Proverbs 26:11

“Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a senseless man who repeats his folly.”
Proverbs 26:11 · direct translation from the Hebrew

Study it in the app

With the Hebrew beneath

Like a dogכְּכֶלֶבthat returnsשָׁבtoעַלits vomitקֵאוֹis a senseless manכְּסִילwho repeatsשׁוֹנֶהhis folly.בְאִוַּלְתּוֹ

Quotation · 2 Peter 2:22

Go to 2 Peter 2:22

The first part of the proverb is Proverbs 26:11; the part about the sow is not in the Old Testament.

Formula: συμβέβηκεν αὐτοῖς τὸ τῆς ἀληθοῦς παροιμίας “the saying of the true proverb has happened to them” (2 Peter 2:22)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: συμβέβηκεν αὐτοῖς τὸ τῆς ἀληθοῦς παροιμίας Κύων ἐπιστρέψας ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον ἐξέραμα καί Ὗς λουσαμένη εἰς κυλισμὸν βορβόρου

Hebrew (Masoretic text): כְּכֶלֶב שָׁב עַל קֵאוֹ כְּסִיל שׁוֹנֶה בְאִוַּלְתּוֹ

Septuagint (Proverbs 26:11 in the Septuagint numbering): ὥσπερ κύων ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἔμετον καὶ μισητὸς γένηται, οὕτως ἄφρων τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κακίᾳ ἀναστρέψας ἐπὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτίαν. ἔστιν αἰσχύνη ἐπάγουσα ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ ἔστιν αἰσχύνη δόξα καὶ χάρις.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, no two consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Proverbs 26:11, word by word

Like a dogכֶלֶבchelev

dog

An animal that roams the city and eats what it finds, even carrion.

Where else “chelev” appears

that returnsשָׁבshav

return

To go back to a place.

Where else “shav” appears

its vomitקֵאke

vomit

Vomit.

Where else “ke” appears

is a senseless manכְּסִילkesil

senseless, fool

Fool: not someone who knows little, but someone who despises wisdom and trusts in himself.

Where else “kesil” appears

who repeatsשׁוֹנֶהshone

repeat

To do or say something again, a second time.

Where else “shone” appears

his follyאִוַּלְתּivalt

folly

Folly: acting without thinking, without regard for God or for the consequences.

Where else “ivalt” appears

Translation note

Quoted in 2 Peter 2:22.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · 2 Peter 2:22

The first part of the proverb is Proverbs 26:11; the part about the sow is not in the Old Testament.

See them side by side

Proverbs 26:11

¹¹Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a senseless man who repeats his folly.

2 Peter 2:22

²²The saying of the true proverb has happened to them: A dog returns to its own vomit, and a sow, after washing, to wallowing in the mire.

The context

10An archer who wounds everyone is whoever hires a senseless man, and whoever hires those who pass by.

11 · This verse (above)

12Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a senseless man than for him.

Read all of Proverbs 26

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