Proverbs 26:4

4 ¹Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you 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 sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.

3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.

4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.

5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

Cross References

• 1. 26:4 [2 Sam. 16:11; 2 Kgs. 18:36; Luke 23:9]