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Texts -- Proverbs 26:1-27 (NET)

Context
26:1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest , so honor is not fitting for a fool . 26:2 Like a fluttering bird or like a flying swallow , so a curse without cause does not come to rest. 26:3 A whip for the horse and a bridle for the donkey , and a rod for the backs of fools ! 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly , lest you yourself also be like him. 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly , lest he be wise in his own estimation . 26:6 Like cutting off the feet or drinking violence , so is sending a message by the hand of a fool . 26:7 Like legs that hang limp from the lame , so is a proverb in the mouth of fools . 26:8 Like tying a stone in a sling , so is giving honor to a fool . 26:9 Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard , so is a proverb in the mouth of a fool . 26:10 Like an archer who wounds at random , so is the one who hires a fool or hires any passer-by . 26:11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit , so a fool repeats his folly . 26:12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes ? There is more hope for a fool than for him. 26:13 The sluggard says , “There is a lion in the road ! A lion in the streets !” 26:14 Like a door that turns on its hinges , so a sluggard turns on his bed . 26:15 The sluggard plunges his hand in the dish ; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth . 26:16 The sluggard is wiser in his own estimation than seven people who respond with good sense . 26:17 Like one who grabs a wild dog by the ears , so is the person passing by who becomes furious over a quarrel not his own. 26:18 Like a madman who shoots firebrands and deadly arrows , 26:19 so is a person who deceives his neighbor , and says , “Was I not only joking ?” 26:20 Where there is no wood , a fire goes out, and where there is no gossip , contention ceases . 26:21 Like charcoal is to burning coals , and wood to fire , so is a contentious person to kindle strife . 26:22 The words of a gossip are like delicious morsels ; they go down into a person’s innermost being . 26:23 Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart . 26:24 The one who hates others disguises it with his lips , but he stores up deceit within him. 26:25 When he speaks graciously , do not believe him, for there are seven abominations within him. 26:26 Though his hatred may be concealed by deceit , his evil will be uncovered in the assembly . 26:27 The one who digs a pit will fall into it; the one who rolls a stone – it will come back on him.

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Thistle

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. hoah (2 Kings 14:9; Job 31:40). In Job 41:2 the Hebrew word is rendered "thorn," but in the Revised Version "hook." It is also rendered "thorn" in 2 Chr. 33:11; Prov. 26:9; Cant. 2:2; "brambles" in Isa. 34:13. It i...

  • TALE

    [isbe] TALE - tal (tokhen, mithkoneth, micpar; leros): In the King James Version of the Old Testament (with one exception, Ps 90:9) "tale" (in the sing.) means number. "Tell" often has the same meaning, e.g. "I may tell (i.e. recko...

  • Speaking

    [nave] SPEAKING. Evil Ex. 22:28; Job 19:18; Psa. 10:7, 8; Psa. 12:3, 4; Psa. 34:13; Psa. 35:21; Psa. 41:5-9; Psa. 52:2-4; Psa. 59:12; Psa. 64:2-5; Psa. 69:12, 26; Psa. 70:3; Psa. 102:8; Psa. 106:33; Psa. 119:23; Psa. 120:1-7; Psa...

  • SWALLOW

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. sis (Isa. 38:14; Jer. 8:7), the Arabic for the swift, which "is a regular migrant, returning in myriads every spring, and so suddenly that while one day not a swift can be seen in the country, on the next they have...
    [isbe] SWALLOW - swal'-o (deror; strouthos, in Proverbs and Psalms, chelidon, in Isa; Latin Hirundo rustica): A small long-winged bird of exhaustless flight, belonging to the family Hirundinidae. Deror means the bird of freedom, an...
    [smith] Heb. deror in (Psalms 84:3; Proverbs 26:2) Heb. ?agur in (Isaiah 38:14; Jeremiah 8:7) but "crane" is more probably the true signification of ?agur [CRANE]). The rendering of the Authorized Version for deror seems correct. The...

  • PROVERB

    [isbe] PROVERB - prov'-erb (mashal, chidhah; parabole (Lk 4:23), paroimia (Jn 16:25,29)): I. FOLK MEANING AND USE 1. The Primitive Sense 2. The Communal Origin 3. Animus of Proverbs II. LITERARY DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROVERB 1. Discov...

  • POTSHERD

    [ebd] a "shred", i.e., anything severed, as a fragment of earthenware (Job 2:8; Prov. 26:23; Isa. 45:9).
    [isbe] POTSHERD - pot'-shurd (cheres): A piece of earthenware (Job 2:8; Ps 22:15; Isa 45:9). the Revised Version (British and American) renders the word in Prov 26:23, "an earthen vessel," and in Job 41:30 substitutes "sharp potshe...
    [smith] also in Authorized Version "sherd," a broken piece of earthenware. (Proverbs 26:23)

  • Lintel

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. mashkoph, a projecting cover (Ex. 12:22, 23; ver. 7, "upper door post," but R.V. "lintel"); the head-piece of a door, which the Israelites were commanded to mark with the blood of the paschal lamb. (2.) Heb. kaphta...

