Proverbs 26:10

10 Doom determineth causes; and he that setteth silence to a fool, assuageth ires. (Judgement decideth a person's case; and he who telleth a fool to be silent, lesseneth anger.)

Proverbs 26:10 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 26:10

The great [God], that formed all [things]
That made the heavens, earth, and sea, and all that are in them; who is great in the perfections of his nature, and in the works of his hands, and greatly to be praised; both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors;
according to their works; every transgression of the law receiving its just recompence of reward, whether a man transgresses it ignorantly or wilfully; as his transgressions are, whether through error or presumption, so shall his punishment be; though some understand this, as Kimchi, of the Lord's doing good in a providential way, to the wise and unwise, the righteous and the wicked: the words are by some rendered to another sense, "a great one grieveth all, and he hireth the fool, and he hireth the transgressors" ^F25; that is, a great man, a tyrannical prince, grieves all his good subjects; or, as Hottinger ^F26, from the use of the word in the Arabic tongue, changes all things, inverts their order, or administers all at his will, that is, wrongly; when he hires fools and wicked men to do those bad things for him which others would not, to the great detriment of the commonwealth; and rewards them for it, putting them into posts of honour and trust, to the great grief and trouble of all his best subjects.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 So Mercerus, Piscator.
F26 Smegm. Oriental. l. 1. c. 2. p. 171.

Proverbs 26:10 In-Context

8 As he that sendeth a stone into the broad place of the sling; so he that giveth honour to an unwise man. (Like he who sendeth a stone into the broad place of a sling, is he who giveth honour to an unwise person.)

9 As if a thorn groweth in the hand of a drunken man; so is a parable in the mouth of fools. (Like a thorn that groweth in the hand of a drunk, is a parable in the mouth of a fool.)

10 Doom determineth causes; and he that setteth silence to a fool, assuageth ires. (Judgement decideth a person's case; and he who telleth a fool to be silent, lesseneth anger.)

11 As a dog that turneth again to his spewing [As an hound that turneth again to his vomit]; so is an unprudent man, that rehearseth his folly. (Like a dog that returneth to his vomit, is an imprudent person, who repeateth his own foolishness.)

12 Thou hast seen a man seem wise to himself; an unknowing man shall have hope more than he. (Thou hast seen a person who taketh himself to be wise; but a person without knowledge, yea, a fool, shall have more hope than him.)