Proverbs 26:6

To recommend wisdom to us, and to quicken us to the diligent use of all the means for the getting of wisdom, Solomon here shows that fools are fit for nothing; they are either sottish men, who will never think and design at all, or vicious men, who will never think and design well. 1. They are not fit to be entrusted with any business, not fit to go on an errand (Pro 26:6): He that does but send a message by the hand of a fool, of a careless heedless person, one who is so full of his jests and so given to his pleasures that he cannot apply his mind to any thing that is serious, will find his message misunderstood, the one half of it forgotten, the rest awkwardly delivered, and so many blunders made about it that he might as well have cut off his legs, that is, never have sent him. Nay, he will drink damage; it will be very much to his prejudice to have employed such a one, who, instead of bringing him a good account of his affairs, will abuse him and put a trick upon him; for, in Solomon's language, a knave and a fool are of the same signification. It will turn much to a man's disgrace to make use of the service of a fool, for people will be apt to judge of the master by his messenger. 2. They are not fit to have any honour put upon them. He had said (Pro 26:1), Honour is not seemly for a fool; here he shows that it is lost and thrown away upon him, as if a man should throw a precious stone, or a stone fit to be used in weighing, into a heap of common stones, where it would be buried and of no use; it is as absurd as if a man should dress up a stone in purple (so others); nay, it is dangerous, it is like a stone bound in a sling, with which a man will be likely to do hurt. To give honour to a fool is to put a sword in a madman's hand, with which we know not what mischief he may do, even to those that put it into his hand. 3. They are not fit to deliver wise sayings, nor should they undertake to handle any matter of weight, though they should be instructed concerning it, and be able to say something to it. Wise sayings, as a foolish man delivers them and applies them (in such a manner that one may know he does not rightly understand them), lose their excellency and usefulness: A parable in the mouth of fools ceases to be a parable, and becomes a jest. If a man who lives a wicked life, yet speaks religiously and takes God's covenant into his mouth, (1.) He does but shame himself and his profession: As the legs of the lame are not equal, by reason of which their going is unseemly, so unseemly is it for a fool to pretend to speak apophthegms, and give advice, and for a man to talk devoutly whose conversation is a constant contradiction to his talk and gives him the lie. His good words raise him up, but then his bad life takes him down, and so his legs are not equal. "A wise saying," (says bishop Patrick) "doth as ill become a fool as dancing doth a cripple; for, as his lameness never so much appears as when he would seem nimble, so the other's folly is never so ridiculous as when he would seem wise." As therefore it is best for a lame man to keep his seat, so it is best for a silly man, or a bad man, to hold his tongue. (2.) He does but do mischief with it to himself and others, as a drunkard does with a thorn, or any other sharp thing which he takes in his hand, with which he tears himself and those about him, because he knows not how to manage it. Those that talk well and do not live well, their good words will aggravate their own condemnation and others will be hardened by their inconsistency with themselves. Some give this sense of it: The sharpest saying, by which a sinner, one would think, should be pricked to the heart, makes no more impression upon a fool, no, though it come out of his own mouth, than the scratch of a thorn does upon the hand of a man when he is drunk, who then feels it not nor complains of it, Pro 23:35.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Pro 26:6 He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, [and] drinketh damage.

Ver. 6. He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool.] The worth of a faithful messenger he had set forth; {Pro 15:13} here, the discommodity of a foolish one - such as were the spies Moses sent. {Num 13:1-33; Num 14:1-38} So when the prophet proves a fool, and the "spiritual man is mad," {Hos 9:7} things go on as heavily as if feet were wanting to a traveller, or as if a messenger had lost his legs.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pro 26:6. He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool — He that employs a fool upon any important business, which is too hard for him; cutteth off the feet — Namely, of his messenger: he bids one go that wants legs; he sends one that wants discretion, which is as necessary for that employment as legs are for running or walking; and drinketh damage — Brings upon himself abundance of loss and mischief, not only spoiling the business about which he sends him, but making himself contemptible to the person to whom he sends him, and to others with him, as if he had not common prudence to choose a fit messenger, and giving occasion, by the folly of his messenger, to further misunderstandings, jealousies, and inconveniences. Drinking, it must be observed, in the Scriptures, frequently signifies the doing or receiving of any thing plentifully, as they who multiply sins are said to drink iniquity like water, and they who are greatly afflicted are commonly said to drink the cup of sorrow.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To wit, of the messenger whom he sendeth.

That is, receiveth damage thereby.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

A fool fails by folly as surely as if he were maimed.

drinketh damage--that is, gets it abundantly (Job 15:16; Job 34:7).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 6. Cutteth off the feet] Sending by such a person is utterly useless. My old MS. Bible translates well: Halt in feet and drinking wickednesse that sendith wordis bi a foole messager. Nothing but lameness in himself can vindicate his sending it by such hands; and, after all, the expedient will be worse than the total omission, for he is likely to drink wickedness, i.e., the mischief occasioned by the fool's misconduct. Coverdale nearly hits the sense as usual: "He is lame of his fete, yee dronken is he in vanite, that committeth eny thinge to a foole."

