Like a thorn that sticks in the hand of a heavy drinker, So is a proverb in the mouths of fools.
Parallel translations
- WEB Like a thorn bush that goes into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
- KJV As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
- BSB Like a thorn that falls into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
- NKJV Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
- NLT A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.
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
A proverb in a fool's mouth is as harmful as a thornbush wielded by a drunkard. Wise words misused can wound rather than heal.
Overview
Like a drunk man waving a thorn branch, a fool handling wisdom causes injury instead of good, lacking the skill to use it rightly. The verse pairs with verse 7 to stress that truth needs a wise bearer. It cautions against the danger of profound words in unfit hands.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Prov 23:35“They hit me, and I was not hurt! They beat me, and I don’t feel it! When will I wake up? I can do it again. I can find another.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 26:9 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.