Proverbs 26:7 — Word Study
WLCדַּלְי֣וּ שֹׁ֭קַיִם מִפִּסֵּ֑חַ וּ֝מָשָׁ֗ל בְּפִ֣י כְסִילִֽים׃
BSALike lamepiççêach [weak, crippled] legsshôwq [thighs, lower legs] hanging limpdâlal■ [languishing, drooping] is a proverbmâshâl [wise saying, parable] in the mouthpeh [lips, words] of a foolkᵉçîyl [stupid one, silly person, rejecting God]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| דַּלְי֣וּ | they hang down | Verb, Qal, perfect third person common plural |
| שֹׁ֭קַיִם | legs | Noun common, feminine dual absolute |
| מִפִּסֵּ֑חַ | from a lame [person] | Preposition |
| וּ֝מָשָׁ֗ל | and a proverb | Conjunction, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| בְּפִ֣י | in [the] mouth of | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct |
| כְסִילִֽים׃ | fools | Adj |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Like lame legs hanging limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. |
| KJV | The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools. |
| ASV | The legs of the lame hang loose; So is a parable in the mouth of fools. |
| YLT | Weak have been the two legs of the lame, And a parable in the mouth of fools. |
| WEB | Like the legs of the lame that hang loose, so is a parable in the mouth of fools. |
| BBE | The legs of one who has no power of walking are hanging loose; so is a wise saying in the mouth of the foolish. |
There are no significant differences in how the translations render this verse.
The structure consists of a main clause with a comparative phrase and additional descriptive phrases, emphasizing the metaphorical comparison.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectשׁוֹק
verbדלה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Proverbs 26:7
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Nature of Proverbsgenerated
Proverbs 26:7 illustrates the futility of a proverb when it is spoken by a fool, comparing it to lame legs that cannot support weight. The surrounding verses also emphasize the ineffectiveness of foolish actions and words, providing a broader context of wisdom versus folly in the book of Proverbs.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proverbs 26:9 | Like a thorn that falls into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. |
| 2 | Proverbs 17:7 | Eloquent words are unfit for a fool; how much worse are lying lips to a ruler! |
| 3 | Psalm 50:16–21 | To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips? |
| 4 | Psalm 64:8 | They will be made to stumble, their own tongues turned against them. All who see will shake their heads. |
| 5 | Matthew 7:4–5 | How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 6 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — דַּלְי֣וּ, dal.Yugenerated
The verb דַּלְי֣וּ (dal.Yu) is a perfect third person plural form of the root דָּלַל (dalal), meaning 'to hang down' or 'to languish'. It conveys a sense of weakness or being brought low, often in a figurative sense of distress. In this verse, it describes the state of legs that are ineffective and limp, paralleling the ineffectiveness of a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
The use of this verb emphasizes the limpness and lack of strength, which is a fitting metaphor for the wisdom that is wasted when expressed by someone who lacks understanding.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the phrase is a proverb to convey the meaning clearly.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb דַּלְי֣וּ (they hang down) governs the main clause, with two subjects: שֹׁ֭קַיִם (legs) and מָשָׁ֗ל (a proverb). This structure highlights the comparison being made.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the subjects, particularly the legs, which are the focus of the metaphor illustrating the ineffectiveness of a proverb when spoken by a fool.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates דַּלְי֣וּ as ἀφελοῦ (to take away), which shifts the focus slightly from the state of hanging down to the action of removing. This choice may imply a more active sense of ineffectiveness.
The other words in the Septuagint align closely with the Hebrew, showing a consistent interpretation of the metaphor but with a different emphasis on the action involved.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Proverbs 26:7 compares a proverb spoken by a fool to lame legs that cannot support weight. This shows that wise sayings lose their value when uttered by someone who does not understand their meaning.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It illustrates that wisdom is ineffective when spoken by someone who lacks understanding.
Lame legs symbolize weakness and inability, paralleling how a fool's words lack strength.
It fits into a larger context of contrasting wisdom and folly, emphasizing the consequences of foolishness.
