Proverbs 26

Proverbs 26:1

A Snow in summer, and as rain in harvest; so honour is not keenly for a fool.

As unseasonable as fever in summer, and as hurtful as rain in harvest, so honour is not keenly for a fool; who, when he is advanced, if he is a weak man, will be a scandal to his dignity; and if a wicked man, will abuse his authority, and no wise ruler will employ such weak or wicked ministers.

2. As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.

7.0. of these, there is little hope; publicana and harlors will go into the kingdom of God before them; their pride and self-righteousness is an eternal bar to their conversion, John ix. 41.

Chap. xxii. 13. The Sothoful man faith, There is a lion in the way, a lion is in the streets.

Proverbs 26:2

When fools are exalted, they affect to keep those around them in fear, storming and swearing at them; and they no provocation be given, thunder forth their curses: but they are impotent and vain, and can do us no more hurt, than the bird that flies over us. And such are the manliness of the church of Rome, whose causeless curses shall return upon the mouths that utter them.

3. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.

Proverbs 26:3

Obstinate, stupid, or refractory as the horse, or wild asses colt, the wicked must be broken with correction, and sharp restraints laid upon him. Disgrace, not honour; the rod of chastisement, not the staff of office, are his desire.

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.

Proverbs 26:4

5. There is a time to speak, and a time to keep silence, and wisdom is preferable to direct.

6. Sometimes a fool is best answered by silence and contempt. It would be to resemble him, to return railing for railing, or anger for anger.

7. Sometimes it is necessary to answer a fool according to his folly, lest he conceit his arguments unanswerable, insurgent silence as a concession of victory, and himself be confirmed in his folly, or others suffer ill impervious thereby. Therefore, expose his futility, direct his fallacies, and turn his arguments upon him; that if he be not convinced, he may be at least confounded, ashamed, and his pride mortified.

8. He that bindeth a message by the hand of a fool, cuteth off the feet, and drinketh damage. 7. The legs of the lame + are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools. 8. As he that bindeth a stone in a fling: so is he that giveth honour to a fool. 9. As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

Proverbs 26:6-9

The foolish and the wicked are good for nothing, and will mar the weak in which they are employed.

1. They who employ a fool on a message, might as well have sent a man without legs; so loitering, idle, and negligent is he, and by his blunders and ignorance, both damages and discredits those who employ him: for many will judge of the matter by the messenger.

2. When they affect to appear wise, and take upon them to deliver some weighty apothegms of their own, so absurd is the obliteration, and delivered with as ill a grace, as a cripple pretending to dance, whose infirmities are more exposed, and his affections more ridiculous. Thus also, when a wicked man pretends to talk of religion, whose life is a lie to his lips, the absurdity is glaring, and his discourse treated with just contempt.

3. All honour bestowed on a fool is useless, or hurtful: it is like putting a precious stone in a fling, where any common pebble would be more suitable; or like the stone when flung out of it, that does mischief.

4. As a drunkard meddling with thorns, thrulls them into his hand; so a fool wounds himself, and hurts others, when, taking the word of God into his mouth, he affields to turn it into ridicule; or, pretending to explain it, takes God’s name in vain, and leads others into dangerous errors. Some give it another sense; that the wicked are miserable to the tharpest admonitions of God’s word, as a man, when drunk, feels not the thorn that pierces him.

5. The great God that formed all things, both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.

Proverbs 26:10

The great God will not suffer sinners to go unpunished. The day is near when the judgment shall sit, and then shall every man receive according to his work. Some render the words differently: A great ass, who is oppressive and tyrannical, grieved all his subjects, and he birth the fool, and he birth the transgressors, employing weak and wicked instruments to execute his vile designs.

11. As a dog returned to his vomit; so a fool + returned to his folly.

Proverbs 26:11

Many have pains of remorse, and no sooner commit sin, than their loathing is violent as their lust; they resolve against the evil, and seem to deceive it for a while, but soon their consciences grow quiet, and they return, like the dog, to their vomit again.

12. Seek thou ‘a man wise in his own conceit?’ there is more hope of a fool than of him.

Proverbs 26:12

Folly is bad, and conceit renders the disease desperate. They that think themselves something when they are nothing, and dogmatical and oppressive despite others, and are above being taught, will die inveterate in their ignorance: and especially is this the case with those, who, vainly puffed up of their fleshly mind, think themselves righteous, and placing their dependence on the rituals of religion, persuade themselves, that, by their own doings and duties, they can recommend themselves to God’s favour; ignorant of their sinfulness, and the corruption of their nature, and strangers to the power of changing grace:

Proverbs 26:13

14. The faithful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.

They who have a love for laziness, will seldom be a a loss for an excuse; and the most absurd and improbable suggestions are to them as insurmountable difficulties in the path of duty.

