Proverbs 30:17

Proverbs 30:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.
• New International Version (NIV)“The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The eye that mocks his father, And scorns obedience to his mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.

Context of Proverbs 30:17

15A greedy leech has two daughters. They are always saying, ‘Give me more!’ There are three things that never have enough for themselves, even four things: 16The deep hole of death. A wife who has no children. Dry ground that needs rain. A fire that burns strongly. Punishment will come to anyone who insults his father, or who refuses to listen to his mother. Wild birds will pick out his eyes and vultures will eat his body. 18There are three things that are too difficult for me to understand, even four things: 19How an eagle flies high in the sky. How a snake moves across a rock. How a ship sails on the sea. How a man starts to love a young woman.

Proverbs 30:17 word by word

עַ֤יִן׀ תִּֽלְעַ֣ג לְאָב֮ וְתָב֪וּז לִֽיקֲּהַ֫ת־אֵ֥ם יִקְּר֥וּהָ עֹרְבֵי־נַ֑חַל וְֽיֹאכְל֥וּהָ בְנֵי־נָֽשֶׁר׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The eyeעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• mockethלָעַגlâ‛ag · to mockH3932
• fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
• and despisethבּוּזbûz · to despiseH936
• to obeyיִקְּהָהyiqqâhâh · obedienceH3349
• motherאֵם'êm · motherH517
• the ravensעֹרֵב‛ôrêb ‛ôrêb · ravenH6158
• of the valleyנַ֫חַלnachal nachlâh nachălâh · torrent: valleyH5158
• shall pick it outנָקַרnâqar · to digH5365
• and the youngבֵּןbên · son: young animalH1121
• eaglesנֶשֶׁרnesher · eagleH5404
• shall eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398

Cross-references for Proverbs 30:17

• Proverbs 30:11There are some people who curse their fathers. They do not bless their mothers.
• Proverbs 20:20If you insult your parents, your life will quickly finish, like a lamp that suddenly goes out and leaves you in complete darkness.
• Proverbs 23:2216. Listen to your father. You would not be alive without him. Continue to respect your mother when she becomes old.
• Genesis 9:21He used the grapes to make wine. One day, he drank some of the wine and he became drunk. He lay inside his tent and he slept. He was not wearing any clothes.
• Leviticus 20:9If a person says bad things about his mother or his father, you must kill him. He has destroyed their honour. His sin will cause his death.
• Deuteronomy 21:18Perhaps a man has a son who refuses to obey his parents. They punish him to teach him what is right, but he refuses to listen to them.
• 2 Samuel 18:9During the battle, Absalom was riding on his mule and he met some of David's soldiers. His mule carried him under a big oak tree. The tree's branches caught Absalom's hair so that he hung there above the ground. His mule ran off and left him there.
• 1 Samuel 17:44The Philistine said to David, ‘Come nearer to me. I will feed the birds and the wild animals with your dead body.’
• 2 Samuel 21:10Aiah's daughter, Rizpah, put sackcloth on a rock and she sat on it. She stayed there to watch her sons' bodies, from the harvest time until the heavy rain came. During that time, she stopped the birds from eating the bodies in the daytime. At night, she kept the wild animals away.

Commentaries on Proverbs 30:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17The eye that mocketh at his father - This seems to be spoken against those who curse their father, and do not bless their mother, Proverbs 30:11. The ravens of the valley - Those which frequent the places where dead carcasses and offal are most likely to be found. The raven, the crow, the rook, the daw, the carrion crow, and the Cornish chough, appear to be all of the same genus. Some of them live on pulse and insects; others, the raven in particular…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-17Verses 15-17 Cruelty and covetousness are two daughters of the horseleech, that still cry, "Give, give," and they are continually uneasy to themselves. Four things never are satisfied, to which these devourers are compared. Those are never rich that are always coveting. And many who have come to a bad end, have owned that their wicked courses began by despising their parents' authority.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17People who are unkind to their parents may face a harsh fate (see Proverbs 10:1; 19:26; 28:24; 29:3; 30:11).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. The eye--for the person, with reference to the use of the organ to express mockery and contempt, and also as that by which punishment is received. the ravens ... eagles ... eat--either as dying unnaturally, or being left unburied, or both.Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 30:17

• Burial
• Children
• Mother
• Raven

In the dictionaries

• Agur
• Convenient
• Folk
• Food
• Raven
• Eagle
• Eye
• Massa
• Mock; Mocker; Mocking
• Proverbs, the Book of

Commentaries on Proverbs 30

• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings