Proverbs 27:22 (YLT)

Passage

If thou dost beat the foolish in a mortar, Among washed things--with a pestle, His folly turneth not aside from off him.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:20 Sheol and destruction are not satisfied, And the eyes of man are not satisfied.

Proverbs 27:21 A refining pot <FI>is<Fi> for silver, and a furnace for gold, And a man according to his praise.

Proverbs 27:22 If thou dost beat the foolish in a mortar, Among washed things--with a pestle, His folly turneth not aside from off him.

Proverbs 27:23 Know well the face of thy flock, Set thy heart to the droves,

Proverbs 27:24 For riches <FI>are<Fi> not to the age, Nor a crown to generation and generation.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "dost", "beat", "foolish", "mortar", "washed", "things--with", and "pestle". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "dost", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "A refining pot FI is Fi for..." into verse 23's "Know well the face of thy flock...", so "thou" and "dost" 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 "thou" and "dost" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.