Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom
when he has no sense?
A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
One who lacks sense gives a pledge
and puts up security in the presence of his neighbour.
Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
he who makes his door high seeks destruction.
A man of crooked heart does not discover good,
and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow,
and the father of a fool has no joy.Proverbs 17:16-21
It is useless (16) for a man who has no taste for wisdom, and is not prepared for the discipline involved in obtaining it, to imagine it can be bought. No price can purchase it, for it is not for sale in this sense. In 17 the meaning is that 'in trouble you see what family ties are for, and you also see who are your friends' (Kidner). The quality thus indicated is priceless - it, too, cannot be bought (is there a contrast intended between 16 and 17 in this respect?) It can be abused, however, as 18 shows: friendship can be imposed upon, and if wisdom and discernment are not in control, embarrassing, not to say disastrous, situations can develop. It is the thought expressed fully in 6:1-5. The point is not refusal to help someone in need, but the danger of giving rash and injudicious guarantees without thought (see Note for Tuesday, Sept. 18). We are probably meant to identify the man in 19 with the one in 20. Some people are argumentative not because they have anything worthwhile to argue about, but because they delight in contention. The kindest thing to do with such people is to give them a wide berth: at best they are simply boring, and a nuisance; at worst they can be extremely dangerous (20). There are, as we have seen in previous chapters, different kinds of fools, and perhaps the reference in 21 looks back on the previous verses with some feeling. At all events, sorrow rather than joy tends to fall to those who are associated with them. The words 'no joy' at the end of the verse have a tragic ring about them, as many a parent has proved.