Proverbs 26:5

Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

עֲנֵ֣ה כְ֭סִיל כְּאִוַּלְתּ֑וֹ פֶּן־יִהְיֶ֖ה חָכָ֣ם בְּעֵינָֽיו׃

Transliteration

Aneh kesil according-to-ivvalto, pen-yihyeh ḥakham in-einav.

Grammar Details

• *aneh*: verb, Qal imperative, masculine singular - answer
• *kesil*: noun, masculine, singular - fool
• *ke*: preposition - according to
• *ivvalto*: noun, feminine, singular construct with 3rd person masculine singular suffix - his folly
• *pen*: conjunction - lest
• *yihyeh*: verb, Qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular - he will be
• *ḥakham*: adjective, masculine, singular - wise
• *be*: preposition - in
• *einav*: noun, feminine, dual construct with 3rd person masculine singular suffix - his eyes

Word Meanings

• *aneh*: answer/respond to
• *kesil*: fool/stupid person
• *ivvalto*: his folly/his stupidity
• *pen*: lest/otherwise
• *yihyeh*: he will be/he will become
• *ḥakham*: wise/skillful/clever
• *einav*: his eyes/his sight/his opinion

Referenced Verses

• Prov 28:11 : 11 A rich man is wise in his own eyes, And the intelligent poor searcheth him.
• Matt 16:1-4 : 1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees having come, tempting, did question him, to shew to them a sign from the heaven, 2 and he answering said to them, `Evening having come, ye say, Fair weather, for the heaven is red, 3 and at morning, Foul weather to-day, for the heaven is red -- gloomy; hypocrites, the face of the heavens indeed ye do know to discern, but the signs of the times ye are not able! 4 `A generation evil and adulterous doth seek a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet;' and having left them he went away.
• Rom 12:16 : 16 of the same mind one toward another, not minding the high things, but with the lowly going along; become not wise in your own conceit;
• Titus 1:13 : 13 this testimony is true; for which cause convict them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,
• Matt 21:23-27 : 23 And he having come to the temple, there came to him when teaching the chief priests and the elders of the people, saying, `By what authority dost thou do these things? and who gave thee this authority?' 24 And Jesus answering said to them, `I will ask you -- I also -- one word, which if ye may tell me, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things; 25 the baptism of John, whence was it? -- from heaven, or from men?' And they were reasoning with themselves, saying, `If we should say, From heaven; he will say to us, Wherefore, then, did ye not believe him? 26 and if we should say, From men, we fear the multitude, for all hold John as a prophet.' 27 And answering Jesus they said, `We have not known.' He said to them -- he also -- `Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
• Matt 22:15-32 : 15 Then the Pharisees having gone, took counsel how they might ensnare him in words, 16 and they send to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, `Teacher, we have known that thou art true, and the way of God in truth thou dost teach, and thou art not caring for any one, for thou dost not look to the face of men; 17 tell us, therefore, what dost thou think? is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?' 18 And Jesus having known their wickedness, said, `Why me do ye tempt, hypocrites? 19 show me the tribute-coin?' and they brought to him a denary; 20 and he saith to them, `Whose `is' this image and the inscription?' 21 they say to him, `Caesar's;' then saith he to them, `Render therefore the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God;' 22 and having heard they wondered, and having left him they went away. 23 In that day there came near to him Sadducees, who are saying there is not a rising again, and they questioned him, saying, 24 `Teacher, Moses said, If any one may die not having children, his brother shall marry his wife, and shall raise up seed to his brother. 25 `And there were with us seven brothers, and the first having married did die, and not having seed, he left his wife to his brother; 26 in like manner also the second, and the third, unto the seventh, 27 and last of all died also the woman; 28 therefore in the rising again, of which of the seven shall she be wife -- for all had her?' 29 And Jesus answering said to them, `Ye go astray, not knowing the Writings, nor the power of God; 30 for in the rising again they do not marry, nor are they given in marriage, but are as messengers of God in heaven. 31 `And concerning the rising again of the dead, did ye not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not a God of dead men, but of living.'
