PROV 30:17 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=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

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).

ULT An eye mocks a father
⇔ and shows contempt for the obedience to a mother;
⇔ the ravens of the valley will peck it out,
⇔ and the sons of the vulture will eat it.

UST People who ridicule their fathers,
⇔ and refuse to obey their mothers
⇔ deserve to die
⇔ and have wild animals eat their dead bodies.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE ⇔ “The eye that mocks at his father,
⇔ and scorns obedience to his mother,
⇔ the ravens of the valley shall pick it out,
⇔ the young eagles shall eat it.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET 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.

LSV An eye that mocks at a father,
And despises to obey a mother,
Ravens of the valley dig it out,
And young eagles eat it.

FBV People who ridicule their fathers and despise obedience to the mother will have their eyes pecked out by wild ravens and eaten by young vultures.

T4T ⇔ Those who [SYN] make fun of their fathers
⇔ or refuse to obey their mothers (OR, despise their aged mothers)
⇔ should die and have their eyes pecked out by crows,
⇔ and the rest of their corpses should be fed to the vultures.

LEB • The eye that mocks a father and scorns the obedience of a mother—
• the ravens of the valley will peck it out,
• and the offspring of vultures will eat it.

BBE The eye which makes sport of a father, and sees no value in a mother when she is old will be rooted out by the ravens of the valley, and be food for the young eagles.

Moff The man who mocks his father
⇔ and scorns his aged mother
⇔ ravens shall pick the eyes out of his corpse,
⇔ and vultures shall devour him.
¶ 

JPS 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 vultures shall eat it.

ASV 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.

DRA The eye that mocketh at his father, and that despiseth the labour of his mother in bearing him, let the ravens of the brooks pick it out, and the young eagles eat it.

YLT An eye that mocketh at a father, And despiseth to obey a mother, Dig it out do ravens of the valley, And eat it do young eagles.

Drby The eye that mocketh at a father, and despiseth to obey a mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

RV 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.
(The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth/despises to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. )

SLT The eye shall mock to his father, and despise to obey the mother, the ravens of the valley shall bore it out and the sons of the eagle shall eat it.

Wbstr The eye that mocketh at its father, and despiseth to obey its mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

KJB-1769 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.[fn]
(The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth/despises to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. )

30.17 the valley: or, the brook

KJB-1611 [fn]The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother; the rauens of the valley shall picke it out, and the young Eagles shall eate it.
(The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth/despises to obey his mother; the ravens of the valley shall picke it out, and the young Eagles shall eat it.)

30:17 Or, the brooke.

Bshps Who so laugheth his father to scorne, and setteth his mothers commaundement at naught, the rauens of the valley picke out his eyes, and deuoured be he of the young Egles.
(Whoso/Whoever laugheth his father to scorn, and setteth his mothers commandment at naught/nothing, the ravens of the valley picke out his eyes, and devoured be he of the young Eagles.)

Gnva The eye that mocketh his father and despiseth the instruction of his mother, let ye rauens of the valley picke it out, and the yong eagles eate it.
(The eye that mocketh his father and despiseth/despises the instruction of his mother, let ye/you_all ravens of the valley picke it out, and the young eagles eat it. )

Cvdl Who so laugheth his father to scorne, and setteth his mothers commaudement at naught: the rauens pycke out his eyes in the valley, and deuoured be he of the yongle Aegles.
(Whoso/Whoever laugheth his father to scorn, and setteth his mothers commandment at naught/nothing: the ravens pycke out his eyes in the valley, and devoured be he of the yongle Eagles.)

Wycl Crowis of the stronde picke out thilke iye, that scorneth the fadir, and that dispisith the child beryng of his modir; and the briddis of an egle ete that iye.
(Crowis of the stream/river picke out that eye, that scorneth the father, and that despiseth/despises the child bearing of his mother; and the birds of an eagle eat that iye.)

