Pro 26:9 | NET2full | STEP | Like a thorn has gone up into the hand of a drunkard , so a proverb has gone up into the mouth of a fool .

Proverbs 26:9

9 Like ^{▼▼tn The line does not start with the comparative preposition כ (kaf) “like,” but the proverb clearly invites comparison between the two lines.} a thorn ^{▼▼sn The picture is one of seizing a thornbush and having the thorn pierce the hand (עָלָה בְיַד־, ʿalah veyad). A drunk does not know how to handle a thornbush because he cannot control his movements and so gets hurt (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 599). C. H. Toy suggests that this rather means a half-crazy drunken man brandishing a stick (Proverbs [ICC], 475). In this regard cf. NLT “a thornbush brandished by a drunkard.”} has gone up into the hand of a drunkard,
so ^{▼▼tn Because of the analogy within the verse, indicated in translation by supplying “like,” the conjunction vav has been translated “so.”} a proverb has gone up ^{▼▼tn The verb has been supplied from the first colon because of the convention of ellipsis and double duty (omitting a word in one line which is understood to apply from another line).} into the mouth of a fool. ^{▼▼sn A fool can read or speak a proverb but will be intellectually and spiritually unable to handle it; he will misapply it or misuse it in some way. In doing so he will reveal more of his folly. It is painful to hear fools try to use proverbs.}