Proverbs 27:22
Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
Original Language Analysis
אִ֥ם
H518
אִ֥ם
Strong's:
H518
Word #:
1 of 12
used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
3 of 12
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
בַּ֥מַּכְתֵּ֡שׁ
in a mortar
H4388
בַּ֥מַּכְתֵּ֡שׁ
in a mortar
Strong's:
H4388
Word #:
5 of 12
a mortar; by analogy, a socket (of a tooth)
לֹא
H3808
לֹא
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
9 of 12
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
Cross References
Proverbs 23:35They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.Jeremiah 5:3O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.Isaiah 1:5Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.Exodus 12:30And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.Exodus 14:5And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
Historical Context
Mortars and pestles were ubiquitous in ancient Near Eastern households for grinding grain, spices, and herbs. The proverb's hyperbole—grinding a person like grain—would have immediately communicated the futility of trying to reform someone who refuses correction. Even the most forceful discipline cannot change a hardened fool.
Questions for Reflection
- Are there areas of your life where you're resisting correction, risking the hardening of folly?
- How can you cultivate a teachable spirit that remains soft to God's discipline?
- Who in your life might need your prayers more than your correction, having hardened against instruction?
Analysis & Commentary
Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle (אִם־תִּכְתּוֹשׁ אֶת־הָאֱוִיל בַּמַּכְתֵּשׁ בְּתוֹךְ הָרִיפוֹת בַּעֱלִי, im-tikhtosh et-ha'evil bamakhitesh betokh harifot ba'eli)—the graphic imagery employs כָּתַשׁ (katash, 'to pound, beat') and מַכְתֵּשׁ (makhtesh, 'mortar'), tools for grinding grain with an עֱלִי (eli, 'pestle'). The violent action suggests extreme measures applied to the אֱוִיל (evil, 'fool').
Yet will not his foolishness depart from him (לֹא־תָסוּר מֵעָלָיו אִוַּלְתּוֹ, lo-tasur me'alav ivvalto)—the אִוֶּלֶת (ivvelet, 'folly, foolishness') remains immovable. Proverbs distinguishes the פֶּתִי (peti, 'simple one' who can learn) from the אֱוִיל ('fool' who rejects correction) and the לֵץ (lets, 'scoffer' who mocks wisdom). This fool has hardened beyond discipline's reach—a sobering warning about the calcification of character.