Luth Ein Auge das den Vater verspottet und verachtet, der Mutter zu gehorchen, das müssen die Raben am Bach aushacken und die jungen Adler fressen.
(A eye the the father mocked and despised, the/of_the mother to/for obey, the must the ravens in/at/on_the stream(n) aushacken and the young/youthful eagle(s) eat.)

ClVg Oculum qui subsannat patrem, et qui despicit partum matris suæ, effodiant eum corvi de torrentibus, et comedant eum filii aquilæ !][fn]
(Oculum who/which subsannat father, and who/which looks_down partum mother his/her_own, effodiant him corvi from/about torrents, and let_them_eat him children eagles !] )

30.17 Oculum qui subsannat. Qui divina judicia reprehendunt, etc., usque ad qui peccati nigredinem humiliter confitentur. Filii aquilæ: quia per gratiam ejus sunt renati, qui in carne ad cœlum transvolavit, qui alibi filii sponsi dicuntur.

30.17 Oculum who/which subsannat. Who divine judgements reprehendunt, etc., until to who/which of_sin nigredinem humbly they_confess. Children eagles: because through grace his are renati, who/which in/into/on flesh/meat to sky transvolavit, who/which alibi children grooms are_said.

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 30:1–33: Here are the sayings of Agur

This section is a collection of verses that were written or organized by Agur the son of Jakeh.Some scholars think that Agur wrote or collected only verses 1–4, 1–6, 1–9, or 1–14. UBS (page 617), Toy (page 518), and Longman (page 513) are among those who list some of these possibilities. The GNT indicates with quotation marks that Agur’s words end after v.6. No other versions indicate that Agur’s words end before the end of the chapter. Waltke (volume I, page 26) strongly defends the entire chapter as the “oracle” of Agur on the basis of its structural unity. Kidner (page 178) divides the chapter into two sections (1–9) and (10–33), but identifies both as coming from “the sage.” The title of this section (30:1a) is the only place in Scripture that Agur is mentioned. The section is divided into paragraphs that vary from one to five verses. The Notes will suggest a paragraph heading for all paragraphs after 30:1a. It is suggested that you use similar headings in your translation to help the readers follow the changes of topic and audience.

The first nine verses contain Agur’s personal thoughts and prayers. Some are addressed to God, others to his audience. The rest of the chapter contains proverbs on various topics. Some are individual warnings or statements (30:10, 17, 20, 32–33). Others contain several kinds of lists of four items each. The lists in verses 15b–16, 18–19, 21–23, and 29–31 have the same form as the numerical proverb in 6:16–19. (See the paragraph summary for 6:16–19 and the notes on 6:16a–b.) The lists in verses 11–14 and 24–28 have different forms. These will be described in the paragraph summaries where they first occur.

Some other headings for this section are:

The Words of Agur (ESV)

Wise Words from Agur (NCV)

Words that the LORD caused Agur to make known

Paragraph 30:17 The punishment of children who do not show respect for their parents

This proverb does not have any connection with the preceding and following numerical proverbs.

30:17

The overall meaning of this proverb is that a person who despises his parents will be punished with a shameful death. His body will not be buried. It will be left out in the open for scavenger birds to eat.

The first two lines describe a person who shows disrespect for his parents. They are parallel to each other. The parallel parts are similar in meaning. The last two lines describe the parallel consequences of the person’s scorn.

^17aAs for the eye that mocks a father

^17band scorns obedience to a mother,

^17cmay the ravens of the valley pluck it out

^17dand young vultures devour it.

There is an ellipsis in 30:17b. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing phrase from 30:17a. For example:

^17band the eye that scorns obedience to a mother,

30:17a

As for the eye that mocks a father

¶ A person who shows a lack of respect for his father
¶ If you^(sing) mock your father

the eye that mocks a father: In this line, the phrase the eye is a figure of speech that represents the whole person. The person may mock his father with a sneering look or with words or actions that show disdain. Some other ways to translate this line are:

If you make fun of your father (NCV)

A person who shows a lack of respect for his father

The eye of a person who looks at his father with a sneer

30:17a–b

(combined/reordered)

¶ The person who mocks his father and mother and refuses to obey them
¶ If you^(sing) laugh at your parents and disobey their instructions,

