Original Meaning

THE SECOND CHAPTER of the proverbs of Solomon “copied by the men of Hezekiah” helps readers “search out matters” by comparing fools (26:1–16) and troublemakers (26:17–28; cf. 25:1–2 and the introduction to ch. 25). The chapter begins with proverbs about what is and is not “fitting”1 and closes with proverbs about just rewards, naming consequences that are fitting. Those who learn wisdom, therefore, observe wisdom’s laws of nature and social life and learn to make decisions appropriate to that which is “fitting” for the situation.

The sayings of the chapter assemble into four negative character sketches of the fool, the sluggard, the quarreler, and the deceiver, although it could be argued that verses 17–28 describe the speech habits of the same evil person.2 Readers are to learn to recognize these types, not only to protect themselves from such people but also to protect themselves from their own folly and bad intentions. The wise one must know how to deal with them all.

Fools and Sluggards Wise in Their Own Eyes (26:1–16)

No glory for fools (26:1–12)

No work for sluggards (26:13–16)

Quarrelers and Deceivers (26:17–28)

Careless and quarrelsome speech (26:17–22)

Hateful and deceptive speech (26:23–28)

Fools and Sluggards Wise in Their Own Eyes (26:1–16)

TWELVE PROVERBS OFFER instruction on avoiding or dealing with people like the fool, for the way one handles a fool can be foolish or wise in itself. The phrase “wise in his own eyes” (26:5, 12, 16) links the portraits of the fool and the sluggard.

26:1. The first three sayings about the fool are linked in their use of simile and form. There are three components to each saying, the last describing the actual folly. The first proverb imagines weather out of order: Snow does not come in summer, rain is not welcome during harvest, and so glory should not come to a fool (“glory,” kabod, links with 26:8; cf. 17:7; 19:10; 25:27). Kings find glory in searching out matters, exploring the natural and social orders (25:1), but such work is too high for a fool, one of many reasons the fool should not expect any honors.

26:2. The second three-part saying (cf. 26:1) examines the reverse of honor, the curse. If verse 1 depicts natural order out of whack, verse 2 depicts the order as it should be—undeserved curses do not stick because, like glory to a fool, they are not fitting. The metaphors of fluttering sparrows and swallows depict birds one never sees at rest (23:5); so also an “undeserved [ḥinnam, lit., “for nothing”; cf. 1:11; 24:28] curse” never lands. The saying seems out of place, the only one of the first twelve verses that does not use the word “fool.” Yet birds that dart are in danger (7:23; cf. 1:17; 6:5) as are birds that stray from the nest (27:8), suggesting that cursing has dangers of its own.

26:3. After showing that honor is not fitting for a fool (cf. 26:1), this three-part proverb states what is fitting: Whips make horses move, halters lead donkeys, and rods punish fools (cf. 10:13). If a rod is recommended, it is assumed that the fool is no smarter than these beasts of burden, beyond convincing by argument. More advice on dealing with the fool comes in verses 4–5.

26:4–5. This famous pair of contrasting sayings show that it is not always easy to know how to make a fitting response to a fool. It is not possible to determine whether one or both of these proverbs existed independently, although it is possible that one called out the response of the other. People often bring together dueling proverbs to show that one size does not fit all: “The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” Being wise in one’s own eyes is dangerous (26:12), so perhaps the appropriate “answer” of 26:5 is the rod of 26:3, while the “answer” of debate or correction would be foolish (26:4). Both would ensure that the fool who does not listen receives no glory (26:1; cf. 9:7–9; 23:9; 29:9).

The shift from second person to third person in 26:5b may show some concern for the fool, hoping that his arrogance will be exposed and lead to a change.3 Some argue that the point is not so much on what is fitting but on the teacher’s dilemma: Although one should not have to enter into dialogue with the fool, it is the sage’s job.4

26:6. A chiastic structure unites verses 6–10, matching proverbs on hiring or sending the fool (26:6, 10) and the “proverb in the mouth of the fool” (26:7, 9); a second proverb about glory for the fool stands at the center (26:8; cf. v. 1).5 With the possible exception of verse 7, each depicts some sort of violence or danger. Verse 6 presents another set of threes, perhaps to indicate inappropriate action as in verses 1–3. Sending messages by unreliable types has come up before (10:26; 13:17; cf. 22:21; 25:13). It is not clear whether the harm described is done to the sender or to others, but the former is more likely.

