"The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him."
Proverbs 18:17 (BSB).
Image generated with Copilot.
The Folly of Hasty Judgments
A teacher told us it at primary school, story about a group of blind men who came across an elephant for the first time. Each reached out and touched a different part of the animal, the trunk, the tusk, the ear, the side, the leg, the tail. From their limited contact, they each gave a confident but very different description: one said the elephant was like a wall, another like a rope, another like a snake. Each spoke with certainty, yet each was only partly right. The lesson is clear: when our knowledge is partial, our conclusions are often misleading. Of course, as a child you don't get it.
This ancient parable echoes the wisdom of Proverbs 18:17: “The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.” Both point to the same truth—that human judgment is easily swayed by first impressions, incomplete evidence, or narrow viewpoints. We are quick to form opinions, and just as quick to defend them, forgetting that what we see may be only a fragment of the whole.
The danger of such partial understanding is obvious in our own time. Social media has trained us to react instantly: a headline, a single sentence, a photo stripped of context, and we decide we know who someone is and what they stand for. With only a sliver of reality in hand, we brand them hero or villain. But as with the blind men and the elephant, what we grasp so firmly may be only a small piece of a much larger truth.
History also shows the folly of snap judgments. Individuals and entire communities have been misunderstood—and sometimes persecuted—because others refused to look beyond the surface or listen to the whole story. The parable and the proverb together remind us that truth is rarely simple, and humility is the first step toward wisdom. We must hold our opinions lightly, leaving room for correction, and be willing to see through another’s eyes.
There is also a hopeful side to the story. Though each blind man erred when he insisted on his own version, together they had the beginnings of a fuller picture. Likewise, when we listen to voices other than our own, when we value perspectives that differ from ours, we begin to see reality more clearly. No one of us holds the entire truth, but in community, we can begin to trace its outline.
In the end, the parable is not simply a caution against error; it is an invitation—to patience, to curiosity, to openness. Proverbs 18:17 reminds us that our first impression is not the final word. The blind men remind us that we each carry only part of the story. If we are willing to pause, to listen, and to learn, our judgments will be tempered with humility, and our relationships enriched by understanding.