We should consider the source of wisdom and be mindful of who speaks it.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways can I ensure that my words reflect wisdom rather than folly?
- How can I discern true wisdom from foolishness in conversations?
- What are some examples of wise sayings that have been misused or spoken by foolish people?
- How can I apply the lessons from this proverb in my daily life?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early church fathers, such as Bede, comment on the implications of this verse, noting how a wise person might unwittingly send a fool on a mission.
Lame in his feet and drinking iniquity, etc. It may happen that any wise person sends a fool on a mission, not knowing that he is a fool;Early Church Fathers on Proverbs 26 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Proverbs 26:7 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThe legs of the lame are not equal,.... Or as "the lifting up the legs by one that is lame" (m), to dance to a pipe or violin, is very unseemly, and does but the more expose his infirmity, and can
Read John Gill on Proverbs 26 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
Read Robert Jamieson on Proverbs 26 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThe legs of the lame are not equal, Heb. As (which note of similitude is plainly understood from the particle so in the following clause) the legs of the lame are lifted up, to wit, in going, or rather in dancing, which is done with great inequality and uncomeliness. So is a parable in the mouth of fools; no less absurd and indecent are wise and pious speeches from a foolish and ungodly man, whose actions grossly contradict them, whereby he makes them contemptible, and himself ridiculous.
Read Matthew Poole on Proverbs 26 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsProverbs 26:7 The legs of the lame are not equal: so [is] a parable in the mouth of fools.Ver. 7. The legs of the lame are not equal.] Locum habet proverbium cum is qui male vivit, bene loquitur, saith an interpreter. This proverb hits such as speak well, but live otherwise. Uniformity and ubiquity of obedience are sure signs of sincerity; but as [an] unequal pulse argues a distempered body, so doth uneven walking show a diseased soul. A wise man’ s life is all of one colour, like itself; and godliness runs through it, as the woof runs through the warp. But if all the parts of the line of thy life be not straight before God, it is a crooked life. If thy tongue speak by the talent, but thine…
Read John Trapp on Proverbs 26 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(7) The legs of the lame are not equal.—Better, perhaps. The legs hang down from a lame man, and so is a parable (useless) in the mouth of fools; they can make no more use of it for the guidance of themselves or others, than can a lame man use his legs. (Comp. Luke 8:10.)
Read Charles John Ellicott on Proverbs 26 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges7. are not equal] Rather, hang loose, R.V. The strongest members of the body and the weightiest aphorisms of wisdom are alike useless appendages to one who lacks the power to turn them to account.
Read Cambridge on Proverbs 26 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleOr, Take away the legs of the lame man, and the parable that is in the mouth of fools: both are alike useless to their possessors.
Read Albert Barnes on Proverbs 26 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible7. Legs… not equal — The root of γμιε, (dalyu,) translated not equal, is uncertain. Hence we have the following: 1. As the legs of the lame are weak, so a proverb, etc. 2.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Proverbs 26 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Like lame legs hanging limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
Like the legs of the lame that hang loose, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
Like lame legs hanging limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
Like legs that hang limp from the lame, so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
Tyndale line
The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
The legs of the lame hang loose; So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
The legs of the lame hang loose: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
As they that lift vp the legs of the lame, so is a parable in a fooles mouth.
Strictly literal
The legs of the lame hang loose; so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
Weak have been the two legs of the lame, And a parable in the mouth of fools.
The two legs of the lame have been weak, || And an allegory in the mouth of fools.
Too feebly hang down the thighs on a lame man: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
Like the legs of a paralytic which hang down is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
From the Latin
As a lame man hath fair legs in vain: so a parable is unseemly in the mouth of fools.
Simplified
A proverb spoken by someone stupid is as useless as a lame person's legs.
The legs of one who has no power of walking are hanging loose; so is a wise saying in the mouth of the foolish.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in their wording, with five of the six words matching. The Septuagint's translation reflects a similar understanding but presents the words in a different order, which may affect the emphasis of the verse.
