Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageLike one who ties a stone into a sling so it cannot fly is whoever gives honor to a fool.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GLike one who knots a stone into a sling, so is he who gives honour to a dullard.
KJV
King James VersionAs he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleLike binding a stone into a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.
Footnotes
The *margema* (מַרְגֵּמָה) is a sling for hurling stones. If the stone is knotted in place, the entire weapon is rendered useless—it cannot fly and fulfil its purpose. Honour given to a fool similarly defeats its own end: the fool cannot use it as a genuinely honoured person would, and the giver wastes something of worth. Some read *margema* as a stone-heap, giving the sense of a stone buried and lost in rubble—either way, the point is futility.