26:7. The comparison repeats the idea of nonfunctional feet and legs from verse 6 (cf. 25:19) as well as the idea of words carried by a fool. Just as the lame cannot use their legs, so a fool cannot use a wise saying and therefore cannot be a good servant and carry a message. Anyone can memorize a collection of sayings (or principles or rules) and apply them inappropriately, just as C. S. Lewis knew that a “scholar’s parrot may talk Greek.” It takes wisdom to craft and deliver an apt word (25:11).

26:8. The point seems obvious; in contemporary terms, giving glory to a fool is like loading a gun. Giving honor is not only inappropriate for the fool (26:1), it is also dangerous. And there may be more here; tying the stone in the sling makes it ineffective, and the one who swings it could get hurt. Similarly, the fool who thinks he is wise is a danger to himself and others, but mostly to himself.

26:9. The thornbush in the drunkard’s hand (lit.) “goes up” in his hand. This ambiguous verb can either mean that the thorn goes up to pierce the drunkard’s hand or that it goes up in his hand as a weapon (NEB, NRSV). Yet a thornbush does not make for a very dangerous weapon, and this may satirize the fool and his pretense to wisdom. The second line is the same as that of verse 7, perhaps to show that when spoken by a fool, a proverb has little effect.

26:10. Images of piercing weapons and wild drunkards link this proverb with the one before, but it also summarizes verses 6–10: Sending a fool creates danger for all (26:18). The Hebrew text is difficult to translate, as the many variations in the ancient versions attest.6 The second line repeats the Hebrew consonants for “hire” (śoker, lit., “and hires a fool and hires a passer-by”), but the same letters can be read, “and hires a fool or a drunkard passing by” (cf. šikor in 26:9).

26:11–12. The last two of the fool sayings describe people who are apparently incapable of learning. Fools repeat their folly, and those who think themselves wise are even worse off. Is there more to the metaphor of verse 11? Vomit is typically a sign of folly in Proverbs (23:8; 25:16), so the dog’s actions make holding on to folly seem particularly distasteful. The last of the fool sayings in verse 12 presents a surprising climax. As dangerous as the fool might be, there is more chance that the fool will learn than someone “wise in his own” eyes, completing the thought of verse 5 and warning that the dangers of folly are never far from the would-be sage. The second line is repeated in 29:20.

26:13–16. These verses present a series of vignettes on the sluggard, three that demonstrate his laziness, the fourth to show that like the fool, he is “wise in his own eyes.” We have met the sluggard before (6:6–9; 10:26; 13:4; 15:19; 19:24; 20:4; 21:25; 22:13; 24:30). His fearful claim about lions in the streets, identical to 22:13, is a transparent attempt to avoid going out to work.

Verse 13 reports what the sluggard says; verse 14 indicates that he does even less. The only motion one will see is his turning in bed, satirically likened here to a door on its hinge. He will not go through the door to find work; he will only mimic its motion so he can stay put.

Yet even a sluggard needs nourishment. In fact, the proverbs often portray him as someone who works too little and eats too much. The picture of a hand that is buried or hid in the dish suggests a deep scoop, but even this effort is left off since now he is too tired to bring it back to his mouth (26:15). This saying paraphrases 19:24; the first lines are identical, but the punch in the second line is different, adding the attribution “too lazy” or “weary.”

Although the proverbs have associated the sluggard’s behavior with folly, he does not see it that way, and perhaps this is his greatest folly of all. He is “wise in his own eyes,” the hopeless status described in verses 5 and 12. The “seven” may be a sign of collective strength or an allusion to the Mesopotamian myth of seven sages who brought culture and learning to the human race before the great flood.7

Quarrelers and Deceivers (26:17–28)

THE SECOND HALF of chapter 26 is organized into four subunits of three proverbs,8 each cluster defined by catchword and theme. It may be that readers are to supply the phrase “wise in his own eyes” at the conclusion of each triad, just as it was repeated throughout the first half of the chapter (26:5, 12, 16). The first two groups are linked by the theme of quarrels (26:17–19, 20–22), the second two by the theme of deception (26:23–25, 26–28). If the quarreler stirs up strife and conflict, the deceiver tries to smooth it over with lies. Troublemakers have been set next to the sluggard in Proverbs before (6:6–19; 15:18–19; 19:24–25; 20:3–4; 24:28–33).

