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📖 Verse Of The Day

— Proverbs 26:4-5

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🧠 Devotional

Whenever people say the Bible contradicts itself, this is usually one of the first examples they point to.

Proverbs 26:4–5

Verse 4:

“Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.”

Verse 5:

“Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.”

So this is why people think it’s a contradiction: one verse says “do not answer a fool according to his folly,” and the very next verse says “answer a fool according to his folly.”

So at the surface level, if you read it very literally and without considering the context or style of writing, it can look like a contradiction.

But that’s not what’s going on.

This is a form of Hebrew wisdom literature using a paradox, where two statements that seem opposite are placed side by side to teach a deeper truth and require discernment.

And to be fair, not everyone who points this out is doing it in bad faith. Sometimes it’s just a misunderstanding of the style. But a lot of the time, people are already looking for contradictions, and when you go looking for something, you’ll usually find it, or at least think you did.

It’s kind of like the saying, if you go out looking for trouble, you’ll find trouble. If you’re looking for contradictions, you’ll find contradictions.

It’s no different than sayings like “silence is louder than words,” “the beginning of the end,” or “bittersweet.” It’s a form of figurative language, a literary technique.

And honestly, that’s what makes the Bible so cool. It’s not just plain writing. It’s actual literature.

So we know this isn’t a contradiction, so what does it mean?

It means this:

Don’t respond to a fool in a foolish way, or you’ll become like him.

Do respond to a fool when staying silent would make him think he’s right.

Wisdom is knowing which situation you’re in.