Proverbs 26:5

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

Wycliffe Modern Spelling

In The King James Version

Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

In Context

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

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.)

Read all of Proverbs 26

Cross References

Proverbs 3:7Be thou not wise with thyself; dread thou God, and go away from evil. (Do not think thyself wise; but fear God or but revere God, and go thou away from evil.)

Proverbs 26:12Thou 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.)

Isaiah 5:21Woe to you that be wise men in your eyes, and be prudent before yourselves. (Woe to you who be wise in your own eyes, and think yourselves to be prudent.)

Matthew 15:1Then the scribes and the Pharisees came to him from Jerusalem, and said,

Matthew 21:23And when he came into the temple, the princes of (the) priests, and (the) elder men of the people, (or the high priests, and the elders of the people), came to him that taught, [or came to him (while he was) teaching], and said, In what power doest thou these things? and who gave [to] thee this power?

Luke 12:13And one of the people said to him, Master, say to my brother, that he part with me the heritage, (or Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me).

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 26:5-6

4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. See here the noble security of the scripture-style, which seems to contradict itself, but really does not. Wise men have need to be directed how to deal with fools; and they have never more need of wisdom than in dealing with such, to know when to keep silence and when to speak, for there may be a time for both. 1. In some cases a wise man will not set his wit to… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Proverbs 26:5