26:17–19. Terms from these three sayings (“quarrel,” “fire,” “deceive”) appear throughout the rest of the chapter. The chapter’s second proverb about dogs (26:17; cf. v. 11) will remind some readers of President Lyndon Johnson grabbing his hound dog by the ears, but most of us would avoid provoking a dog that way. It is needless and causes pain for all involved (esp. if the dog bites), just like hasty quarreling (25:8–10; 15:18; 20:3; 22:24–25).9 Continuing the theme of verse 17, the extended saying of verses 18–19 depicts one who does not take seriously the ruinous effects of his actions. The first part of the comparison requires the whole verse to describe the mad (or reckless) person who shoots fiery darts, arrows, and death (cf. 25:18).

26:20–22. Three proverbs about gossip, quarrels, and damage extend the theme of verses 17–19. Gossip is the wood for quarrel’s fires, so remove the fuel and the fire goes out (26:20). But the potential for monetary gain in legal disputes (“strife” uses the term rib; cf. 26:17) traces the problem to the real source, the “man of quarrel” who feeds the fire. Taken together, one can see the need to excise both the behavior and the person who stirs up quarrels, just as one takes away wood to put out a fire. If quarrels can be profitable, morsels of “gossip” can be tasty, going down to the inmost parts; the metaphor may indicate that they have a negative influence on one’s mind and heart (cf. 26:24; see the comments on the identical proverb in 18:8).

26:23–25. Three proverbs develop the theme of deception from verses 18–19, describing it as an attractive surface that hides the ugliness lying beneath. The image of glaze on clay is straightforward enough (26:23), but translators differ on whether the Hebrew “silver dross” (see NIV text note) should be emended after a related Ugaritic term to “glaze.” Dross removed by a smelter would look like silver when overlaid on clay, but no one would be fooled. In the same way, glaze is only a cover. “Fervent lips” are literally “burning” like flaming arrows (cf. 26:18; also 16:27; Ps. 7:13), scattering the thoughts of an evil heart. In Proverbs 26:24, the lips of a malicious man hope to disguise the deceit of the “heart” (lit., “inner being”; cf. 26:22).

The “malicious man” (26:24) is (lit.) “one who hates” (śnʾ; cf. 26:26, 28). His speech can be charming, even beautiful, like glittering silver dross, but it conceals seven abominations (26:25; cf. “seven” in 26:16 and the seven abominations in 6:16–19). In the same way, an enemy may multiply kisses (27:6).

26:26–28. Three examples of evil deeds that backfire begin with the ultimate end of deception (cf. 26:19, 23–25). Malice or “hatred” (26:26; cf. v. 28) cannot be hidden for long; when it is exposed, everyone in the assembly will know (cf. 5:14). Getting caught in a trap set for others is a common motif of Psalms as well as Proverbs (Ps. 7:15–16; 57:6); the stone will “return” just as the dog returns (šwb; cf. Prov. 26:11) to vomit. So also, the false tongue not only hurts others, it hurts itself because it leads to its own ruin. “Hates” repeats the same root as “malice” in verse 26 and “malicious” in verse 24 (śnʾ ); flattery for gain is just one of hate’s lying strategies.

Bridging Contexts

LEARNING TO LIVE WISELY. The sayings of chapter 26 are tied together by the theme of discerning what is fitting, and so each of the four characters show us how to avoid their habits and the trouble they cause. Van Leeuwen calls verses 1–12 a “treatise on the hermeneutics of wisdom, how one uses proverbs in ways that are fitting. Thus one learns to read proverbs and in turn, to read life.”10 The strategy extends to the rest of the chapter, for each character has not learned to read either and so is unable to match learning and life. The fool, the sluggard, the quarreler, and the deceiver each illustrate a lack of perception that fails to discern what is required for the life of wisdom. In some cases, the intentions are downright evil: “The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked, only what is perverse” (10:32).