דַּלְי֣וּ שֹׁ֭קַיִם מִפִּסֵּ֑חַ וּ֝מָשָׁ֗ל בְּפִ֣י כְסִילִֽים׃
5 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Proverbs 26:7
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
דָּלַל (dalal) is a Hebrew verb meaning to hang, be low, or languish. It conveys a sense of being slackened or feeble, often in a figurative context of distress or oppression. The word appears in various forms, including Qal and Niphal, indicating both active and passive states of being low or brought low.
[דָּלַל] vb. hang, be low, languish
Qal hang, ‘depend’
Niph. be brought low, laid low
base
H1809 [דָּלַל] hang, be low, languish
1809 dalal daw-lal'
a primitive root (compare 1802); to slacken or be feeble;
figuratively, to be oppressed:--bring low, dry up, be emptied,
be not equal, fail, be impoverished, be made thin.
see HEBREW for 01802
דָּלַל (da.lal) — to languish.
1) to hang, languish, hang down, be low
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to hang low
1a2) to be low
1a3) of distress (fig.)
1a4) to languish, look weakly (of eyes)
1b) (Niphal) to be brought low, be laid low
V-Qal-Perf-3cp — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common pluralHVqp3cp
שׁוֹק (showq) refers to the leg, specifically the lower leg or calf in humans, and the thigh or upper leg in sacrificial animals. It is derived from a root meaning to run and appears in contexts related to both human anatomy and sacrificial practices.
שׁוֹק 19 n.[f.] leg
base
H7785 שׁוֹק leg
7785 showq shoke
from 7783; the (lower) leg (as a runner):--hip, leg,
shoulder, thigh.
see HEBREW for 07783
שׁוֹק (shoq) — leg.
1) leg, thigh
1a) of man; specifically the lower leg (calf) as opposed to the thigh
1b) of sacrificial animal; specifically the thigh, upper leg, hind leg, as the portion eaten
Aramaic equivalent: shaq (שָׁק "leg" H8243)
N-fd — Noun common · feminine dual absoluteHNcfda
→ Of the crucified, broken Joh 19:31,32
פִּסֵּחַ (pis-se-ach) means 'lame' in Hebrew. It is derived from the root word פָּסַח (pasach), which relates to limping or being disabled. The entries consistently define it as 'lame' without any significant disagreement among the lexicons.
פִּסֵּחַ adj. lame
base
H6455 פִּסֵּחַ lame
6455 picceach pis-say'-akh
from 6452; lame:--lame.
see HEBREW for 06452
פִּסֵּחַ (pis.se.ach) — lame.
lame
Prep | Adj — PrepositionHR/Aamsa
מָשָׁל (mashal) refers to a proverb or parable, often characterized by parallelism and typically found in Hebrew Wisdom literature. It encompasses various forms such as aphorisms, bywords, and ethical maxims. The word is derived from a root suggesting superiority in mental action, indicating its metaphorical nature.
מָשָׁל n.m. proverb, parable (of sentences constructed in parallelism, usu. of Hebrew Wisdom, but occas. of other types)
base
H4912 מָשָׁל proverb, parable (of sentences constructed in parallelism, usu. of Hebrew Wisdom, but occas. of other types)
4912 mashal maw-shawl'
apparently from 4910 in some original sense of superiority in
mental action; properly, a pithy maxim, usually of
metaphorical nature; hence, a simile (as an adage, poem,
discourse):--byword, like, parable, proverb.
see HEBREW for 04910
מָשָׁל (ma.shal) — proverb.
