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Sunday, July 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Myles Coverdale Bible

Proverbs 26:5

but make ye foole an answere to his foolishnesse, lest he be wyse in his owne coceate.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Conceit;   Fool;   Pride;   Prudence;   Reproof;   Speaking;   Thompson Chain Reference - Conceit;   Humility-Pride;   The Topic Concordance - Speech/communication;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Wisdom literature;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Religion;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Greek Versions of Ot;   Proverbs, Book of;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Fool;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Canon of the Old Testament;   Conceit;   Discrepancies, Biblical;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Answer a fool according to his foolishnessor he’ll become wise in his own eyes.
Hebrew Names Version
Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
King James Version
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
English Standard Version
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
New American Standard Bible
Answer a fool as his foolishness deserves, So that he will not be wise in his own eyes.
New Century Version
Answer fools when they speak foolishly, or they will think they are really wise.
Amplified Bible
Answer [and correct the erroneous concepts of] a fool according to his folly, Otherwise he will be wise in his own eyes [if he thinks you agree with him].
World English Bible
Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Answere a foole according to his foolishnes, least he be wise in his owne conceite.
Legacy Standard Bible
Answer a fool according to his folly,Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
Berean Standard Bible
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes.
Contemporary English Version
But if you answer any fools, show how foolish they are, so they won't feel smart.
Complete Jewish Bible
but answer a fool as his folly deserves, so that he won't think he is wise.
Darby Translation
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
George Lamsa Translation
But answer a fool according to your wisdom, lest he think in himself that he is wise.
Good News Translation
Give a silly answer to a silly question, and the one who asked it will realize that he's not as smart as he thinks.
Lexham English Bible
Answer a fool according to his folly, or else he will be wise in his own eyes.
Literal Translation
Answer a fool according to his foolishness, that he not be wise in his own eyes.
American Standard Version
Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own conceit.
Bible in Basic English
Give a foolish man a foolish answer, or he will seem wise to himself.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
King James Version (1611)
Answere a foole according to his folly, lest hee be wise in his owne conceit.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But make the foole an aunswere to his foolishnesse, lest he be wyse in his owne conceipt.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
lest they drink, and forget wisdom, and be not able to judge the poor rightly.
English Revised Version
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Answere thou a fool bi his fooli, lest he seme to him silf to be wijs.
Update Bible Version
Answer a fool according to his folly, Or else he will be wise in his own eyes.
Webster's Bible Translation
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
New English Translation
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own estimation.
New King James Version
Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
New Living Translation
Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.
New Life Bible
Answer a fool in the way he has earned by his foolish acts, so he will not be wise in his own eyes.
New Revised Standard
Answer fools according to their folly, or they will be wise in their own eyes.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Answer a dullard according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he imagine himself to be wise.
Revised Standard Version
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
Young's Literal Translation
Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
THE MESSAGE
Answer a fool in simple terms so he doesn't get a swelled head.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Answer a fool as his folly deserves, That he not be wise in his own eyes.

Contextual Overview

4 Geue not the foole an answere after his foolishnesse, lest thou become like vnto him: 5 but make ye foole an answere to his foolishnesse, lest he be wyse in his owne coceate.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a fool: 1 Kings 22:24-28, Jeremiah 36:17, Jeremiah 36:18, Matthew 15:1-3, Matthew 16:1-4, Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew 22:15-32, Luke 12:13-21, Luke 13:23-30, John 8:7, John 9:26-33, Titus 1:13

lest: Proverbs 26:12, Proverbs 28:11, Romans 11:25

conceit: Heb. eyes, Isaiah 5:21, Romans 12:16

Reciprocal: Proverbs 23:9 - Speak Matthew 21:24 - I also Matthew 22:22 - they marvelled Mark 11:33 - Neither Luke 20:8 - General Luke 20:26 - they could Luke 20:40 - General John 8:49 - I have not Colossians 4:6 - how

Cross-References

Genesis 12:4
Then wente Abram out, as the LORDE commaunded him, and Lot wente with him. Fyue & seuentie yeare olde was Abra, whan he wente out of Haran.
Genesis 17:23
Than toke Abraham his sonne Ismael, and all the seruauntes borne in his house, and all that were bought, (as many as were men children in his house,) and circumcyded the foreskynne of their flesh, euen the same daye, as God had sayde vnto him.
Genesis 18:19
For I knewe him that he wil comaunde his children and his housholde after him, to kepe the waye of ye LORDE, and to do after right and conscience, that the LORDE maye bringe vpo Abraham what he hath promised him.
Genesis 22:16
and sayde: I haue sworen by myne owne self (sayeth the LORDE) that for so moch as thou hast done this, and hast not spared thine onely sonne,
Genesis 22:18
and in thy sede shal all the nacions of the earth be blessed, because thou hast herkened vnto my voyce.
Genesis 26:1
There came a derth in the londe, passynge the other that was in Abrahams tyme. And Isaac wente to Gerar, vnto Abimelech the kynge of ye Philistynes.
Genesis 26:2
Then the LORDE appeared vnto him, and sayde: Go not downe in to Egipte, but tary in the lande that I shall saye vnto the.
Genesis 26:6
So Isaac dwelt at Gerar.
Matthew 5:19
Whosoeuer breaketh one of these least comaundmentes, and teacheth me so, he shalbe called the leest in the kyngdome of heauen, But whosoeuer obserueth and teacheth the same shalbe called greate in the kyngdome of heauen.
Matthew 7:24
Whosoeuer therfore heareth of me these sayinges, and doeth the same, I wyll lycke hym vnto a wyse man, which buylt hys house vpon a rocke:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Answer a fool according to his folly,.... The Targum is,

"but speak with a fool in thy wisdom;''

and the Syriac version,

"yea, speak with a fool according to thy wisdom;''

which would at once remove the seeming contradiction in these words to the former, but then they are not a true version; indeed it is right, and must be the sense, that when a fool is answered, as it is sometimes necessary he should, that it be done in wisdom, and so as to expose his folly; he is to be answered and not answered according to different times, places, and circumstances, and manner of answering; he is to be answered when there is any hope of doing him good, or of doing good to others; or of preventing ill impressions being made upon others by what he has said; when the glory of God, the good of the church, and the cause of truth, require it; and when he would otherwise glory and triumph, as if his words or works were unanswerable, as follow;

lest he be wise in his own conceit; which fools are apt to be, and the rather when no answer is given them; imagining it arises from the strength of their arguments, and their nervous way of reasoning, when it is rather from a neglect and contempt of them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Two sides of a truth. To “answer a fool according to his folly” is in Proverbs 26:4 to bandy words with him, to descend to his level of coarse anger and vile abuse; in Proverbs 26:5 it is to say the right word at the right time, to expose his unwisdom and untruth to others and to himself, not by a teaching beyond his reach, but by words that he is just able to apprehend. The apparent contradiction between the two verses led some of the rabbis to question the canonical authority of this book. The Pythagoreans had maxims expressing a truth in precepts seemingly contradictory.


 
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