There are hundreds of Bible verses about fools, foolishness, and foolish behavior. Proverbs has nearly 100 Bible verses about fools. I will limit the Bible verses in this article to the book of Proverbs.
Fools Despise Wisdom
Proverbs 1:7 (NIV) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:22 (NIV) “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?
Foolish behavior is a choice.
Proverbs 1:32 (KJV) For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
There are times when additional money backfires. Fix the foolishness first.
Proverbs 3:35 (ESV) The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.
Honor is better than disgrace.
Bible Verses About Foolishness
Proverbs 8:5 (CSB) Learn to be shrewd, you who are inexperienced; develop common sense, you who are foolish.
Common sense is uncommon. It is, however, a learned behavior.
Proverbs 10:1 (NIV) A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.
Chattering fools come to ruin.
Proverbs 10:8 (NIV) The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
Proverbs 10:10 (NIV) Whoever winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
Mouths can be hazardous.
Proverbs 10:14 (NIV) The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
Proverbs 10:18 (NIV) Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool.
Lips can also be hazardous. Just ask the fine folks who wrote this article.
Proverbs 10:21 (NIV) The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.
Lips can be used positively, too.
Proverbs 10:23 (NIV) A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes, but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.
What Does The Bible Say About Fools?
Proverbs 11:29 (ESV) Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.
Proverbs 12:15 (ESV) The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.
Don’t be cocky, Rocky.
Proverbs 12:16 (NIV) Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.
Proverbs 12:23 (CSB) A shrewd person conceals knowledge, but a foolish heart publicizes stupidity.
Did Solomon see the potential craziness of social media?
Proverbs 13:16 (CSB) Every sensible person acts knowledgeably, but a fool displays his stupidity.
Proverbs 13:19 (NIV) A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.
Scriptures About Fools
Proverbs 13:20 (NIV) Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
There is an abundance of wisdom available, at no cost, through podcasts, blogs, and YouTube channels. We have no excuse for immersion in foolish chatter. Here’s one of my other articles titled, What Does The Bible Say About Wisdom?
Proverbs 14:1 (NIV) The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
Proverbs 14:3 (NIV) A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them.
Life and death are in the power of the tongue. We should choose our words carefully.
Proverbs 14:7 (NIV) Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their lips.
Proverbs 14:8 (CSB) The sensible person’s wisdom is to consider his way, but the stupidity of fools deceives them.
Deception is deceiving.
Proverbs 14:9 (NKJV) Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is favor.
The wages of sin are still death.
Proverbs 14:16 (NIV) The wise fear the Lord and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.
Bible Verses About Fools – The Folly Of Fools
Proverbs 14:17 (NIV) A quick-tempered person does foolish things, and the one who devises evil schemes is hated.
Proverbs 14:24 (NIV) The wealth of the wise is their crown, but the folly of fools yields folly.
Wealth is not a bad thing.
Proverbs 14:33 (NLT) Wisdom is enshrined in an understanding heart; wisdom is not found among fools.
Proverbs 15:2 (NIV) The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
We’re back to our mouths creating trouble.
Proverbs 15:5 (CSB) A fool despises his father’s discipline, but a person who accepts correction is sensible.
Kids can be fools too.
Proverbs 15:7 (NIV) The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not upright.
Proverbs 15:14 (NIV) The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.
Mouths, tongues, and lips are serious troublemakers.
Proverbs 15:20 (NIV) A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
Bring some joy to your family.
Bible Verses About Fools — The Book Of Proverbs
Proverbs 16:22 (ESV) Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the instruction of fools is folly.
Proverbs 17:7 (NIV) Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool— how much worse lying lips to a ruler!
We can train our mouths to speak words of grace.
Proverbs 17:10 (NLT) A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.
Proverbs 17:12 (NIV) Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.
Is this a mere exaggeration? Or is there truth in this statement?
Proverbs 17:16 (NIV) Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it?
Proverbs 17:21 (NIV) To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.
What a sad Bible verse.
Proverbs 17:24 (NIV) A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
Proverbs 17:25 (NIV) A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him.
Parents never stop being parents.
Proverbs 17:28 (ESV) Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
Silence is sometimes misinterpreted but never misquoted.
Silence is sometimes misinterpreted but never misquoted.
— Calvin Coolidge
Proverbs 18:2 (NIV) Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.
Proverbs 18:6 (NIV) The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating.
Fool around and find out.
Proverbs 18:7 (NIV) The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
Every Fool Is Quick To Quarrel
Proverbs 19:1 (NIV) Better the poor whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.
Proverbs 19:10 (NKJV) Luxury is not fitting for a fool, much less for a servant to rule over princes.
Fools, according to Solomon, are unfit for luxury.
Proverbs 19:13 (NIV) A foolish child is a father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof.
Solomon had abundant opportunities to live with quarrelsome wives.
Proverbs 19:29 (NIV) Penalties are prepared for mockers and beatings for the backs of fools.
Proverbs 20:3 (NIV) It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.
Strife avoidance is a serious life hack.
Proverbs 21:20 (NLT) The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.
Here’s a vote of confidence for savings accounts and sinking funds.
Proverbs 23:9 (ESV) Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.
He’s picking on social media again.
Proverbs 24:7 (MSG) Wise conversation is way over the head of fools; in a serious discussion, they haven’t a clue.
Proverbs 26:1 (NIV) Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool.
Address Foolishness When Appropriate
Proverbs 26:3 (NIV) A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!
Proverbs 26:4-5 (NIV) Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
These are my favorite Bible verses as they pertain to apologetics. Resist allowing a fool to plow you with foolishness just because you’re trying to be nice. Foolishness needs to be addressed.
Proverbs 26:6-12 (NIV) Sending a message by the hands of a fool is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison. Like the useless legs of one who is lame is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool. Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. Like an archer who wounds at random is one who hires a fool or any passer-by. As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly. Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them.
Proverbs 27:3 (CSB) A stone is heavy, and sand a burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.
A Mortar, A Pestle, and a Fool
Proverbs 27:22 (NIV) Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly from them.
Proverbs 28:26 (NIV) Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.
Walk in wisdom.
Proverbs 29:9 (NIV) If a wise person goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.
Proverbs 29:11 (NIV) Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.
Fools and temper tantrums are common.
Proverbs 29:20 (NIV) Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them.
Being hasty with words is worse than being a fool.
Proverbs 30:21-23 (ESV) Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up: a slave when he becomes king and a fool when he is filled with food; an unloved woman when she gets a husband, and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.