Proverbs 26:8

As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool. AS HE THAT BINDETH (HURLETH, MAURER) A STONE IN A SLING, SO (IS) HE THAT GIVETH HONOUR TO A FOOL. The honour is thrown away that is given to a fool. Ewald takes it as the English version, If one binds a stone in a sling, it becomes useless to the slinger; so honour attached to a fool. So the Septuagint The Vulgate gives the sense in the margin of the English version. But "a stone" can hardly stand for a precious stone. The Chaldaic, Syriac, and Arabic support the English version....

Verse Proverbs 26:8. _AS HE THAT BINDETH A STONE IN A SLING_, SO IS _HE THAT_ _GIVETH HONOUR TO A FOOL._] It is entirely thrown away. This, however, is a difficult proverb; and the _versions_ give but little light on the subject. The Hebrew may be translated, "As a piece of precious stone among a heap of stones, so is he that giveth honour to a fool." See the _margin_, and _Parkhurst_: but on this interpretation the meaning would rather be, "It is as useless to throw a jewel among a heap of stones to increase its bulk, as to give honour to a fool." _As he that sendith a stoon into a hepe of monee; so he that_ _geveth to an unwiisman wirschip_. - Old MS. Bible. "He that setteth a foole in hye dignite, that is even as yf a man dyd caste a precious stone upon the galous." - _Coverdale_.

i. e., “To give honor to the fool is like binding a stone in a sling; you cannot throw it.” In each case you misapply and so waste. Others render in the sense of the margin: To use a precious stone where a pebble would be sufficient, is not less foolish than to give honor to a fool....

EXPOSITION PROVERBS 26:1 Certain proverbs concerning the fool (_kesil_),_ _with the exception, perhaps, of Proverbs 26:2 (see on Proverbs 1:22). PROVERBS 26:1 AS SNOW IN SUMMER, AND AS RAIN IN HARVEST. Snow in summer would be quite unnatural and unheard of (see on Proverbs 25:13). Rain falls in the usual course of things only at stated times; whence arose the phrase of "the early and of latter rains" (see on...

AS HE THAT BINDETH A STONE IN A SLING,.... That so fastens it to it that it cannot be slung out of it, it becomes useless and does not answer the end for which it is put there; or that places it there that it may be cast out, and is cast out, and so is thrown away, and of no more use; or that puts a precious stone, so some interpret it, in a heap of common stones, even in such a heap as is used at the stoning of malefactors; or increases the heap of stones on such, which the more exposes them, and the greater reproach they are loaded with; so the more a fool is praised, it does but bring to mind his folly, and issues in his greater disgrace, so Gussetius o: or rather it has respect to a precious stone put in such a heap of stones, as Luther; or else, according to Schultens, to such an one put into a heap of sepulchral stones; or, as Aben Ezra, that binds up a stone, a common stone, in pu...

CHAPTER 26 CONCERNING THE FOOL AND THE SLUGGARD Eleven times we meet the word fool in this chapter. Three different words are used in the Hebrew for fool. The first is “avil” which signifies weakness. The second word “kesil” occurs nearly fifty times, means fat or dense. The third word is the Hebrew “nabal,” which is derived from the verb to fade, or to wither; it means a vulgar, bad man who has given himself over to wickedness. The natural man in his condition, his darkened mind, his sinfulness answers to much that is said about the fool in this book. As snow in summer and rain at harvest time are quiteimpossible in Palestine, so is honor for a fool. A fool may utter a curse, as they often do, and wish something evil, but being causeless, it will not be fulfilled. The fool needs correction, the stripes for his back, he deserves no answer, and if he is answered it must be according to hi...

THE BOOK OF FOOLS. A section containing a series of synthetic couplets dealing with folly (except Proverbs 26:2). The text is unusually corrupt and defective. PROVERBS 26:1. For the opposite use of snow in harvest _cf._ Proverbs 25:13 *. Proverbs 26:2. Directed against the superstitious belief in the magical value of a curse. The simile refers to the aimless wandering of a bird, and is not to be compared with the flying roll of curses in Zechariah 5:1....

BINDETH. bindeth tight:. foolish thing to do....

_bindeth a stone in a sling_ This, which is the rendering of the LXX. (ὅς ἀποδεσμεύει λίθον ἐν σφενδόνῃ), must be taken to mean, he who "bindeth fast" (R.V. marg.) a stone so that it cannot come out, thus frustrating by his action the very purpose for which a stone is put into a sling. Such a proceeding is a fit emblem of the incongruity of "giving honour to a fool." But the Heb. word thus rendered "sling," that which casts away stones, occurs nowhere else, and it may have the meaning of a heap or collection of stones. And it is so understood both in A.V. marg., _As he that putteth a_precious _stone in an heap of stones_, and in R.V. text, _As a bag of gems in an heap of stones_. This rendering gives point to the comparison: To put honour on one who is so utterly undeserving of it as a fool, is like hiding precious stones among worthless pebbles. It necessitates however our understanding...

AS HE THAT BINDETH A STONE IN A SLING— The plain meaning of this seems to be, what Bishop Patrick has given in his paraphrase; "As a stone put into a sling stays not long there, so is that honour thrown away which is bestowed upon a fool." Houbigant explains it in the same manner. Some of the versions render it, _As he who throweth a stone to Mercury's heap;_ which is supposed to be an allusion to the superstitious custom, obliging passengers to throw a stone to such heaps in honour of Mercury; but it is very doubtful whether this custom was so old as Solomon's time. See Calmet's note. Parkhurst supposes the meaning to be, _As a spark, or small piece of precious stone, in a heap of stones, so is he who giveth honour to a fool._ The _precious stone_ in one case, and the _honour_ in the other, are thrown away and lost. See his Lexicon on the word רגם _ragam._...