Proverbs 26:4-5

4, 5. Answer not a fool… answer a fool The point in these two proverbs, which are the complement of each other, is found in the play upon a single letter, the כ , ( kaph,) used as a sign of comparison or similarity in Hebrew, and which we render according to. In Proverbs 26:4, “according to” means, in the manner of his folly, with folly like his, whether it be silliness, scurrility, or wickedness. In Proverbs 26:5, “according to” means, as he deserves, or as is fitting, so as to expose his folly and rebuke him. “The Pythagoreans had maxims like in form, in which a truth was expressed in precepts seemingly contradictory, as, ‘ walk,’ and ‘ walk not,’ in the broad road.” Speaker’s Commentary.