PROV 17:12 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) It’s better to meet a mother bear robbed of its cubs,
⇔ → than to meet a fool displaying their foolishness.

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Ἐμπεσεῖται μέριμνα ἀνδρὶ νοήμονι, οἱ δὲ ἄφρονες διαλογιοῦνται κακά.
(Empeseitai merimna andri noaʸmoni, hoi de afrones dialogiountai kaka. )

ULT Let a female bear robbed of offspring meet a man
⇔ and not a stupid one in his folly!

UST A mother bear who is furious because someone has stolen her cubs is dangerous,
⇔ but it can be more dangerous to confront a foolish person who is doing something foolish.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE Let a bear robbed of her cubs meet a man,
⇔ rather than a fool in his folly.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET It is better for a person to meet a mother bear being robbed of her cubs,
⇔ than to encounter a fool in his folly.

LSV The meeting of a bereaved bear by a man,
And—not a fool in his folly.

FBV Better to meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs than a stupid person and their foolishness.

T4T ⇔ A mother bear whose cubs have been taken away from her is dangerous,
⇔ but it is more dangerous to confront a foolish person who is doing something foolish.

LEB • May a man meet a she-bear robbed of offspring and not a fool in his folly.

BBE It is better to come face to face with a bear whose young ones have been taken away than with a foolish man acting foolishly.

Moff Better meet a bear robbed of her whelps
⇔ than a fool in his folly.

JPS Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.

ASV Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man,
⇔ Rather than a fool in his folly.

DRA It is better to meet a bear robbed of her whelps, than a fool trusting in his own folly.

YLT The meeting of a bereaved bear by a man, And — not a fool in his folly.

Drby Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man rather than a fool in his folly.

RV Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.
(Let a bear robbed of her whelps/pups_or_cubs meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly. )

SLT A bereaved bear meeting with a, man, and not a fool in his folly.

Wbstr Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.

KJB-1769 Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.
(Let a bear robbed of her whelps/pups_or_cubs meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly. )

KJB-1611 Let a beare robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather then a foole in his folly.
(Let a bear robbed of her whelps/pups_or_cubs meet a man, rather then a fool in his folly.)

Bshps It were better to meete a shee beare robbed of her whelpes, then a foole trusting in his foolishnesse.
(It were better to meet a she bear robbed of her whelps/pups_or_cubs, then a fool trusting in his foolishness.)

Gnva It is better for a man to meete a beare robbed of her whelpes, then a foole in his follie.
(It is better for a man to meet a bear robbed of her whelps/pups_or_cubs, then a fool in his folly. )

Cvdl It were better to come agaynst a she Bere robbed of hir whelpes, then agaynst a foole in his foolishnes.
(It were better to come against a she Bere robbed of her whelps/pups_or_cubs, then against a fool in his foolishness.)

Wycl It spedith more to meete a femal bere, whanne the whelpis ben rauyschid, than a fool tristynge to hym silf in his foli.
(It spedith more to meet a female bear, when the whelps/pups_or_cubs been rauyschid, than a fool tristing to himself in his folly.)

Luth Es ist besser, einem Bären begegnen, dem die Jungen geraubet sind, denn einem Narren in seiner Narrheit.
(It is better, on bears meet/encounter, to_him the boys stolen are, because/than on fool(n) in his folly.)

ClVg Expedit magis ursæ occurrere raptis fœtibus, quam fatuo confidenti in stultitia sua.[fn]
(Expedit more ursæ occurrere raptis fœtibus, how fatuo confidenti in/into/on foolishness his_own. )

17.12 Expedit magis ursæ, etc. Facilius erat sanctis doctoribus furori gentilitatis occurrere, etc., usque ad, et hoc sæpe facilius fit, quam hæreticum ad fidem rectam revocare, vel catholicum prave agentem ad bonum opus reducere.

17.12 Expedit more ursæ, etc. Facilius was to_the_saints to_teachers furori nationlitatis occurrere, etc., until to, and this often easier fit, how thesereticum to faith straight revocare, or catholicum prave agentem to good work/need reducere.

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 10:1–22:16: This is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs

This section is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs. It has a very different structure from the longer poetic lectures of chapters 1–9. It consists mostly of individual couplets (two-line poems) that are each one verse in length. With the exception of the title (10:1a), paragraph breaks will not be indicated in the Notes or Display. You may of course choose to start each proverb as a separate paragraph in your translation.

In chapters 10–15, most of these one-verse couplets express a contrast between the two lines. One of the more common contrasts is between the righteous/wise and the wicked/foolish and the different consequences of their conduct.

In chapters 16:1–22:16, more topics are discussed. There is more emphasis on the role of the king and other leaders. In these chapters, there are few proverbs with contrasting lines. Some of the parallel lines are similar in meaning. More frequently, the second line adds to what the first line says or gives an example. Most of the verses have no obvious connection with the previous or following proverbs.UBS (page 214), Fox (page 509), McKane (page 413). Many scholars, including McKane, point out that there are some topical groupings as well as poetic connections. These include the repetition of certain words or sounds. This observation does not deny the individual nature of most of the proverbs in this Section.

Two of the types of proverbs in this section are not found in chapters 1–9. One type contains logical reasoning from the lesser to the greater. See 11:31 for a list of these proverbs. There are also several varieties of complex “better than” proverbs. The most common have a contrasting situation in each line (see 12:9). For other varieties, see 16:16, 19:1, and 21:9.

