Proverbs 17:12

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 goes deeper into one who has understanding Than a hundred blows into a fool. 11A rebellious man seeks only evil, So a cruel messenger will be sent against him. Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly. 13He who returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house. 14The beginning of strife is like letting out water, So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.

Proverbs 17:12 word by word

פָּג֬וֹשׁ דֹּ֣ב שַׁכּ֣וּל בְּאִ֑ישׁ וְאַל־כְּ֝סִ֗יל בְּאִוַּלְתּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

• manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• meetפָּגַשׁpâgash · to meetH6298
• bearדֹּבdôb dôb · bearH1677
• Ratherאַל'al · notH408
• than a foolכְּסִילkesîyl · foolH3684
• in his follyאִוֶּ֫לֶת'ivveleth · follyH200

Cross-references for Proverbs 17:12

• Proverbs 28:15Like a roaring lion and a rushing bear Is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
• 2 Samuel 17:8Moreover, Hushai said, “You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are fierce, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is an expert in warfare, and will not spend the night with the people.
• 2 Kings 2:24When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.
• 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 27:3A stone is heavy and the sand weighty, But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.
• Matthew 2:16Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined 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

• Bear
• Company

In the dictionaries

• Bear
• Fine
• Friend
• Glad
• Grief
• Price
• Rule
• Strike
• Fool; Folly
• Palestine

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