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

15The leech has two daughters: “Give! Give!” There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, “Enough” – 16the grave, the barren womb, land that is not satisfied with water, and fire that never says, “Enough!” The eye that mocks at a father and despises obeying a mother – the ravens of the valley will peck it out and the young vultures will eat it. 18There are three things that are too wonderful for me, four that I do not understand: 19the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship in the sea, and the way of a man with a 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 is a generation who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.
• Proverbs 20:20The one who curses his father and his mother, his lamp will be extinguished in the blackest darkness.
• Proverbs 23:22Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
• Genesis 9:21When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent.
• Leviticus 20:9“‘If anyone curses his father and mother he must be put to death. He has cursed his father and mother; his blood guilt is on himself.
• Deuteronomy 21:18If a person has a stubborn, rebellious son who pays no attention to his father or mother, and they discipline him to no avail,
• 2 Samuel 18:9Then Absalom happened to come across David’s men. Now as Absalom was riding on his mule, it went under the branches of a large oak tree. His head got caught in the oak and he was suspended in midair, while the mule he had been riding kept going.
• 1 Samuel 17:44The Philistine said to David, “Come here to me, so I can give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the field!”
• 2 Samuel 21:10Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain fell on them, she did not allow the birds of the air to feed on them by day, nor the wild animals by night.

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