In his book How to Read Proverbs, Bible scholar Tremper Longman III tells a story about his grandmother. While preparing Thanksgiving dinner, she would tell anyone who tried to help, “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” In other words, Get out of my kitchen. You’re only going to get in the way. But after the meal, when everyone was full and sleepy, she would say, “Many hands make light work.” Now it was time for everyone to help clear the table and wash the dishes.
Put those two sayings side by side, and they seem to contradict each other. Do many hands make work easier? Or do too many cooks get in the way?
The answer for each is: sometimes!
That simple illustration helps us understand something important about biblical Proverbs.
What Is a Proverb?
The Lexham Bible Dictionary defines a proverb as a short, memorable statement used to give wise advice or counsel. But there is something important we need to add to that definition: Proverbs are not necessarily true in every circumstance. They express truths that are generally true.
That can initially be difficult for faithful Bible readers. If we believe the Bible is God’s Word, shouldn’t we take what it says as true, always? Actually, taking the Bible seriously also means reading each part according to the kind of literature God inspired it to be:
- Poetry and apocalyptic literature use imagery and symbolism.
- Parables tell stories.
- Proverbs give us short, memorable statements of wisdom.
To treat a proverb as an unconditional promise that applies identically in every circumstance actually distorts its intended meaning.
Bible scholar Duane Garrett explains, “By its very nature and purpose, wisdom emphasizes the general truth over some specific cases and, being a work of instruction, frames its teachings in short, pithy statements without excessive qualification. It is not that the wisdom writers did not know that life was complex and full of exceptions, but dwelling on those cases would have distracted attention from their didactic purposes.”
In other words, proverbs give us wisdom with a punch rather than burying the principle under lots of qualifications. And sometimes, two different circumstances require two different proverbs.
‘Answer a Fool’ or ‘Don’t Answer a Fool’?
Perhaps the clearest example of seemingly contradictory proverbs occurs in Proverbs 26:4-5 (ESV):
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.
Some individuals may remember reading these verses for the first time and being completely boggled. We were just told both: to answer a fool and not to answer a fool. What are we supposed to do with that?
Some interpreters have tried to resolve the tension by understanding “according to his folly” differently in each verse. Don’t answer a fool with the same foolishness, they suggest, but then do answer him in order to correct him. There is certainly wisdom in that approach.
The difficulty is that the Hebrew wording is essentially the same in both verses for “according to his folly.” The tension appears intentional. In fact, biblical scholar Tremper Longman III notes that some ancient rabbis regarded these verses as so contradictory that they questioned the book’s canonical status!
But rather than treating the tension as a problem, we should see it as part of the lesson.
Derek Kidner writes that these verses “bring out the dilemma of those who would reason with the unreasonable.” Sometimes responding to a fool only drags you down to his level. At other times, a fool needs to be answered so that his foolishness does not go unchallenged.
So which verse should we obey? Both. Wisdom is knowing which one the situation requires.
We even see something like this in the apostle Paul. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul deliberately adopts the boasting language of his opponents. He repeatedly acknowledges that he is “speaking as a fool.” Ordinarily, he would not participate in such foolish boasting. But because the Corinthians were being influenced by false teachers, Paul temporarily answered foolishness on its own terms in order to expose it.
Proverbs 26:4-5 therefore does more than give us two rules. It teaches us something about wisdom itself: Wisdom requires discernment.
Learning to Read Proverbs Wisely
Since proverbs do not apply identically in every circumstance, a helpful question to ask is: Under what circumstances does this proverb apply, and under what circumstances might it not?
When two proverbs seem to contradict each other, we don’t need to immediately try to force one of them to mean something it doesn’t. Instead, ask what situation each proverb addresses. We can compare it with other Proverbs on the same subject. We can compare it to the rest of Scripture. One short proverb can’t possibly give us everything the Bible has to say about money, speech, work, suffering, parenting, friendship, or any other subject.
There are many things in life that we need to process case by case. We need discernment to know how biblical truth applies to the particular circumstances in front of us. Some decisions are straightforward because Scripture speaks directly and universally. Others require us to consider the person, circumstances, timing, and consequences involved. That’s what the Proverbs are about.
The authors of Proverbs, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, also drew from lived experience and careful observation of the world around them. In this sense, wisdom can sometimes be thought of in two categories: lived wisdom and borrowed wisdom. We may know something because we have experienced it ourselves, or because we trust the wisdom of someone who has. While wisdom gained through experience can be valuable, how much better to “borrow” wisdom when we can and avoid the dangers someone else had to experience firsthand.
Experience, then, is one way we grow in wisdom, but it is not our only guide. The rest of Scripture helps us understand Proverbs and biblical wisdom within the larger story God has revealed. As believers regularly read God’s Word, the Holy Spirit who dwells within us helps us understand and apply its truth.
Let Proverbs Lead You to Wisdom in Christ
Tremper Longman reminds us that the wisdom of Proverbs ultimately directs our attention to Christ. He writes that Proverbs presses us to ask, “What is or should be the driving force of my life? Will I enter a relationship with Wisdom or Folly? with God or idols? A particular choice faces the Christian reader: In light of the New Testament’s teaching on the nature of wisdom, is Jesus Christ, the epitome of God’s wisdom, at the center of my life’s decisions and actions?”
The goal of difficult proverbs, and of Proverbs as a whole, then, is not merely to give us a rule for every possible situation. It is to form us into people who fear the Lord, know His Word, and increasingly possess the wisdom to discern what faithfulness requires in each moment.
The endless decisions, daily distractions, and constant demands pulling at your heart can easily leave you feeling overwhelmed and depleted. You are not alone. Women navigating the busy and beautiful seasons of life often long to make wise choices for their families, build deeply rooted relationships, and anchor their hearts in unshakable truth.
31 Days Through Proverbs is a daily Bible study workbook from Proverbs 31 Ministries, designed to walk you through the entire book of Proverbs in just one month. One chapter. One day. One step closer to the wisdom you’ve been searching for.