The “undeserved curse does not come to rest” like the flitting birds because it is “for nothing” (ḥinnam, 26:2). This takes the reader back to 1:17, in which the wicked are like birds unaware of a baited trap. Just as they did not know that their violent deeds would come back upon them, so the characters of this chapter become the victims of their own folly and evil (26:27). All that has been said between that first chapter and this one has helped us understand the biblical irony that “what goes around comes around.” Through the many instructions and proverbs, we have come to understand how that circle of folly works, but in reading them we also learn how we might make a wise response, doing good so that it may circle back to us.

Moreover, in these later chapters of the book, we also move from taking the clear directions of the parents’ instructions to learning how to discern wise action for ourselves. We have observed that the proverbs of chapters 26–27 put more emphasis on the responsibilities of servants and messengers, while chapters 28–29 stress the responsibilities of kings (see comments in ch. 25). Therefore, we may set the proverbs of this chapter in the context of responsibilities for discernment that fall to servants, messengers, and employers but also to neighbors and community leaders.

The dangers of lack of wisdom. What stands out to readers in this chapter’s collection of proverbs is that fools and evildoers cause damage and trouble, not only for themselves but also for many others. Curses (26:2), cut-off feet, violence drunk like wine (26:6), slings (26:8), thorn bushes (26:9), archers (26:10), firebrands, arrows and death (26:18), fire and strife (26:19–21, 23), and pit and stone (26:27) are all intertwined with acts of speaking, illustrating the devastating power that words grant to those who use them for harm.

However, these proverbs go on to show that while they may do damage, all words used without the guidance of wisdom ultimately fail. Each of the four characters misuses the power of speaking, trying to “do things with words” that he cannot. The fool wants to use the proverbs of the wise, but he can only speak folly (26:7, 9). The sluggard wants to answer discretely, but he can only make up fantasies that people see through (26:16, 13). The quarreler wants to use strife and gossip to his advantage, but he only succeeds in spreading fire (26:18–21); the deceiver wants to be smooth as glaze, but he cannot hide the evil in his heart (26:23–26). Each attempts to harness the power of words, only to be overpowered in the process. Fools only fool themselves. Evildoers bring evil on themselves. These character sketches help us recognize our own pretenses and bad intentions, revealing how transparent, futile, and dangerous they can be.

The sayings on the fool appear to be directed to a person who is also foolish enough to hire one as a messenger; both should know that such an honor is not fitting, even if the fool desires it. The dangers are clear, and the one who sends is responsible for the damages, at least in part (26:6–10). The proverb pair on answering the fool presents two goals: (1) We are to keep ourselves from “becoming like him,” and (2) we are to keep the fool from thinking he has become like the wise (26:4–5). We must weigh the dangers to self against the benefits that might come to another. We can avoid the path of the fool by “searching out matters” (25:2) and not taking on those too great for us, and we can hold back from giving assignments to those not suited for them. One way that a reader of proverbs can become a reader of life is to become a judge of character, an ancient principle that applies today. If we value wisdom, we will look for it in others and encourage it when we find it.

Before they are sent anywhere, fools (who are wise in their own eyes) need both the rod and the appropriate answer, symbols for bringing teaching and correction together (26:3–5). We have seen that proverbs, the sayings that provoke insight and persuade, are limp and ineffective in the mouth of a fool (26:7, 9), who can recite them but does not understand them. If sages and messengers of old used proverbs in their conversations with rulers, they needed to learn how to use the right one at the right time and to follow their instruction, or the results could have been disastrous. The adulterous king David sent a proverb to his general Joab to keep secret their conspiracy to kill Uriah: “The sword devours one as well as another.” David paid the price for his folly and sin as he heard his judgment pronounced in a parable (2 Sam. 11:25–12:14).