Many of the proverbs in this section refer to categories of people who share a common trait. For example, they refer to the righteous, the wise, the poor, and the lazy. In Hebrew, some verses use singular forms to refer to these groups of people. Other verses use plural forms. Still others use a combination of singular and plural. See the note on 10:30a–b for one example. For most of these verses, the Notes will not comment on the difference between singular and plural forms. Use a natural way in your language to refer to one or more people who are in the same category.

Many of the proverbs in this section express a general principle in abstract terms. They are not addressed specifically to the readers. For example, 10:2a–b says:

Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,

but righteousness delivers from death.

However, the author intended his readers to understand these proverbs as advice that they should follow. In some languages, authors or speakers give advice more directly, using pronouns such as you^(sing), you^(plur), we^(dual), or we^(incl). See the note on 10:2 for translation suggestions.

Some other headings for this section are:

Proverbs of Solomon (NIV)

The Wise Words of Solomon (NCV)

Here are many wise things that Solomon said

17:12

In this proverb, the two lines form a single comparison.In Hebrew, the comparison is only implied, and the bear is the one who meets a person, rather than a person meeting a bear. The Hebrew is literally: “Let a bereft bear meet a person, and let not a fool in his folly meet a person.” See Fox (page 630) and Ross (page 1017). English versions all state the comparison in terms of a person meeting a bear. This difference does not affect the point of the proverb.

^12aIt is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs

^12bthan a fool in his folly.

The point of this comparison is that a fool who is engaged in foolish activity is dangerous and harmful. It is less dangerous to meet a bear that is searching for her lost cubs than to meet such a person.

See the General Comment on 17:12a–b at the end of the note on 17:12b for other ways to translate this comparison. See 12:9 and 16:16 for two types of “better than” proverbs that have a more complex structure.

17:12a

It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs

It is safer/better to encounter an angry bear whose cubs have disappeared
You^(sing) will face danger if you meet a fierce animal that cannot find its babies.

to meet a bear robbed of her cubs: This clause describes a situation in which a person encounters a mother bear that has lost her cubs. The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as robbed of is literally “bereaved of children.”NIDOTTE (H8897). The word does not indicate how the bear came to be bereaved. Its cubs may have recently died or been killed. They may also have gotten lost or been taken away.

The point of the comparison is that a mother bear without its cubs is upset and angry. It is likely to attack anyone that comes near.

bear: If bears are not known in your area, some other ways to translate this word are:

Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
fierce, wild animal
Borrow the word for bear from another language. Add a picture or a footnote to help your readers understand what a bear is like.
Use the word for a dangerous wild animal that is known in your culture. If possible, choose an animal that was also known in Palestine. For example:
lion

17:12b

than a fool in his folly.

than to encounter a fool doing senseless things.
You^(sing) will face far more danger if you meet a fool acting foolishly.

than a fool in his folly: For the word fool, see fool 2 (Hebrew: kǝsil) in the Glossary. For the word folly, see folly (Hebrew: ʾiwwelet) in the Glossary.

General Comment on 17:12a–b

Some other ways to translate the comparison between meeting a bear and meeting a fool are:

^12aIt is safer to encounter an angry bear whose cubs have disappeared ^12bthan to encounter a fool who is doing something foolish.

^12bIt is more dangerous to come upon a fool that is carrying out a foolish plan ^12athan to come face to face with a female bear that is searching for its offspring.

In some languages, the comparison may need to be implied. For example:

^12aYour danger is great if you unexpectedly meet a bear whose cubs are missing. ^12bYour danger is extremely great if you meet a fool who is busy with foolishness.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

פָּג֬וֹשׁ דֹּ֣ב שַׁכּ֣וּל בְּ⁠אִ֑ישׁ וְ⁠אַל־כְּ֝סִ֗יל בְּ⁠אִוַּלְתּֽ⁠וֹ

meet bear robbed (in)_a,person and,not fool in,his_of,foolishness

Solomon is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a clause would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words to the second clause from earlier in the sentence if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “Let a female bear robbed of offspring meet a man. Do not let a stupid one in his folly meet a man”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

פָּג֬וֹשׁ דֹּ֣ב שַׁכּ֣וּל בְּ⁠אִ֑ישׁ וְ⁠אַל־כְּ֝סִ֗יל בְּ⁠אִוַּלְתּֽ⁠וֹ

meet bear robbed (in)_a,person and,not fool in,his_of,foolishness

In this verse, Solomon implies that meeting a female bear robbed of offspring is better than meeting a stupid one in his folly. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “A female bear robbed of offspring meeting a man is better than a man meeting a stupid one in his folly”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

דֹּ֣ב & בְּ⁠אִ֑ישׁ & כְּ֝סִ֗יל בְּ⁠אִוַּלְתּֽ⁠וֹ

bear & (in)_a,person & fool in,his_of,foolishness

Here, a female bear, a man, a stupid one, and his represent bears and types of people in general, not one particular bear or people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “any female bear … any person … any stupid person in that person’s folly”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

דֹּ֣ב שַׁכּ֣וּל

bear robbed

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you could state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “a female bear from which someone has stolen offspring”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

דֹּ֣ב

bear

Solomon assumes that his readers will understand that a female bear robbed of offspring would be extremely angry and violent. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “an angry female bear”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

שַׁכּ֣וּל

robbed

Although the word offspring is singular in form, here it refers to all of a bear’s cubs as a group. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this plainly. Alternate translation: “robbed of cubs”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

בְּ⁠אִוַּלְתּֽ⁠וֹ

in,his_of,foolishness

See how you translated the abstract noun folly in [5:23](../05/23.md).

Parallel PROV 17:12

Section 10:1–22:16: This is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs

17:12

17:12a

17:12b

General Comment on 17:12a–b