Proverbs 27:22 (KJV)

Passage

Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

Proverbs 27:21 As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.

Proverbs 27:22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

Proverbs 27:23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.

Proverbs 27:24 For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "though", "shouldest", "bray", "fool", "mortar", "wheat", and "pestle". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "though" and "shouldest", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "As the fining pot for silver and..." into verse 23's "Be thou diligent to know the state...", so "though" and "shouldest" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "though" and "shouldest" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.