Proverbs 26:4

4 Never answer a fool according to his folly lest thou also be like unto him.

Proverbs 26:4 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 26:4

Answer not a fool according to his folly
Sometimes a fool, or wicked man, is not to be answered at all; as the ministers of Hezekiah answered not a word to Rabshakeh; nor Jeremiah the prophet to Hananiah; nor Christ to the Scribes and Pharisees; and when an answer is returned, it should not be in his foolish way and manner, rendering evil for evil, and railing for railing, in the same virulent, lying, calumniating, and reproachful language; lest thou also be like unto him;
lest thou also, who art a man of understanding and sense, and hast passed for one among men, come under the same imputation, and be reckoned a fool like him.

Proverbs 26:4 In-Context

2 As the sparrow in its wandering, as the swallow in its flight, so the curse causeless shall never come.

3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.

4 Never answer a fool according to his folly lest thou also be like unto him.

5 Answer the fool showing him his folly lest he be wise in his own conceit.

6 He that gives responsibility to one who is not able to carry it out is like him that sends a message by the hand of a fool, and he shall drink the damage.