• Luke 12:13-21 : 13 And a certain one said to him, out of the multitude, `Teacher, say to my brother to divide with me the inheritance.' 14 And he said to him, `Man, who set me a judge or a divider over you?' 15 And he said unto them, `Observe, and beware of the covetousness, because not in the abundance of one's goods is his life.' 16 And he spake a simile unto them, saying, `Of a certain rich man the field brought forth well; 17 and he was reasoning within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where I shall gather together my fruits? 18 and he said, This I will do, I will take down my storehouses, and greater ones I will build, and I will gather together there all my products and my good things, 19 and I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast many good things laid up for many years, be resting, eat, drink, be merry. 20 `And God said to him, Unthinking one! this night thy soul they shall require from thee, and what things thou didst prepare -- to whom shall they be? 21 so `is' he who is treasuring up to himself, and is not rich toward God.'
• Luke 13:23-30 : 23 and a certain one said to him, `Sir, are those saved few?' and he said unto them, 24 `Be striving to go in through the straight gate, because many, I say to you, will seek to go in, and shall not be able; 25 from the time the master of the house may have risen up, and may have shut the door, and ye may begin without to stand, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, lord, open to us, and he answering shall say to you, I have not known you whence ye are, 26 then ye may begin to say, We did eat before thee, and did drink, and in our broad places thou didst teach; 27 and he shall say, I say to you, I have not known you whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of the unrighteousness. 28 `There shall be there the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth, when ye may see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the reign of God, and yourselves being cast out without; 29 and they shall come from east and west, and from north and south, and shall recline in the reign of God, 30 and lo, there are last who shall be first, and there are first who shall be last.'
• John 8:7 : 7 and when they continued asking him, having bent himself back, he said unto them, `The sinless of you -- let him first cast the stone at her;'
• John 9:26-33 : 26 And they said to him again, `What did he to thee? how did he open thine eyes?' 27 He answered them, `I told you already, and ye did not hear; why again do ye wish to hear? do ye also wish to become his disciples?' 28 They reviled him, therefore, and said, `Thou art his disciple, and we are Moses' disciples; 29 we have known that God hath spoken to Moses, but this one -- we have not known whence he is.' 30 The man answered and said to them, `Why, in this is a wonderful thing, that ye have not known whence he is, and he opened my eyes! 31 and we have known that God doth not hear sinners, but, if any one may be a worshipper of God, and may do His will, him He doth hear; 32 from the age it was not heard, that any one did open eyes of one who hath been born blind; 33 if this one were not from God, he were not able to do anything.'
• Rom 11:25 : 25 For I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, of this secret -- that ye may not be wise in your own conceits -- that hardness in part to Israel hath happened till the fulness of the nations may come in;
• Isa 5:21 : 21 Wo `to' the wise in their own eyes, And -- before their own faces -- intelligent!
• Jer 36:17-18 : 17 And they asked Baruch, saying, `Declare, we pray thee, to us, how didst thou write all these words -- from his mouth?' 18 And Baruch saith to them, `From his mouth, he pronounceth unto me all these words, and I am writing on the book with ink.'
• Matt 15:1-3 : 1 Then come unto Jesus do they from Jerusalem -- scribes and Pharisees -- saying, 2 `Wherefore do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they do not wash their hands when they may eat bread.' 3 And he answering said to them, `Wherefore also do ye transgress the command of God because of your tradition?
• 1 Kgs 22:24-28 : 24 And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah draweth nigh, and smiteth Micaiah on the cheek, and saith, `Where `is' this -- he hath passed over -- the Spirit of Jehovah -- from me to speak with thee?' 25 And Micaiah saith, `Lo, thou art seeing on that day, when thou goest in to the innermost chamber to be hidden.' 26 And the king of Israel saith, `Take Micaiah, and turn him back unto Amon head of the city, and unto Joash son of the king, 27 and thou hast said, Thus said the king, Place ye this one in the house of restraint, and cause him to eat bread of oppression, and water of oppression, till my coming in peace.' 28 And Micaiah saith, `If thou at all return in peace -- Jehovah hath not spoken by me;' and he saith, `Hear, O peoples, all of them.'
• Prov 3:7 : 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes, Fear Jehovah, and turn aside from evil.
• Prov 26:4 : 4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou be like to him -- even thou.
• Prov 26:12 : 12 Thou hast seen a man wise in his own eyes, More hope of a fool than of him!