New Living Translation
Proverbs 17:12
12It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to confront a fool caught in 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 single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool. 11Evil people are eager for rebellion, but they will be severely punished. It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to confront a fool caught in foolishness. 13If you repay good with evil, evil will never leave your house. 14Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute 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 is as dangerous to the poor as a roaring lion or an attacking bear.
- 2 Samuel 17:8You know your father and his men; they are mighty warriors. Right now they are as enraged as a mother bear who has been robbed of her cubs. And remember that your father is an experienced man of war. He won’t be spending the night among the troops.
- 2 Kings 2:24Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.
- Hosea 13:8Like a bear whose cubs have been taken away, I will tear out your heart. I will devour you like a hungry lioness and mangle you like a wild animal.
- Proverbs 27:3A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.
- Matthew 2:16Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.
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
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