Proverbs 26:4
Answer thou not to a fool after his folly, lest thou be made like him.
Wycliffe Modern Spelling
In The King James Version
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
In Context
3Beating be to an horse, and a bridle to an ass; and a rod to the back of unprudent men.
Cross References
Judges 12:1And, lo! dissension (a)rose in Ephraim; for they, that passed toward the north (or who crossed over to Zaphon), said to Jephthah, Why wentest thou to battle against the sons of Ammon, and wouldest not call us, (so) that we should go with thee. Therefore we shall burn (down) thine house.
1 Kings 12:14and he spake to them by the counsel of [the] young men, and said, My father made grievous your yoke, forsooth I shall add to your yoke; my father beat you with scourges, but I shall beat you with scorpions.
2 Kings 14:8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, and said, Come thou, and see we us in battle /Come thou, and see we us, (or Come thou, let us have a meeting).
Proverbs 26:5Answer thou (to) a fool after his folly, lest he seem to himself to be wise (or lest he thinketh himself to be wise).
1 Peter 2:21For to this thing ye be called. For also Christ suffered for us, and left (an) ensample to you, that ye follow the steps of him. (For to this ye be called. For the Messiah also suffered for us, and left an example for you, so that ye follow his steps.)
Jude 1:9When Michael, [the] archangel, disputed with the devil, and strove of Moses’ body, he was not hardy to bring in doom of blasphemy, but said, The Lord command to thee. (When the archangel Michael disputed with the Devil, and argued over Moses’ body, he was not so bold as to bring in the judgement of blasphemy, but instead said, The Lord shall command to thee!)
Matthew Henry on Proverbs 26:4
3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back. Here, 1. Wicked men are compared to the horse and the ass, so brutish are they, so unreasonable, so unruly, and not to be governed but by force or fear, so low has sin sunk men, so much below themselves. Man indeed is born like the wild ass's colt, but as some by the grace of God are changed, and become rational, so others by custom in sin are hardened, and become more and more sottish, as the horse and the mule, Ps. xxxii. 9 . 2.… Read the whole commentary →