SUMMARY
There are at least two possible ways of responding to a fool.
ANALYSIS
The passage Proverbs 26:4-5 is proof positive that proverbs are different from laws. The two ways of answering a fool cannot both be followed. One must consider one’s own situation to decide which way to follow… and one could be wrong! (See “The Role of Contradiction/Paradox” entry in Bible in the World – Proverbs.) They sound rather like common proverbs we might hear or say:
Look before you leap.
One who hesitates is lost.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Out of sight; out of mind.
Good advice; wise thoughts; true observations. But we are left not knowing what to do. Perhaps we cannot escape being or abetting a fool.