  • Lies and Deceits

    [nave] LIES AND DECEITS Ex. 23:1; Lev. 6:2-7; Lev. 19:11, 12, 16 Ex. 20:16. Job 13:4; Job 21:34; Job 27:4; Job 31:5, 6, 33; Job 36:4; Psa. 5:6, 9; Psa. 10:7; Psa. 12:2, 3; Psa. 28:3; Psa. 31:18; Psa. 34:13 1 Pet. 3:10. Psa. 36:3; P...

  • Laziness

    [nave] LAZINESS Prov. 6:6, 9-11 Prov. 24:33. Prov. 10:4, 5, 26; Prov. 12:9, 24, 27; Prov. 13:4; Prov. 14:23; Prov. 15:19; Prov. 18:9; Prov. 19:15, 24; Prov. 20:4, 13; Prov. 21:25, 26; Prov. 23:21; Prov. 24:30, 31, 33, 34; Prov. 26:...

  • Hypocrisy

    [nave] HYPOCRISY. Job 8:13-15; Job 13:16; Job 15:31, 33, 34; Job 17:8; Job 20:4, 5 vs. 6-18.; Job 27:8-10 vs. 13-18.; Job 31:33, 34; Job 34:30; Job 36:13, 14; Psa. 5:9; Psa. 50:16, 17; Psa. 52:4; Psa. 55:12-14, 20, 21, 23; Psa. 78...

  • HINGE

    [ebd] (Heb. tsir), that on which a door revolves. "Doors in the East turn rather on pivots than on what we term hinges. In Syria, and especially in the Hauran, there are many ancient doors, consisting of stone slabs with pivots ca...
    [isbe] HINGE - hinj (poth): Hinges of Jewish sacred buildings in Scripture are mentioned only in connection with Solomon's temple. Here those for the doors, both of the oracle and of the outer temple, are said to have been of gold ...
    [smith] Both ancient Egyptian and modern Oriental doors were and are hung by means of pivots turning in sockets on both the upper and lower sides. (1 Kings 7:50) In Syria, and especially the Hauran, there are many ancient doors co...

  • Fool

    [nave] FOOL: Psa. 5:5; Psa. 14:1 Psa. 53:1. Psa. 74:18, 22; Psa. 107:17; Prov. 1:7, 22; Prov. 3:35; Prov. 9:6-8, 13-17; Prov. 10:1, 8 v. 10.13,14,18,23Prov. 14:1, 7-9, 15; Prov. 15:7, 20, 21; Prov. 17:24, 25; Prov. 18:2, 6, 7; Pro...

  • FIREBRAND

    [ebd] Isa. 7:4, Amos 4:11, Zech. 3:2, denotes the burnt end of a stick (Heb. 'ud); in Judg. 15:4, a lamp or torch, a flambeau (Heb. lappid); in Prov. 26:18 (comp. Eph. 6:16), burning darts or arrows (Heb. zikkim).
    [isbe] FIREBRAND - fir'-brand ('udh, used for a burning stick taken out of the fire): In Jdg 15:4,5 describing the "brands" (margin "torches") which Samson tied to the foxes' tails, the word is lappidh ("lamp"; see Jdg 7:16,20 the ...

  • Doors

    [ebd] moved on pivots of wood fastened in sockets above and below (Prov. 26:14). They were fastened by a lock (Judg. 3:23, 25; Cant. 5:5) or by a bar (Judg. 16:3; Job 38:10). In the interior of Oriental houses, curtains were frequ...

  • Deceit

    [isbe] DECEIT - de-set' (mirmah; (dolos): The intentional misleading or beguiling of another; in Scripture represented as a companion of many other forms of wickedness, as cursing (Ps 10:7), hatred (Prov 26:24), theft, covetousness...
    [nave] DECEIT Is a lie, Psa. 119:118. The tongue an instrument of, Rom. 3:13. Comes from the heart, Mark 7:22. Characteristic of the heart, Jer. 17:9. God abhors, Psa. 5:6. Forbidden, Prov. 24:28; 1 Pet. 3:10. Christ was perf...

  • DISCREPANCIES, BIBLICAL

    [isbe] DISCREPANCIES, BIBLICAL - dis-krep'-an-siz, bib'-li-kal: 1. Definition: By this term should be understood substantial disagreements in the statements of Biblical writers. Such disagreements might subsist between the, stateme...

  • Cruse

    [ebd] a utensil; a flask or cup for holding water (1 Sam. 26:11, 12, 16; 1 Kings 19:6) or oil (1 Kings 17:12, 14, 16). In 1 Kings 14:3 the word there so rendered means properly a bottle, as in Jer. 19:1, 10, or pitcher. In 2 Kings...

