26:6 Like cutting off the feet or drinking violence, 1
so is sending 2 a message by the hand of a fool. 3
1 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.
2 tn The participle could be taken as the subject of the sentence: “the one who sends…cuts off…and drinks.”
3 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.