Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes.Proverbs 26:5
Original language and places
Reference data from open datasets, shown as published by their sources. Word-by-word English is a literal guide, not a translation.
Original language (Hebrew)
עֲנֵ֣ה כְ֭סִיל כְּאִוַּלְתּ֑וֹ פֶּן־יִהְיֶ֖ה חָכָ֣ם בְּעֵינָֽיו׃
- עֲנֵ֣ה'a.Neh“answer”Verb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, singular · from עָנָה · “to answer” · Strong's H6030B
- כְ֭סִילKhe.sil“a fool”Adjective, masculine, singular, absolute · from כְּסִיל · “fool” · Strong's H3684
- כְּאִוַּלְתּ֑וֹke.'i.val.To“according to foolishness his”Preposition + Noun, feminine, singular, construct + Suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular · from אִוֶּ֫לֶת · “folly” · Strong's H0200
- פֶּן־pen-“lest”Particle · “lest” · Strong's H6435
- יִהְיֶ֖הyih.Yeh“he should be”Verb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular · from הָיָה · “to be” · Strong's H1961
- חָכָ֣םcha.Kham“wise”Adjective, masculine, singular, absolute · from חָכָם · “wise” · Strong's H2450
- בְּעֵינָֽיו׃be.'ei.Nav“in own eyes his”Preposition + Noun, feminine, dual, construct + Suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular · from עַ֫יִן · “eye” · Strong's H5869A
- Hebrew and Aramaic words: STEP Bible (STEPBible.org), based on work at Tyndale House, Cambridge. CC BY 4.0. Source (version ed476a8)