Bray It Again, Sam

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

The KJV is confusing to our modern times and it is a confusion that clarifies this verse.  The KJV says “bray” (3806) where the NASB says “pound.”  The old English is much more demanding.  This is the process of taking whole wheat grains and methodically reducing them into flour.  I don’t know if you have ever tried it.  I used a mortar and pestle to grind coffee once and came to the conclusion that civilization was nice and old fashioned is laborious.  It gives new meaning to “it’s a grind.”

This is saying that if someone is a fool, even the most careful grinding and effort will not produce flour.  It could be that one way to tell if someone is a fool or just uninformed is by the way in which they respond to your correction.

So?  Give time to people but be aware that you may need to move on after a time.  There are people out there who can benefit from our input and counsel.  To paraphrase the words of Jesus, “don’t throw your mortar and pestle in front of fools.”