Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
The prohibition is against answering a fool by copying, imitating, joining in, or accommodating his folly, because doing so makes the one who answers like him. The fool in view is a wicked person who rejects wisdom, and his folly may be expressed in speech or in writing. Answering according to his folly includes answering with the same evil temper in the manner of reply. It includes bandying words with the fool and descending to his level of coarse anger and vile abuse. It includes replying in the fool's own evil, bantering spirit.
It also includes responding to others as they treat you rather than with the restraint and fairness you would want for yourself. It includes engaging with petty insults or annoyances. The verse does not forbid every answer, for the next verse commands an answer that exposes folly and keeps the fool from thinking himself wise, and such exposure comes by replying in a different way. The two instructions differ by the purpose and manner of the answer. They are distinct rules for particular circumstances, and the reason attached to each shows the right response depends on the circumstances.
Opposite the prohibition stands the command to expose folly and untruth at the right time, show the fool his mistake, and teach the better way with words he can just comprehend rather than teaching beyond his reach. Both sayings concern the same kind of person and both call for an answer, but the answer must be given differently without imitating the folly. Moses violated the counsel when, provoked by Israel's complaint, he called them rebels and spoke rashly, becoming too much like those he opposed, while Jesus answered opponents without losing self-control or adopting their manner. Christ kept the verse when he answered the Pharisees in a different way so as to silence them.
The verse allows a fitting, sharp reproof rather than silently enduring foolish conduct, and a witty reply that stopped profanity shows how humor and pointed words can expose and correct folly without becoming like the fool. Ignoring petty provocations avoids needless conflict and wasted time, and fools may sometimes be best met with silence. When faced with rudeness, an impertinent question, a sneer disguised as a request for information, or ridicule of opinion, silence can be the best reply.
The prohibition is against answering a fool by copying, imitating, joining in, or accommodating his folly, because doing so makes the one who answers like him. The fool in view is a wicked person who rejects wisdom, and his folly may be expressed in speech or in writing. Answering according to his folly includes answering with the same evil temper in the manner of reply. It includes bandying words with the fool and descending to his level of coarse anger and vile abuse. It includes replying in the fool's own evil, bantering spirit.
It also includes responding to others as they treat you rather than with the restraint and fairness you would want for yourself. It includes engaging with petty insults or annoyances. The verse does not forbid every answer, for the next verse commands an answer that exposes folly and keeps the fool from thinking himself wise, and such exposure comes by replying in a different way. The two instructions differ by the purpose and manner of the answer. They are distinct rules for particular circumstances, and the reason attached to each shows the right response depends on the circumstances.
Opposite the prohibition stands the command to expose folly and untruth at the right time, show the fool his mistake, and teach the better way with words he can just comprehend rather than teaching beyond his reach. Both sayings concern the same kind of person and both call for an answer, but the answer must be given differently without imitating the folly. Moses violated the counsel when, provoked by Israel's complaint, he called them rebels and spoke rashly, becoming too much like those he opposed, while Jesus answered opponents without losing self-control or adopting their manner. Christ kept the verse when he answered the Pharisees in a different way so as to silence them.
The verse allows a fitting, sharp reproof rather than silently enduring foolish conduct, and a witty reply that stopped profanity shows how humor and pointed words can expose and correct folly without becoming like the fool. Ignoring petty provocations avoids needless conflict and wasted time, and fools may sometimes be best met with silence. When faced with rudeness, an impertinent question, a sneer disguised as a request for information, or ridicule of opinion, silence can be the best reply.