A Contradiction?

The Text

Proverbs 26:4–5 “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.

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

On the surface, these two statements do seem contradictory

Is it the only place?

A Similar Text

Proverbs 19:11 “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.”

Proverbs 19:19 “A man of great wrath will pay the penalty, for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.”

Making Sense of the Conflict

Good hermeneutics:

What is the authorial intent?

Remember the genre—Proverbs are general words of wisdom to be applied according to the circumstances

There are different situations that argue for different responses.

What happens if we get it wrong?

If we don’t wisely answer a fool according to his folly, he may go away thinking he was right…and may cause confusion—or your failure to answer may call cause confusion

Or…we may unwisely answer a fool when we should not, and cause an argument, or unproductive and wasteful discussion