This wretched excuse of the Sothoful we had before, chap. xxii. 13. It shows, that they who want an excuse, will never be at a loss; and that what is never so absurd and improbable, will satisfy those who chuse to raise difficulties against what they have no mind to do. The pretended difficulties of a religious life, are the arguments the devil uses to a Sothoful soul; when in fact, if we would but go forth, and try, the way would be found pleasantness, and all the paths peace.

14. At the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the Sothoful upon his bed.

Proverbs 26:14

A lively image this of the Sothoful. He turns upon his bed, as if he made efforts to rise, but only changes sides; his business is neglected, all his affairs at a stand, and no ground got: such is the lazy professor; he moves in the time round of formal duties, as regularly as the door turns on its hinges, but never advances one step heavenward; his heart is still unrenowned as ever.

Chap. xii. 15. The Sothoful hideth his hand in his bosom, it grieved him to bring it again to his mouth.

Proverbs 26:15

The like observation for before, chap. x. 19—24. He hides his hand for fear of the cold, or pretends it is hurt, or weak, and unable to work; as they who hate labour, often sham inability. Yes, so infamous is his foot, that it is a burden to be compelled to lift his hand to his mouth to feed himself, even then let him starve. Now, They who have the word of God in their hands, yet refuse to be at any pains in opening it, to find bread for their souls, deserve to perish for lack of knowledge.

16. The Suggard is wiser in his own conceit, than seven men that can render a reason.

Proverbs 26:16

Those who have the least reason, are usually the most conceited. The Suggard, who hath taken no pains to acquire knowledge, yet rates high his attainments, and his insistence equal to his ignorance, he fancies himself wiser than seven men who can render a reason: all the arguments they can urge, to convince him of his mistake and danger, he treats with contempt, and hugs himself in his own self-sufficiency.

Or is co- 17. He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the eats.

Proverbs 26:17

It is dangerous meddling in other people’s quarrels, and interfering in disputes that do not belong to us. It is like taking a foaming cut by the eats, and being but and laughed at for our folly. They who are diligent to mind their own affairs, will find enough to do, without concerning themselves in those of other people.

Heb. 18. As a mad man who casteth fire-brands, arrows and death: 19. So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and faith, Am not I in sport?

v. 18, 19. When mischief is done, it is a poor excuse to say, I was in jail. Lies are fire-brands; though told in sport, they may have fatal consequences. It is dangerous meddling with edged tools. It would be no joke to set our neighbour’s house on fire over his head, much less to hurt his character, or draw him into sin, and then turn it off with a laugh. Such mocking is madness.

Heb. 20. Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no tale-bearer, the strife ceaseth.

Heb. 20. Tale-bearers are the bane of society. By their vile insinuations, the fire of contention is kept up, words are misrepresented, stories repeated, exaggerated; suspicions instilled, and dearest relatives alienated in their affections from each other: from such, therefore, turn away, discontenance, cast them out, and the fire of contention will soon go out.

Chap. xx. 21. At coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle-strife.

Proverbs 26:21

The contentious are ever kindling strife; if but a spark of provocation be given, they instantly blow it into a flame, by their quick and hasty resurrections. It is dangerous to associate with those, who are thus quirked.

22. The words of a tale-bearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

Proverbs 26:22

The wounds of calamity are more easily made than healed; even when the lie is detected, there is often a scar remaining.

23. Burning lips, and a wicked heart, are like a pot-sherd covered with silver drops.

Proverbs 26:23

Hypocritical lips, full of professions of kindness, that cloak the wickedness of an evil heart, are like a pot-sherd covered with silver drops, which shines at a distance, but is found utterly worthless.

24. He that hateth, disembeth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him. 25. When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. 26. Who is hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.

Proverbs 26:24-26

This is a disembelling world. Nothing fairer than many from the teeth outward, yet rancor often lies under the guise of civility, and deceit knows no cloak more effectual than the shew of friendship: it is good not to be too credulous, to try before we craft; not that the event answers the crafty design: God is pleased often to detect the hypocrite, and expose him to deserved shame in this world; at farthest, he will be covered with everlasting shame and contempt, before the great congregation of men and angels at the last day.

27. Who is diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

Proverbs 26:27

Mischief will return upon the contriver’s head, close as the design is laid, and with much evil carried on; the pit that he digged for others shall be his grave, and the stone he rolled, return and crush him to death.

28. A lying tongue hateth these that are afflicted by it, and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

Proverbs 26:28

Injure a man, and you never forgive him. A lying tongue hateth these that are afflicted by it; because he hates them, he maligns them; and having injured them, the hatred becomes irreconcilable; and a flattering mouth betrays the unwary into sin, or a finer, and worketh ruin, the more inevitable, because unfulfecuted.