In a sense, those who send and those who are sent have much in common. Although few of us will hold something like that ancient job of messenger, the role of using our own knowledge and insight to represent another person or tradition extends into most of our lives. Diplomats and executives may be charged with representing governments and corporations, but the task of faithful representation also falls to teachers, who must understand their field of study to pass it on—and that includes teachers of the gospel. The call to learn and teach involves critical reflection, the ability to bring principles and life situation together, and so one cannot simply recite accumulated knowledge; it would sound like a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

A colleague in graduate school told me that she always started a new course asking what she needed to learn from it and how she would go about connecting it to her work. Teachers sometimes ask their students to set such goals, often in the form of a learning covenant. The point is to ask teachers and students alike to bring together accumulated knowledge and its application to ever-changing life settings. Such is the work of teaching wisdom, and in a sense, all who teach in schools, churches, and homes are called to it.

There seems to be precious little wisdom with the sluggard who works so hard to avoid work. Thus, sending a sluggard on a mission is like putting vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes (10:26). Part of the problem is foolish pride, for this one too is wise in his own eyes, wiser than those who know how to answer and perhaps beyond any hope of learning (26:12, 16).

Throughout Proverbs, the sluggard has warned readers of the dangers closest to them, especially the danger of avoiding the important matter of learning wisdom. The danger is real, though hidden; no violent images are used in this set of sayings apart from the imagined lion in the streets, and even this is more humorous than frightful. The only lion the sluggard will meet in the “road” and “streets” is Woman Wisdom (cf. 1:20; 8:1–3; 9:3–4), and, of course, he avoids her at all costs. Yet perhaps here is why the sluggard represents the greatest danger for us—pride’s close cousin, complacency, is hard to recognize. Each appearance of the sluggard reminds us that learning wisdom is hard work, requires constant attention, and yields greater rewards than those of late mornings in bed and half-eaten food. The sluggard is a kind of fool, and so these two figures, wise in their own eyes, warn us of similar tendencies toward pride and complacency in our lives.

If the fool and sluggard do not get it, so also the evil pair of characters in 26:17–28 do not understand how to read “what is fitting” out of life. They do not understand that “what goes around comes around,” and so they try to use the power of words for evil ends, only to have their evil turn back on them. If it is dangerous to hire a fool, it is also dangerous to ignore the follies of the quarreler and deceiver. If fools and sluggards are wise in their own eyes, proud and complacent, these two are also, believing they are slick and smooth. Yet just as the fool and sluggard are exposed for what they are, so these characters are eventually found out, but it is better to recognize them before they do their damage.

Those who deceive, quarrel, and gossip think they are smarter than their neighbors, to whom they lie and say, “I was only joking!” (26:18–19). They are like archers shooting firebrands, just as those who gossip are like those who “kindle strife” as if it was a campfire. A fire in a fireplace can provide a welcome haven for a neighbor, but when used against the neighbor to set fire to house and property, fire is a dangerous thing indeed. So is the pretense of neighbor love. The images of this particular brand of folly all speak of covering evil over with pleasing appearances—attractive glaze, charming speech, and flattering or smooth words (26:23, 25, 28), pretending friendship when in fact the intent is hatred (26:24, 26, 28).

Each proverb’s exposure of this pleasing deception of goodwill and the ugly reality of hatred accomplishes the work of 26:26; it exposes wickedness in the assembly. The seven abominations that accompany the hate of this person’s heart are perhaps an answer to seven who can answer discretely (26:16). Like the sluggard, these people too are wise in their own eyes, yet not wise enough to see that they will be exposed and will be caught in their own traps. Appearances can be deceiving; thus, readers must sharpen their skills of character assessment, rooting out such pretense in their own lives and steering clear of it when it appears in others.

Perhaps the strategy of the sages who put these proverbs together set the buffoons next to the liars to show that they are not that far apart. Both pretend to wisdom, one by speaking proverbs, the other by speaking falsehood. Neither knows what is fitting, and so just as dogs return to eat what their stomachs rejected, so the stone turns back to crush the one who set it in motion (26:11, 27). Both believe that they are wise, but more tragic are those who believe they are slick enough to put one over on those they call friends. To speak lies, however beautiful they may sound, is to speak foolishly.

