Amsal 26:3-4

26:3 A whip for the horse and a bridle for the donkey,

and a rod for the backs of fools! ¹ 

26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, ² 

lest you yourself also be like him. ³ 

[26:3]  ¹ sn A fool must be disciplined by force like an animal – there is no reasoning. The fool is as difficult to manage as the donkey or horse.

[26:4]  ² sn One should not answer a fool’s foolish questions in line with the fool’s mode of reasoning (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 274).

[26:4]  ³ sn The person who descends to the level of a fool to argue with him only looks like a fool as well.