Clarke's Bible Commentary - Proverbs 26:6
Verse 6. Cutteth off the feet ] Sending by such a person is utterly useless. My old MS. Bible translates well: "Halt in feet and drinking wickednesse that sendith wordis bi a foole messager". Nothing but lameness in himself can vindicate his sending it by such hands; and, after all, the expedient will be worse than the total omission, for he is likely to drink wickedness, i.e., the mischief occasioned by the fool's misconduct. Coverdale nearly hits the sense as usual: "He is lame of his fete, yee dronken is he in vanite, that committeth eny thinge to a foole."
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 6. He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool , etc.] Who knows not how to deliver it in a proper manner, and is incapable of taking the answer, and reporting it as he should; or unfaithful in it, and brings a bad or false report, as the spies did upon the good land; cutteth off the feet ; he may as well cut off his feet before he sends him, or send a man without feet, as such an one; for prudence, diligence, and faithfulness in doing a message, and bringing back the answer, are as necessary to a messenger as his feet are; [and] drinketh damage ; to himself; his message not being rightly performed, and business not done well; which is a loss to the sender, as well as to his credit and reputation with the person to whom he sends him; he hereby concluding that he must be a man of no great judgment and sense to send such a fool on his errand. Such are the unskilful ambassadors of princes; and such are unfaithful ministers, the messengers of the churches; (see Proverbs 10:26). The words in the original are three sentences, without a copulative, and stand in this order, “[he] that cutteth off feet; [he] that drinketh damage; [he] that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool”; that is, they are alike.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 6-9 - Fools are not fit to be trusted, nor to have any honour. Wise sayings as a foolish man delivers and applies them, lose their usefulness.
Original Hebrew
מקצה 7096 רגלים 7272 חמס 2555 שׁתה 8354 שׁלח 7971 דברים 1697 ביד 3027 כסיל׃ 3684
