Proverbs 26

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 26:1-12

Certain proverbs concerning the fool ( kesil ), with the exception, perhaps, of Proverbs 26:2 (see on Proverbs 1:22 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 26:2

As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying. "Bird" ( tsippor ) is the sparrow, which is found throughout Palestine; "swallow" ( deror ), the free flier. The Authorized Version hardly gives the sense. The line should be rendered, as the sparrow in (in respect of) its wandering , as the swallow in its flying . The point of comparison is the vagueness and aimlessness of the birds' flight, or the uselessness of trying to catch them in their course. So the curse causeless... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 26:2

The curse causeless I. GOD WILL NOT HEAR A SINFUL PRAYER . A curse is a prayer. No ode has the power of inflicting direct harm upon his victim by sheer force of malignant words. Only the superstition of magic could suppose any such thing to be possible. A curse is just a prayer for evil to come on the head of the devoted person. But God will not heed such a petition if he disapproves of it. Prayer is not a force that compels God; it is but a petition that seeks his aid, and the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 26:2-3

What to fear Fear enters largely into human experience. It is an emotion which is sometimes stamped upon the countenance so that it is legible to all who look upon it. Under its baleful shadow some men have spent a large part of their life. We may well ask what to fear and how to be delivered from its evil There are some— I. THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN , BUT NEED NOT HAVE BEEN , FEARED . 1 . Men and women have dreaded "the evil eye" of their fellow men. They have been... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 26:3

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass. We should be inclined to invert the words, and say a bridle for the horse, and a whip for the ass; but it must be remembered that in early times the horse was not ridden, but only driven. The animals used in riding were the ass and mule, and sometimes the camel. The Eastern ass is really a fine animal, larger, more spirited, and more active than the poor creature which we are wont to see. Or the whip and bridle may be intended to apply to both... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 26:4

Answer not a fool according to his folly. 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. Lest thou also be like unto him; lest you be led to utter folly yourself or to side with him in his opinions and practices. Our blessed Saviour never responded to foolish and captious questions in the way that the questioner hoped and desired, he put them by or gave an unexpected turn to them which silenced the adversary.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 26:4-5

The wise treatment of folly These two verses need not be taken as mutually contradictory. They balance one another. I. IT IS DIFFICULT TO ANSWER FOLLY . Whichever way we take it, we are in danger of blundering. If we meet it on its own ground we may share its shame. If we treat it soberly we may only incur ridicule. Both courses are beset with difficulties. This is especially true of folly in the biblical sense of the word, according to which it is not so much stupidity as... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 26:4-5

The two ways of meeting folly They are these— I. THE CAREFUL AVOIDANCE OF REPEATING IT . ( Proverbs 26:4 .) Only too often men allow the foolish to draw them into a repetition of their folly, so that one fool makes another. Folly is contagious, and we are all in some danger of catching it. This is the case with us when: 1 . We let the word of anger provoke us to a responsive bitterness; then we are "overcome of evil" instead of "overcoming evil with good" ( Romans... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 26:4-12

Discussion of folly and its treatment I. How we ANSWER THE FOOL . ( Proverbs 26:4 , Proverbs 26:5 .) 1 . Not according to his folly; i . e . so chiming in with his nonsense that yon become as he is. Do not descend into the arena with a fool. Preserve self-respect, and observe the conduct of the Saviour when to folly he "answered not again." 2 . According to his folly; that is, with the sharp and cutting reply his folly invites and deserves. We have also... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 26:5

Answer a fool according to his folly. This maxim at first sight seems absolutely antagonistic to the purport of the preceding verse; but it is not so really. The words, "according to his folly," in this verse mean, as his folly deserves, in so plain a way as is expose it, and shame him, and bring him to a better mind. Lest he be wise in his own conceit; thinking, it may be, that he has said something worth hearing, or put you to silence by his superior intelligence. read more

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