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(6) Cutteth off the feet.—He wants his business done, but if he sends a fool to do it, he might as well cut off his messenger’s legs, for the business will not be transacted; nay, worse than this, he will “drink damage,” i.e., suffer positive mischief from the blundering of his emissary.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. the feet] Rather his own feet, R.V.

By choosing such a messenger he robs himself by his own act of the means of attaining his end, and suffers accordingly.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool,.... Who knows not how to deliver it in a proper manner, and is incapable of taking the answer, and reporting it as he should; or unfaithful in it, and brings a bad or false report, as the spies did upon the good land;

cutteth off the feet; he may as well cut off his feet before he sends him, or send a man without feet, as such an one; for prudence, diligence, and faithfulness in doing a message, and bringing back the answer, are as necessary to a messenger as his feet are;

and drinketh damage; to himself; his message not being rightly performed, and business not done well; which is a loss to the sender, as well as to his credit and reputation with the person to whom he sends him; he hereby concluding that he must be a man of no great judgment and sense to send such a fool on his errand. Such are the unskilful ambassadors of princes; and such are unfaithful ministers, the messengers of the churches; see Pro 10:26. The words in the original are three sentences, without a copulative, and stand in this order, "he that cutteth off feet; he that drinketh damage; he that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool"; that is, they are alike.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Cutteth off the feet - Mutilates him, spoils the work which the messenger ought to fulfill.

Drinketh damage - i. e., “has to drink full draughts of shame and loss” (compare Job 15:16).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Iniquity. He is exposed to shame, (Septuagint) and must condemn his own folly. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool, he that employeth a fool upon any important errand or business which is too hard for him,

cutteth off the feet, to wit, of his messenger; he bids one go that wants legs; he sends one who wants that discretion, which is as necessary for that employment as legs are for going.

Drinketh damage; he bringeth upon himself abundance of loss and mischief, not only spoiling that business about which he sends him, but making himself contemptible to the person to whom he sends him, and to others with him, as if he had not common prudence to choose a fit messenger, and giving occasion, by the folly of his messenger, to further misunderstandings, and jealousies, and inconveniences. For the phrase, we may observe that drinking in Scripture frequently notes the plentiful doing or receiving of any thing, as they who multiply sins are said to drink iniquity like water, Job 15:16; 34:7; and they who are greatly afflicted are commonly said to drink the cup.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. Cutteth off the feet — That is, of himself, as explained by the following clause.

Drinketh damage — A man that employs a fool in his business cripples himself. Comp. Pro_10:26; Pro_25:13.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool. This clause comes in the Hebrew after the next. Cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage. To entrust an important commission to a fool is to deprive one"s self of the means of having it properly executed, and to bring upon one"s self shame and injury. A man who is so silly as to employ such an unfit messenger, as it were, cuts off the feet which should bear him on his errand, and, instead of enjoying the satisfaction of seeing the business well performed, he will be mortified and damaged by the blunder and stupidity of his emissary. Septuagint, "He maketh for himself reproach from his own ways (odwn , ? podwn ) who sendeth a word by a foulish messenger." The Vulgate reads the first participle in a passive sense, claudus pedibus; but this is uneccessary. We have similar phrases to "drinketh damage" elsewhere; e.g. Job_15:16 "drinketh in iniquity;" Job_34:7, "drinketh up scorn;" and with a different word, Pro_19:28, "devoureth iniquity."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Cutteth off the feet - Of his messenger; bids one go that wants legs. Drinketh - Drinking, in scripture, frequently denotes the plentiful doing or receiving of any thing.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

6 He cutteth off the feet, he drinketh injury,

Who transacteth business by a fool.

He cutteth off, i.e., his own feet, as we say: he breaks his neck, il se casse le cou; Lat. frangere brachium, crus, coxam; frangere navem (Fleischer). He thinks to supplement his own two legs by those of the messenger, but in reality he cuts them off; for not only is the commission not carried out, but it is even badly carried out, so that instead of being refreshed (Pro 13:17; Pro 25:13) by the quick, faithful execution of it, he has to swallow nothing but damage; cf. Job 34:7, where, however, drinking scorn is meant of another (lxx), not his own; on the contrary, חמס here refers to injury suffered (as if it were חמדו, for the suff. of חמס is for the most part objective); cf. the similar figures Pro 10:26. So שׁלח בּיד, to accomplish anything by the mediation of another, cf. Exo 4:13; with דבר (דברים), Sa2 15:36. The reading מקצּה (Jerome, Luther, claudus) is unnecessary; since, as we saw, מקצּה ,was ew includes it in the sibi. The Syr. reads, after the lxx (the original text of which was ἐκ τῶν ποδῶν ἑαυτοῦ), מקצה, for he errs, as also does the Targumist, in thinking that מקצה can be used for מקצץ; but Hitzig adopts this reading, and renders: "from the end of the legs he swallows injury who sends messages by a fool." The end of the legs are the feet, and the feet are those of the foolish messenger. The proverb in this form does not want in boldness, but the wisdom which Hitzig finds in its is certainly not mother-wit.

