Proverbs 26:4

4 Don't give fools a foolish answer, or you will be just like them.

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 Curses will not harm someone who is innocent; they are like sparrows or swallows that fly around and never land.

3 Whips are for horses, and harnesses are for donkeys, so paddles are good for fools.

4 Don't give fools a foolish answer, or you will be just like them.

5 But answer fools as they should be answered, or they will think they are really wise.

6 Sending a message by a foolish person is like cutting off your feet or drinking poison.