Proverbs 26:4

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.

Proverbs 26:4 in Other Translations

KJV
4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
ESV
4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.
NLT
4 Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.
MSG
4 Don't respond to the stupidity of a fool; you'll only look foolish yourself.
CSB
4 Don't answer a fool according to his foolishness, or you'll be like him yourself.

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 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
6 Sending a message by the hands of a fool is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.

Related Articles

Cross References 1

  • 1. ver 5; Isaiah 36:21
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