Proverbs Chapter 26 verse 8 Holy Bible

ASV Proverbs 26:8

As one that bindeth a stone in a sling, So is he that giveth honor to a fool.
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BBE Proverbs 26:8

Giving honour to a foolish man is like attempting to keep a stone fixed in a cord.
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DARBY Proverbs 26:8

As a bag of gems in a stoneheap, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.
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KJV Proverbs 26:8

As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.
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WBT Proverbs 26:8


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WEB Proverbs 26:8

As one who binds a stone in a sling, So is he who gives honor to a fool.
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YLT Proverbs 26:8

As one who is binding a stone in a sling, So `is' he who is giving honour to a fool.
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Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerse 8. - As he that bindeth a stone in a sling. So Septuagint, Ὅς ἀποδεσμέυει λίθον ἐν σφενδόνῃ. This gives a very good sense the point being either that the stone, after being firmly fitted in its place, quickly passes away from the sling, or, if more stress is laid on the word "bindeth," that the stone is so firmly fixed that it cannot be slung, and therefore never reaches the mark. The alternative rendering adopted by the Revised Version is this, "As a bag of gems in a heap of stones;" where the incongruity would consist either in exposing jewels on a cairn, or sepulchral monument, whence they could easily be filched, or in attracting undesirable attention. But there are grammatical and etymological reasons against this interpretation; and the Authorized Version is to be considered correct. The Vulgate is curious: Sieur qui mittit lapidem in acervum Mercurii. This rendering points to the custom, with which Jerome must have been familiar, of erecting statues of Mercury on the highways, which were thus placed under his protection. Round these statues were ranged heaps of stones, to which every wayfarer contributed by throwing a pebble as he passed. The absence of the critical faculty which discerned no absurdity in this anachronism is sufficiently remarkable. The Latin saying seems intended to denote useless labour, as we speak of "carrying coals to Newcastle." So is he that giveth honour to a fool. You pay respect to a fool, or place him in an honourable position, but your labour is wasted; he cannot act up to his dignity, he cannot maintain the honour; it passes away like the stone from the sling, or, if it remains, it is useless to him.

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(8) As he that bindeth a stone in a sling . . .--i.e., the stone is soon gone from the sling and seen no more, so honour and a fool soon part company. This seems on the whole the most probable rendering of this verse.