1) proverb, parable
1a) proverb, proverbial saying, aphorism
1b) byword
1c) similitude, parable
1d) poem
1e) sentences of ethical wisdom, ethical maxims
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absoluteHC/Ncmsa
prov'-erb (mashal, chidhah; parabole (Lu 4:23), paroimia (Joh 16:25,29)):
I. FOLK MEANING AND USE
1. The Primitive Sense
2. The Communal Origin
3. Animus of Proverbs
II. LITERARY DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROVERB
1. Discovery of Literary Value
2. The Differentiation
III. AS UNIT OF A STRAIN OF LITERATURE
1. From Detachment to Continuity
2. The Conception of Wisdom
3. In Later Times
By this term mainly, but sometimes by the term "parable" (e.g. Nu 23:7,18; 24:3,15; Job 27:1; 29:1), is translated the Hebrew word (mashal), which designates the formal unit or vehicle of didactic discourse. The mashal was an enunciation of truth, self-evident and self-illustrative, in some pointed or concentrated…
Proverb
A trite maxim; a similitude; a parable. The Hebrew word thus rendered (mashal) has a wide signification. It comes from a root meaning “to be like,” “parable.” Rendered “proverb” in Isa. 14:4; Hab. 2:6; “dark saying” in Ps. 49:4, Num. 12:8. Ahab’s defiant words in answer to the insolent demands of Benhadad, “Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off,” is a well known instance of a proverbial saying (1 Kings 20:11).
The Hebrew word פֶּה (*peh*) means 'mouth' and encompasses various meanings, including the mouth of a person or animal, as well as openings or orifices. It can also refer to speech, edges, and portions. Additionally, it denotes a weight equal to one third of a shekel, found in 1 Samuel 13:21.
פֶּה 485 n.m. mouth
mouth, of man, organ of eating and drinking
external organ
much oftener, as organ of speech, of man
as laughing; panting
of God
of idols
of musical instr. = sound
of animals; hence of edge of sword
mouth = opening, orifice
extremity, end
= portion
with preps.
base
H6310 פֶּה mouth . . mouth, of man, organ of eating and drinking
. external organ
. . much oftener, as organ of speech, of man
. as laughing; panting
. of God
. of idols
. of musical instr. = sound
. of animals
. mouth = opening, orifice
. . extremity, end
. = portion
. with preps.
6310 peh peh
from 6284; the mouth (as the means of blowing), whether
literal or figurative (particularly speech); specifically
edge, portion or side; adverbially (with preposition)
according to:--accord(-ing as, -ing to), after, appointment,
assent, collar, command(-ment), X eat, edge, end, entry, +
file, hole, X in, mind, mouth, part, portion, X (should)
say(-ing), sentence, skirt, sound, speech, X spoken, talk,
tenor, X to, + two-edged, wish, word.
see HEBREW for 06284
פֶּה (peh) — lip.
: lip/mouth
peh
1) mouth
1a) mouth (of man)
1b) mouth (as organ of speech)
1c) mouth (of animals)
1d) mouth, opening, orifice (of a well, river, etc)
1e) extremity, end pim
2) a weight equal to one third of a shekel, occurs only in 1Sa 13:21
פֶּה (peh) — lip: edge.
: edge
peh
1) mouth
1a) mouth (of man)
1b) mouth (as organ of speech)
1c) mouth (of animals)
1d) mouth, opening, orifice (of a well, river, etc)
1e) extremity, end pim
2) a weight equal to one third of a shekel, occurs only in 1Sa 13:21
פֶּה (peh) — lip: word.
: word/command
peh
1) mouth
1a) mouth (of man)
1b) mouth (as organ of speech)
1c) mouth (of animals)
1d) mouth, opening, orifice (of a well, river, etc)
1e) extremity, end pim
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular constructHR/Ncmsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
כְּסִיל (kciyl) refers to a fool or a stupid person. It is derived from a root meaning 'fat' and is used figuratively to describe someone who is foolish, simple-minded, or arrogant. The term appears in various contexts in the Old Testament, emphasizing a lack of wisdom or understanding.
כְּסִיל 70 n.m. stupid fellow, dullard, fool
base
H3684 כְּסִיל
3684 kciyl kes-eel'
from 3688; properly, fat, i.e. (figuratively) stupid or
silly:--fool(-ish).
see HEBREW for 03688
כְּסִיל (ke.sil) — fool.
fool, stupid fellow, dullard, simpleton, arrogant one
Adj — AdjHAampa
- All men are, without the knowledge of God
- Deny God
Ps 14:1; 53:1
- Blaspheme God
- Reproach God
- Make a mock at sin
- Despise instruction