17

Like one who seizes a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own—a warning against interventionism in others' disputes, establishing that uninvited involvement is dangerous. The image of seizing a dog's ears (dangerous and pointless) describes the hazard. The theological significance involves the principle of respecting boundaries.

Proverbs 26:18

Like a madman shooting flaming arrows of death is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, 'I was only joking!'—a condemnation of the deceiver who claims his harmful words were jest, establishing that such claim does not mitigate harm. The escalation from joking to arrows of death suggests the seriousness of deception. The theological significance involves the principle that harmful speech cannot be erased by claiming playfulness.

Proverbs 26:19

Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies—a statement that gossip is the fuel of conflict, establishing that eliminating gossip eliminates strife. The metaphor of fire needing wood parallels quarrel needing gossip. The theological significance involves the principle that controlling speech controls community peace.

Proverbs 26:20

As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person to kindle strife—a reinforcement of 26:20, emphasizing that contentious people perpetuate conflict. The image of adding fuel to fire describes how the quarrelsome person escalates. The theological significance involves the principle that the contentious are destructive to community.

Proverbs 26:21

The lips of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts—an echo of 18:8, describing how gossip seduces and lodges in the hearer. The recurrence emphasizes that this truth about gossip is fundamental. The theological significance involves the principle of the insidious nature of slander.

Proverbs 26:22

A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin—a statement that both lying and flattery are forms of enmity, establishing that deceptive speech harms those who receive it. The contrast between hatred and ruin describes the destruction. The theological significance involves the principle that deception is fundamentally hostile.

Proverbs 26:23

With their words the godless seduce the innocent, but fervent lips belong to the righteous—a final statement of the chapter about speech, establishing that the wicked use speech to deceive while the righteous speak with earnestness. The theological significance involves the principle of integrity in speech as expression of righteousness.

Proverbs 26:24

An enemy disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart—a statement that the enemy may conceal enmity through false speech, establishing that external presentation may mask internal hostility. The theological significance involves the principle of the necessity of discernment.

Proverbs 26:25

Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart—a warning that attractiveness of speech does not guarantee trustworthiness, establishing that one must look beyond words to character. The number seven suggests comprehensiveness. The theological significance involves the principle of skepticism toward surface charm.

Proverbs 26:26

His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly—an assurance that hidden malice will eventually be revealed, establishing that wickedness cannot be perpetually hidden. The two-part revelation (hidden then exposed) establishes a temporal progression. The theological significance involves the principle that truth eventually emerges.

Proverbs 26:27

Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them—a statement of the principle of retaliation according to action, establishing that wickedness tends toward self-destruction. The images (pit, stone) describe self-made traps. The theological significance involves the principle of moral causation.

Proverbs 26:28

A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin—a final statement (appearing identical to 26:22, emphasizing the point through repetition) about the destructiveness of deception. The theological significance involves the principle of the ultimate failure of falsehood.

Proverbs 26:1

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor to the fool is unseemly—a statement that honoring the fool is contrary to nature and order, establishing that such honor is fundamentally wrong. The natural incongruities (snow in summer, rain in harvest) parallel the social incongruity. The theological significance involves the principle of proper order and fitting distinctions.

Proverbs 26:2

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest—an affirmation that curses without just cause fail to land, establishing that unjustified cursing has no power. The image of the curse as a bird unable to settle emphasizes its ineffectiveness. The theological significance involves the principle that God protects the innocent from unjust curses.

Proverbs 26:3

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools—a statement that fools require forceful correction, establishing that words are insufficient for those who reject counsel. The progression suggests escalating measures for creatures that do not respond to lesser discipline. The theological significance involves the principle that some require harsh measures.

Proverbs 26:4

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him—a warning against engaging the fool on his terms, establishing that responding to foolishness with foolishness corrupts the wise person. The danger is assimilation to the fool's level. The theological significance involves the principle of maintaining distance from folly.

Proverbs 26:5

Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes—a seeming contradiction that establishes that the fool must sometimes be engaged with his own logic to expose its falsity, establishing that sometimes silence permits the fool to remain self-satisfied. The theological significance involves the principle that context determines whether engagement or silence is appropriate.

Proverbs 26:6

Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet—a statement that employing a fool as messenger guarantees failure, establishing that delegation to the incompetent is self-harm. The image of cutting off one's own feet describes the damage to oneself. The theological significance involves the principle of wise delegation.

Proverbs 26:7

Like the legs of the lame that hang limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool—a statement that wisdom-speech is pointless coming from the foolish, establishing that the fool cannot give wise counsel. The image of useless legs describes the uselessness of such speech. The theological significance involves the principle that credibility matters for counsel.

Proverbs 26:8

Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool—a statement that honoring the fool is self-defeating, establishing that such honor backfires on the giver. The image of a sling weighted with a stone (useless) describes the futility. The theological significance involves the principle of proper distribution of honor.

Proverbs 26:9

Like a thornbush in a drunkard's hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool—a statement that wisdom-speech from the fool harms (both the fool and the hearer), establishing that the fool grasps and wields wisdom dangerously. The thorns harm the one holding them. The theological significance involves the principle of danger in foolish manipulation of truth.

Proverbs 26:10

Like an archer who wounds at random is he who hires a fool or any passer-by—a statement that hiring the foolish or untested is like giving weapons to the unstable, establishing that employment decisions have consequences. The image of random wounding describes the unpredictability. The theological significance involves the principle of careful selection of colleagues.

Proverbs 26:11

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly—a crude but effective metaphor for the fool's inability to learn from mistakes, establishing that the fool's problem is not lack of opportunity to reform but resistance to change. The image is deliberately repugnant. The theological significance involves the principle of the fool's incorrigibility.