KJV ORIGINAL
Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
Even if you crush a fool in a bowl like grinding wheat with a heavy tool, his foolishness still won't leave him.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
This verse is saying that some people are so set in their foolish ways that even harsh correction won't change them.
📚 Historical Context
This proverb uses the imagery of grinding grain, which was a common daily activity in ancient Israel. People would crush wheat in a stone mortar with a pestle to separate the grain from the chaff and make flour. The writer is comparing this violent grinding process to attempts at correcting a stubborn fool.
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