Thus, the ancient rhetoricians criticized those who used the art of persuasion to make themselves appear great or make the wrong appear right; they saw that it was possible to use words for effect but not for love. In the same way, Paul addressed the quarrels and divisions of the church at Corinth with teaching on wisdom and humility (1 Cor. 1:10–11). While interpreters debate whether Paul had ancient practitioners of rhetoric in mind when he set preaching of the cross against words of human wisdom (1:17), it is clear that he rejected what he called fine words and words of wisdom, reminding the Corinthians that not many of them were of high status or wise (1:26). In the end, Paul dismissed fine-sounding words of secular wisdom because they led to pride and quarrels. Instead, he presented Christ:

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom but on God’s power. (1 Cor. 2:2–5, TNIV).

Paul’s words remind us how quickly any quest for wisdom can turn inward, elevating our own accomplishments rather than looking to the work of God in Jesus. They also remind us that we can set aside our quest for honors or advantages and open ourselves to the one who loves us in spite of our pretenses. It is a sign of wisdom to know the three principles of this chapter: to know what is fitting, to realize that one gets what one gives out, and to apply these truths to the practice of communication. The characters of this chapter show us that it is folly to try and become facile with words if we forget the importance of wisdom, humility, and honesty.

Contemporary Significance

DANGEROUS VERSUS CAREFUL TALK. If we are to apply the principles of these proverbs to our own day, we may as well admit that at times we have all played the fool or the troublemaker to some degree. Who has not sought honors by dropping a name or an accomplishment in hopes of fishing some word of praise out of the conversation? Who has not said an unkind word, either to another in a quarrel or about another in gossip, hoping to prove that we are right or better than the one singed by the fire? So it is that we often speak to lift ourselves up or, failing that, to at least stand on top of somebody else; if honor will not come to us, let dishonor come to another.

The problem is that we are messing with the basic chemistry of communication and are in danger of blowing up the lab, hurting others as well as ourselves. In high school I had a lab partner who wanted to prove he was smart by messing with the procedure, concocting something that he thought would get a bigger reaction than our lab book prescribed. He got a reaction, but not the one he expected. The teacher saw what was going on, told both of us to sit down, gave us a lecture on safety, and then gave us both zeros for the day. Looking back, that penalty was much easier to take than catching a piece of lab beaker in my face. “A whip for the horse, a halter for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools” (26:3). The basic chemistry of communication says that bad talk brings bad results, so we should be grateful when it does not blow up in our faces.

There are two ways that we can put aside dangerous talk and avoid its dangers. (1) The first is to practice and teach the reverse of the fool’s pride and strive for humility in speaking. Rather than trying to show off concerning what (or who) we know, we can try to find out about the things we do not know, learning from others all we can about this world of ours and its workings. Curiosity about life is almost always rewarded in ways that boasting and preening are not. Of course, there are times in life when it seems that pretenders and sluggards are rewarded, but the general principle of humility holds—nothing earns honor more than working for goals higher than praise. If we are in an endeavor only for the honor it brings, we will surely be disappointed.

If a fool believes he is wise enough to use a proverb, the sluggard believes he is wiser than seven; worse than giving honor to a fool is giving honor to oneself the way the sluggard does (26:1, 5, 8, 12, 16). Thus, the fool tries too hard to earn honors by parroting proverbs, and the sluggard thinks he can craft clever tales to serve his purposes. The sluggard is a kind of fool, and so these two figures, wise in their own eyes, warn us of similar tendencies toward pride and pretense in our lives.

Here is the danger of letting our words reveal that we are wise in our own eyes. It keeps us from paying attention, leading us to forget that our knowledge of the facts is always limited. Therefore, we should not be saying, “I know what to do,” but rather always asking, “What is the best thing to do in this case? How can I exercise discernment in this world of limited perceptions and partial knowledge?” I once heard a speaker tell the story of a man on a subway who seemed oblivious to the raucous behavior of his children. When someone asked him why he did not make them sit down and stay quiet, he apologized and answered that they were coming from the hospital where his wife had just died. He needed a word of comfort, not correction.

While the requirements of wisdom do not change, the way they are applied to situations is fluid, and a humble appreciation for care with words will mark us as wise. Just as fools are unaware of their folly, so they that deem themselves wise are in danger of the same (cf. Eccl. 7:23–25). Although Yahweh is not named in this chapter’s collection of proverbs, the recurring phrase “wise in his own eyes” sends readers back to Proverbs 3:1–10, where parent pleads with their son to keep the teaching and commands, especially that of love and faithfulness, hoping that he will “win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man” (3:4), will trust in Yahweh instead of his own understanding (3:5), will fear Yahweh instead of being wise in own eyes (3:7), and will honor Yahweh with wealth instead of using it to aggrandize self (3:9).

