Proverbs 26:6

6 (As) An halting man in feet, and drinking wickedness, that is, drink harmful to himself, (is) he that sendeth words by a fond messenger. (Like a person who is lame, and like someone who drinketh a drink that is harmful to himself, is he who sendeth words by a foolish messenger.)

Proverbs 26:6 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 26:6

He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool
Who knows not how to deliver it in a proper manner, and is incapable of taking the answer, and reporting it as he should; or unfaithful in it, and brings a bad or false report, as the spies did upon the good land; cutteth off the feet;
he may as well cut off his feet before he sends him, or send a man without feet, as such an one; for prudence, diligence, and faithfulness in doing a message, and bringing back the answer, are as necessary to a messenger as his feet are; [and] drinketh damage;
to himself; his message not being rightly performed, and business not done well; which is a loss to the sender, as well as to his credit and reputation with the person to whom he sends him; he hereby concluding that he must be a man of no great judgment and sense to send such a fool on his errand. Such are the unskilful ambassadors of princes; and such are unfaithful ministers, the messengers of the churches; see ( Proverbs 10:26 ) . The words in the original are three sentences, without a copulative, and stand in this order, "[he] that cutteth off feet; [he] that drinketh damage; [he] that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool"; that is, they are alike.

Proverbs 26:6 In-Context

4 Answer thou not to a fool after his folly, lest thou be made like him.

5 Answer thou (to) a fool after his folly, lest he seem to himself to be wise (lest he thinketh himself to be wise).

6 (As) An halting man in feet, and drinking wickedness, that is, drink harmful to himself, (is) he that sendeth words by a fond messenger. (Like a person who is lame, and like someone who drinketh a drink that is harmful to himself, is he who sendeth words by a foolish messenger.)

7 As an halting man hath fair legs in vain; so a parable is unseemly in the mouth of fools.

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.)