Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes.
Parallel translations
- WEB Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
- KJV Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
- NKJV Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
- NASB Answer a fool as his foolishness deserves, So that he will not be wise in his own eyes.
- NLT Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Sometimes you must answer a fool, lest he think himself wise. Folly occasionally needs to be confronted directly.
Overview
Placed right after verse 4, this proverb's seeming contradiction is intentional, teaching that wisdom must discern when to answer and when not to. Here a fool must be corrected so he is not confirmed in self-conceit. The pair shows that applying truth requires judgment about the situation, not a rigid formula.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Rom 12:16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but enjoy the company of the lowly. Do not be conceited.
- Matt 16:1–4Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.
- Prov 3:7Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
- Titus 1:13This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sternly, so that they will be sound in the faith
- Prov 28:11A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man with discernment sees through him.
- John 9:26–33“What did He do to you?” they asked. “How did He open your eyes?”
- Prov 26:12Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- John 8:7When they continued to question Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.”
- Luke 12:13–21Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
- Prov 26:4Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him.
- Rom 11:25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
- Matt 21:23–27When Jesus returned to the temple courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?”
- Luke 13:23–30“Lord,” someone asked Him, “will only a few people be saved?” Jesus answered,
- Jer 36:17–18“Tell us now,” they asked Baruch, “how did you write all these words? Was it at Jeremiah’s dictation?”
- 1 Kgs 22:24–28Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me to speak with you?”
- Isa 5:21Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
- Matt 15:1–3Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,
- Matt 22:15–32Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 26:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.