  • COAL

    [ebd] It is by no means certain that the Hebrews were acquainted with mineral coal, although it is found in Syria. Their common fuel was dried dung of animals and wood charcoal. Two different words are found in Hebrew to denote co...
    [isbe] COAL - kol (pecham, "charcoal"; compare Arabic fachm, "charcoal"; gacheleth, "burning coal" or "hot ember"; compare Arabic jacham, "to kindle"; shechor, "a black coal" (Lam 4:8); compare Arabic shachchar, "soot" or "dark-col...
    [smith] The first and most frequent use of the word rendered coal is a live ember, burning fuel. (Proverbs 26:21) In (2 Samuel 22:9,13) "coals of fire" are put metaphorically for the lightnings proceeding from God. (Psalms 18:8,12...

  • BIT AND BRIDLE

    [isbe] BIT AND BRIDLE - bri'-d'-l (methegh wa-recen): The two words occur in conjunction (Ps 32:9 the King James Version, "Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding; whose mouth must be held in with bit an...

  • BETRAY

    [isbe] BETRAY - be-tra' (ramah; paradidomi): In the Old Testament only once (1 Ch 12:17). David warns those who had deserted to him from Saul: "If ye be come to betray me to mine adversaries .... the God of our fathers look thereon...

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Proverbs claims to be a compendium of the wise sayings of several different individuals.4Solomon originated some of them (10:1-22:16 and chs. 25-29 definitely, and probably chs. 1-9 as well).5Unnamed wise men (sages) wrote ot...
  • The Book of Proverbs contains no history. It is purely didactic. It is a book of explicit instruction. Like the other Old Testament wisdom books, Job and Ecclesiastes, it does not contain references to Israel's laws, rituals,...
  • I. Discourses on wisdom chs. 1-9A. Introduction to the book 1:1-71. The title of the book 1:12. The purpose of the book 1:2-63. The thesis of the book 1:7B. Instruction for young people 1:8-7:271. Warning against consorting w...
  • Verse one introduces both the book as a whole and chapters 1-9 in particular. The Book of Proverbs is a collection of at least five separate groups of proverbs. There are those that Solomon spoke and or wrote (possibly chs. 1...
  • As was true in the chapter 10-15 section, this one (16:1-22:16) also becomes more difficult to outline as it ends because there are fewer groupings of proverbs.19:7 The first part of this verse is hyperbole (overstatement to ...
  • A third major section of the Book of Proverbs begins with 22:17. This is clear from several indicators. The proverbs lengthen out again from the typical one verse couplet that characterizes 10:1-26:16 (cf. chs. 1-9). The phra...
  • We return now to the proverbs of Solomon (cf. 1:1-22:16). Chapters 25-26 contain proverbs that are mainly comparisons. The key words in these chapters are "like . . . so."Chapter 27 is a mixture of comparative and antithetica...
  • 25:1 A group of scholars who served during King Hezekiah's reign (715-686 B.C.) added more of Solomon's 3,000 proverbs (1 Kings 4:32) to the former collection (1:1-22:16). These men lived about 250 years after Solomon. Solomo...
  • The analogies in chapter 25 dealt with both wise and foolish conduct, but those in chapter 26 deal mainly with fools and folly.26:2 If someone curses another person who does not deserve it, the curse will not be effective (cf...
  • Chapters 30 and 31 form a distinct section in Proverbs because neither Solomon (1:1-22:16; chs. 25-29) nor the unnamed sages (22:17-24:34) wrote them. Two other wise men whose names the text records did. Some expositors specu...
  • Some commentators have regarded only the first nine verses of this chapter as Lemuel's writing. One reason for this is that the Septuagint translators separated verses 1-9 from verse 10-31 by five chapters (chs. 25-29). Howev...
  • The quality of wisdom that Proverbs presents is much more than the ability to apply knowledge to various situations in life effectively. It also involves submission to the way of God that is the order of life God has revealed...
  • 3:19 The determination of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to withhold the form of allegiance that Nebuchadnezzar required made the king as angry as he could be. He apparently ordered the furnace heated to seven times its nor...
  • "John is interested in the way the coming of Jesus divides people."3479:35 The healed man had responded positively and courageously to the light that he had so far, but he did not have much light. Therefore Jesus took the ini...
  • To answer his critics and prove the extent of his own service and sufferings for Christ, Paul related many of his painful experiences as an apostle.11:16 Paul apologized again for having to resort to mentioning these experien...
  • Paul proceeded to deal with a significant group of antagonists that the Philippians faced.3:2 Jesus and other prophets used the term "dogs"to refer to opponents of God's truth (Matt. 7:6; cf. Deut. 23:18; 1 Sam. 17:43; 24:14;...
  • Peter focused his discussion next on the false teachers' final doom to warn his readers of the serious results of following their instruction.2:20 To whom does "they"refer? Some interpreters believe the antecedent is the new ...
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