Amplified Bible
Proverbs 17:12
12Let a man meet a [ferocious] bear robbed of her cubs Rather than the [angry, narcissistic] fool in his folly.
Proverbs 17:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.
- New International Version (NIV)Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly.
Context of Proverbs 17:12
10A reprimand goes deeper into one who has understanding and a teachable spirit Than a hundred lashes into a fool. 11A rebellious man seeks only evil; Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him. Let a man meet a [ferocious] bear robbed of her cubs Rather than the [angry, narcissistic] fool in his folly. 13Whoever returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house. 14The beginning of strife is like letting out water [as from a small break in a dam; first it trickles and then it gushes]; Therefore abandon the quarrel before it breaks out and tempers explode.
Read all of Proverbs 17Proverbs 17:12 word by word
פָּג֬וֹשׁ דֹּ֣ב שַׁכּ֣וּל בְּאִ֑ישׁ וְאַל־כְּ֝סִ֗יל בְּאִוַּלְתּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 17:12
- Proverbs 28:15Like a roaring lion and a charging bear Is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
- 2 Samuel 17:8And Hushai said, “You know your father and his men, that they are brave men, and they are enraged and fierce, like a bear deprived of her cubs in the field. Your father is a [shrewd] man of war, and will not spend the night with the people [knowing that you seek his life].
- 2 Kings 2:24When he turned around and looked at them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore to pieces forty-two of the boys.
- Hosea 13:8I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs, And I will tear open their chests; There I will also devour them like a lioness, As a wild beast would tear them.
- Proverbs 27:3Stone is heavy and the sand weighty, But a fool’s [unreasonable] wrath is heavier and more burdensome than both of them.
- Matthew 2:16Then Herod, when he realized that he had been tricked by the magi, was extremely angry, and he sent [soldiers] and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that area who were two years old and under, according to the date which he had learned from the magi.
Commentaries on Proverbs 17:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Let a bear robbed of her whelps - At which times such animals are peculiarly fierce. See the note on 2 Samuel 17:8.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12The large brown bear of Syria, in her rage at the loss of her whelps, was to the Israelites the strongest type of brute ferocity. Compare 2 Samuel 17:8; 2 Kings 2:24.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12Verse 12 Let us watch over our own passions, and avoid the company of furious men.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12This saying warns against teaching fools. A fool stuck in foolishness may respond with anger and violence.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. They are less rational in anger than wild beasts.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 17:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
Amplified Bible — © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631
Commentaries