Proverbs 26:4-5
4 Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools,
or you will become as foolish as they are.
5 Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools,
or they will become wise in their own estimation.
Do these contradict each other?
Here is an entry from Adam Clarke’s commentary:
On this and the following verse Bishop Warburton, who has written well on many things, and very indifferently on the doctrine of grace, has written with force and perspicuity: “Had this advice been given simply, and without circumstance, to answer the fool, and not to answer him, one who had reverence for the text would satisfy himself in supposing that the different directions referred to the doing a thing in and out of season;
1. The reasons given why a fool should not be answered according to his folly, is, “lest he (the answerer) should be like unto him.”
2. The reason given why the fool should be answered according to his folly, is, “lest he (the fool) should be wise in his own conceit.”
1. “The cause assigned for forbidding to answer, therefore, plainly insinuates that the defender of religion should not imitate the insulter of it in his modes of disputation, which may be comprised in sophistry, buffoonery, and scurrility.
2. “The cause assigned for directing to answer, as plainly intimates that the sage should address himself to confute the fool upon his own false principles, by showing that they lead to conclusions very wide from, very opposite to, those impieties he would deduce from them. If any thing can allay the fool’s vanity, and prevent his being wise in his own conceit, it must be the dishonor of having his own principles turned against himself, and shown to be destructive of his own conclusions.” – Treatise on Grace. Preface.
My pastor actually did a study about a month ago on this text. I understood his position…but I will have to many times reread the example posted here to understand it.
I think sometimes we stuff WAY too many words into the our argument. Sort of like taking a 5 megapixel picture of a coffee mug…to use on the web at 72dpi.
Then again, perhaps I studied too much journalism and not enough philosophy.
I know what you mean. There’s probably a better exposition of this text out there but I happened to come across this in the Clarke commentary I have in e-Sword so I thought I’d post it. I had to read it a couple of times too.
The NLT Study Bible notes are very succinct:
“Proverbs are often context sensitive. Whether or not to answer the foolish arguments of fools depends on what kind of fool and what kind of situation.”
I like the ESVSB:
“These verses are especially striking in that they appear to contradict each other. To answer a fool according to his folly (v. 5) is to keep replying to his remarks in order to show up their folly. Verse 4 gives the general policy (answer not a fool), because you will end up like him yourself as he responds to your reply with further folly: the interchange will have no end. Verse 5 gives the exception (answer a fool), because sometimes he or others may think to their own harm that he cannot be answered (cf. v. 12).”
Jeff
I have an ESV-SB actually, and a NASB-SB. I like this format as well, given that I am (as yet) pretty inept at analyzing scriptures. Sometimes, though, I find them brief. Thank you posting the helpful info.