Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 17:12
12Better for a person to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his foolishness.
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 rebuke cuts into a perceptive person more than a hundred lashes into a fool. 11An evil person desires only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him. Better for a person to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his foolishness. 13If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never depart from his house. 14To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out.
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 28:15A wicked ruler over a helpless people is like a roaring lion or a charging bear.
- 2 Samuel 17:8Hushai continued, “You know your father and his men. They are warriors and are desperate like a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Your father is an experienced soldier who won’t spend the night with the people.
- 2 Kings 2:24He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the children.
- Hosea 13:8I will attack them like a bear robbed of her cubs and tear open the rib cage over their hearts. I will devour them there like a lioness, like a wild beast that would rip them open.
- Proverbs 27:3A stone is heavy, and sand a burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.
- Matthew 2:16Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.
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
Christian Standard Bible — © 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Commentaries