14:16 A wise person is cautious 1 and turns from evil,
but a fool throws off restraint 2 and is overconfident. 3
26:6 Like cutting off the feet or drinking violence, 4
so is sending 5 a message by the hand of a fool. 6
1 tn Heb “fears.” Since the holy name (Yahweh, translated “the
2 tn The Hitpael of עָבַר (’avar, “to pass over”) means “to pass over the bounds of propriety; to act insolently” (BDB 720 s.v.; cf. ASV “beareth himself insolently”).
3 tn The verb בָּטַח here denotes self-assurance or overconfidence. Fools are not cautious and do not fear the consequences of their actions.
4 sn Sending a messenger on a mission is like having another pair of feet. But if the messenger is a fool, this proverb says, not only does the sender not have an extra pair of feet – he cuts off the pair he has. It would not be simply that the message did not get through; it would get through incorrectly and be a setback! The other simile uses “violence,” a term for violent social wrongs and injustice. The metaphorical idea of “drinking” violence means suffering violence – it is one’s portion. So sending a fool on a mission will have injurious consequences.
5 tn The participle could be taken as the subject of the sentence: “the one who sends…cuts off…and drinks.”
6 sn The consequence is given in the first line and the cause in the second. It would be better not to send a message at all than to use a fool as messenger.