INTERPRETING PROVERBS
Pr 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.
Pr 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
Here are a pair of verses, one following the other, of which the foolish would claim contradict one another, as if the author in writing verse 5 forgot what he wrote in verse 4! In fact what they do is help us to understand how proverbs is to be read.
On the surface, taken literally, these appear as contradictory commands. But what we must understand is that for many proverbs there are two principles which describe the sense in which they are written which resolves such paradoxes.
Principle #1: Many of the apparent commands are to be taken not as explicit commands but rather as principles - IF A THEN B.
Principle #2: Most of the proverbs are GENERAL principles as opposed to things which are true in every particular case. Thus most should be understood to be preceeded with the expression "Generally speaking".
So for example in the cases above we would say
"Generally speaking if you answer a fool according to his folly then you will be like him, but on the other hand you will prevent him from being wise in his own eyes."
Thus you are presented with a choice in answering a fool. Proverbs considers the pros and cons but leaves it up to you to decide which is best for your particular circumstances. Thus proverbs is less a set of rules and regulations and more a set of observations from which the wise in spirit can derive applications.
An application of Principle #2 is to beware of applying labels universally. For example proverbs speaks much of "fools" as if there are a distinct group of people in the world who are fools and everyone else is not a fool. But in fact all of us are fools to different degrees. And so also is in the case with other such labels as the sluggard, the stingy, the scoffer, the righteous, the wise, the faithful. But this is not to say that it is inappropriate to label individuals. For such is done both in society and throughout the Bible. However such labels, if they refer to a person's behavior, are not to be taken in an absolute sense but rather to be understood as a description of the person's overall lifestyle or character.
The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
Pr 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.
Pr 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
Here are a pair of verses, one following the other, of which the foolish would claim contradict one another, as if the author in writing verse 5 forgot what he wrote in verse 4! In fact what they do is help us to understand how proverbs is to be read.
On the surface, taken literally, these appear as contradictory commands. But what we must understand is that for many proverbs there are two principles which describe the sense in which they are written which resolves such paradoxes.
Principle #1: Many of the apparent commands are to be taken not as explicit commands but rather as principles - IF A THEN B.
Principle #2: Most of the proverbs are GENERAL principles as opposed to things which are true in every particular case. Thus most should be understood to be preceeded with the expression "Generally speaking".
So for example in the cases above we would say
"Generally speaking if you answer a fool according to his folly then you will be like him, but on the other hand you will prevent him from being wise in his own eyes."
Thus you are presented with a choice in answering a fool. Proverbs considers the pros and cons but leaves it up to you to decide which is best for your particular circumstances. Thus proverbs is less a set of rules and regulations and more a set of observations from which the wise in spirit can derive applications.
An application of Principle #2 is to beware of applying labels universally. For example proverbs speaks much of "fools" as if there are a distinct group of people in the world who are fools and everyone else is not a fool. But in fact all of us are fools to different degrees. And so also is in the case with other such labels as the sluggard, the stingy, the scoffer, the righteous, the wise, the faithful. But this is not to say that it is inappropriate to label individuals. For such is done both in society and throughout the Bible. However such labels, if they refer to a person's behavior, are not to be taken in an absolute sense but rather to be understood as a description of the person's overall lifestyle or character.
The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