(Note: The Venet. translates שׁתה by ἄνους, so שׁטה (the post-bibl. designation of a fool) - one of the many indications that this translator is a Jew, and as such is not confined in his knowledge of language only to the bibl. Hebrew.)

Bttcher, on his part, also with מקצה, renders: "from the end of his feet he drinks in that which is bitter..." - that also is too artificial, and is unintelligible without the explanation of its discoverer. But that he who makes a fool his messenger becomes himself like unto one who cuts off his own legs, is a figure altogether excellent.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Surely this diversified exhibition of the foolishness of folly is an incentive to the study of heavenly wisdom. The fool is utterly unfit for service. When a message is sent by his hands, he makes so many mistakes, careless or willful, that it is like bidding him go, when we have cut off his legs. Indeed we can only drink damage from his commission.†1 The employment of the unbelieving spies spread damage of discontent and rebellion throughout the whole congregation.†2 How careful should we be to entrust important business to trustworthy persons! Fools are either unqualified for their mission, or they have their own interests to serve, at whatever cost to their masters. Solomon himself drank damage, by employing an "industrious" servant, but a fool in wickedness, who "lifted up his hand against the king," and spoiled his son of ten parts of his kingdom. (1Ki 11:26-40 .) Benhadad drank damage, by sending a message by the hands of Hazael, who murdered his master, when the way was opened for his own selfish purposes. (2Ki 8:8-15 .)

See — again — how the fool exposes his shame. Never would a lame man shew his infirmity so much, as if he were to pretend to feats of agility or strength. Never does a fool appear so ridiculous, as when making a show of wisdom. It only creates disgust,†3 ’A wise saying doth as ill become a fool, as dancing does a cripple.’†4 A parable — ’an authoritative weighty saying,’†5 — in his mouth becomes a jest. "Is Saul also among the prophets? Why beholdest thou the mote, that is in thy brother’s eye; but considerest not the beam, that is in thine own eye? Physician, heal thyself. Thou therefore that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?"†6

Place the fool in honor. The sling makes the stone bound in it an instrument of death. The honor given to the fool makes him a curse to his fellow-creatures.†7 The prime favorite of a despot, had not God restrained him, would have been the murderer of the chosen nation. (Est 3:1-5 .) Dangerous indeed is it to place unqualified persons in authority. ’It is like putting a sword or a loaded pistol into a madman’s hand’†8

But the fool does mischief also unconsciously to himself. ’It is no more fit for a fool to meddle with a wise speech, than for a drunken man to handle a thorn bush.’†9 When the thorn goes up into his hand, his insensibility only makes the wound more deadly. Thus the fool’s parable — his wise sayings, gathered he scarcely knows whence, go up into him like a thorn, sharply pricking his conscience. Yet he feels no compunction, no alarm. (Compare Sir 19:12 .) Sad indeed is the sight (should it not make us tremble for ourselves?) of the ungodly prophet, dealing out from the mouth of God, yet with hardened indifference, words enough to "make both his ears to tingle." (Numbers 23. 24.)

Such is the fool — a pest to is fellow-creatures; awfully responsible to his God! But in the sacred office how fearfully are this evil and responsibility increased! The great message, sent by the hands of ungodly servants, brings most serious damage to the Church.†10 The parable — our Divine Master’s wise and holy instruction — in the mouth of a fool is perverted and contradicted by his unholy life. "Unto the wicked God saith — What hast thou to do, to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth; seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee?" (Psa 50:16-17 .) ’Almighty God, who alone worketh great marvels, send down upon all Bishops and Curates the healthful spirit of thy grace;’†11 that "stewards faithful" to their trust (1Co 4:1-2 ), "workmen that need not to be ashamed" (2Ti 2:15 ), true and authorized "ambassadors for Christ," may be multiplied in the Church; and that fools — unfaithful ministers — may be rebuked and restrained.

Footnotes:

†1 Pro 10:26. Contrast Pro 13:17 ; Pro 25:13 .

†2 Num 13:32; Num 14:1-4 .

†3 Pro 17:7. Compare Sir 20:20 .

†4 Bp. Patrick.

†5 Parkhurst.

†6 1Sa 19:24 . Mat 7:3-5 . Luk 4:23 . Rom 2:21 .

†7 Jdg 9:6. 1Sa 8:1-3 .

†8 Scott in loco. Parkhurst, and other critics prefer the marg. reading — shewing that honor is lost upon a fool, like a precious stone covered up in a promiscuous heap. ’He that setteth a foole in hye dignite, that is even as yf a man dyd caste a precious stone upon the galous.’ Bp. Coverdale — alluding to the custom of throwing a stone to the heap, under which the criminal was buried. The reading of the text is however well supported both by the Vulgate and LXX.

†9 Bp. Hall.

†10 1Sa 2:17 . Jer 23:15 . Hence the solemn responsibility of the Ordination Rule. 1Ti 5:22 .

†11 Liturgy.

Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (1846) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

wears out legs and “drinks violence” He who sends a message by the hand of a fool wears out the legs of many messengers by repetitively sending [them] to rectify what the first one, whom he sent at the beginning, distorted. And he “drinks violence,” for his fellow is wroth with him for sending a fool.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.