(2) The second way to practice good communication is to reject the troublemaker’s deception and cultivate loving honesty within ourselves and with those around us. We need honesty with ourselves to uncover when our anger at another is really jealousy or a quarrel about some superficial matter is really about some deeper hurt from the past. We can catch ourselves trying to sugarcoat our words when we really want to say something hurtful. The break can give us a chance to collect ourselves so we can go back lovingly to confront the real issue.

While the deceits described in these proverbs seem designed to steal a neighbor’s reputation or property, the principle of setting aside dishonesty, gossip, and quarrels carries over into our interactions with family and neighbors, and even with God. How much conflict in our churches could be avoided with honest and loving confrontation? We can be ruthless with ourselves but also firm with others, calling them to account when we believe they are less than honest.

Envy and jealousy. When we quarrel and gossip, what is it we think we lack? Sometimes we believe we need more material goods and get jealous, probably more often what we believe we lack is status and the esteem of others. Hatred and honesty seem to be in opposition here, for the motivation for these deceptions is hate (śnʾ in 26:24, 26, 28). If we hate someone simply for having what they have, we have experienced the mortal sin of envy, as described by William S. Stafford: “Envy is resentment of the good another person enjoys, with hatred of the other person for having it. It moves beyond the shallower deadly sins toward something worse: ill will pure and simple, the hatred of good because it is good.”11

Envy fails to recognize two truths: (1) that we are created beings, depending on God for all that we are and have, our gifts and our talents, and (2) that God’s distribution of those gifts and talents makes us depend on one another as well. What one has, another needs, but if we assume that we must have it all, we reject that dependence on God and each other and set ourselves up for envy, hatred, and potential acts of malice. It is better to thank God for what we have and then go on to thank God for what our neighbors have, accepting that our gifts, like our wisdom, have limits. If the fool refuses to accept the limits placed on wisdom, the one who hates refuses to accept the limits of our gifts and acquisitions—no one can have it all. Thanksgiving can help with that acceptance. What we may sense as lack can drive us to depend on God and be open to receive help from a neighbor.

Therefore, we can be honest with ourselves if we find that we resent what others have in the way of talents, possessions, lifestyles, and family. When we lie, quarrel, or gossip, we can recognize the underlying hatred and envy, looking also to see if it is accompanied by any hurt. Joseph’s brothers hated him and envied the place he had in his father’s heart, but that bitter root grew out of the hurt caused by favoritism. Recognizing that we are prone to envy and its hatred can help us uncover some of our own deceptions (even self-deceptions) before they do damage and are exposed. The worker who lies to a colleague and claims it was all a joke can identify his own sense of deprivation. The student eager to spread the news of a rival’s mistake can recognize her desire to take that rival’s place. The habitual quarreler can identify the inner needs that motivate the disputes. Moreover, when we see these forms of hate in others, we can take steps to expose it in confrontation, to take another aside before things get worse, before the lab blows up.

Perhaps it is envy that moves the sluggard to think himself wiser than seven who can answer well, and perhaps it is laziness that keeps the troublemaker from dealing with his own envy and hatred. Yet just as the fool and sluggard are exposed for what they are, so these characters are eventually found out, though it is better to recognize them before they do their damage. These character sketches help us recognize our own pretenses, revealing how transparent, futile, and dangerous they can be.

Appearances can be deceiving, and so readers are encouraged to sharpen their skills of character assessment, rooting out such pretense in their own lives and steering clear of it when it appears in others. Instead, we can take Paul’s recommendation and seek to know Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). Recognizing that in him we have the “riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding” (Eph. 1:7–8), we can look for what is fitting instead of what serves us, recognize that while evil attracts evil, good is returned with good, and that both can be practiced in the way we talk to one another. If we value wisdom, we will nurture it within ourselves, look for it in others, and encourage it when we find it. We will try to lift up others instead of ourselves, a theme that is explored in the next chapter.