30:17b

and scorns obedience to a mother,

and refuses to obey his mother
and will not do what your^(sing) mother wants/instructs you to do,

and scorns obedience to a mother: There is a textual issue with the Hebrew word that the BSB translates as obedience:

The Masoretic Text (MT) has “scorns obedience to a mother.” For example:
scorns to obey a mother (NRSV) (BSB, CEV, GW, NCV, NIV, NJB, NLT, NRSV)
The LXX and Syriac have “scorns a mother’s old age.” For example:
despise your mother in her old age (GNT) (NAB, REB, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow the MT, along with most English versions.The HOTTP also supports the MT with a “B” rating, indicating little doubt.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

and refuse to obey your mother (NCV)

and despises a mother’s instructions (NLT)

30:17c–d

(combined/reordered)

will have a shameful end. No one will bury him. His body/corpse will be left in the valley, and birds that eat dead animals will eat his eyes and also the rest of him.
the crows and vultures will eat your^(sing) eyes and the rest of your body in the place near the dried up river where it lies unburied.

the ravens of the valley pluck it out…young vultures devour it: These two lines should be understood in terms of the parallel parts that function together. The eye is mentioned specifically, because it represents the mocking attitude and actions of the person. But the overall meaning is that both ravens and vultures peck at the corpse and eat the eyes and other parts of the body.

In languages where ravens or vultures are not known, either word can be translated by a general phrase. For example:

birds that eat dead animals

30:17c

may the ravens of the valley pluck it out

will die and not be buried. Crows/ravens that live in the valley will peck/eat his eyes,
black birds that look for food near the dry riverbed will peck the eyes from your^(sing) corpse,

may the ravens of the valley pluck it out: The thing that the ravens will pluck…out is the eye referred to in 30:17a. If you translated “the eye” in that line as “you” or “a person,” you will need to supply the word “eye” here.

ravens: The ravens referred to in this line are large black birds similar to crows. They kill small animals for food and also peck meat from the bodies of animals that have died. In languages that do not have a term for ravens or crows, you may use a general word plus a descriptive phrase. For example:

black birds that eat dead animals

valley: In Hebrew, this word refers to a ravine or riverbed. In the rainy season, a stream flows swiftly through this low area. In the dry season, it becomes a dry riverbed or valley.TWOT (#1343a), NIDOTTE (H5707). In some languages, this kind of riverbed is called a “wadi.” Some other ways to translate this word are:

the place where the riverbed is located

the ravine where water sometimes flows

Some other ways to translate this line are:

the crows from the valley/wadi will peck the eyes from your dead body

the black birds that live near the place where the riverbed is located will eat his eyes

30:17d

and young vultures devour it.

and vultures will eat his body/corpse.
and other large birds that eat dead animals will join them in eating.

young vultures devour it: In Hebrew, the phrase young vultures is literally “sons of a vulture.” It probably refers to any member of the vulture species, not just young ones.Cohen (page 209) says that “sons of a vulture” indicates membership in the vulture species, not “young vultures.” Toy (page 530) agrees and gives the example of “sons of the prophets” meaning “members of the prophetic guilds.” Vultures are closely related to “buzzards” (CEV). Both are large birds that eat dead animals.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

and buzzards will eat the rest of you (CEV)

Vultures will join them to eat the corpse.

General Comment on 20:17c–d

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts of these two lines. For example:

the crows and vultures will eat your dead body

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

עַ֤יִן ׀ תִּֽלְעַ֣ג לְ⁠אָב֮

eye mocks (to)_a,father

Agur is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the context if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “Concerning an eye that mocks a father”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

עַ֤יִן & יִקְּר֥וּ⁠הָ & וְֽ⁠יֹאכְל֥וּ⁠הָ

eye & they,will_peck_it_out & and,they,will_eat_it

Although eye here refers to the whole person, it refers to the eyes of that person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “A person … will peck that person’s eyes out and … will eat those eyes”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

לְ⁠אָב֮ & אֵ֥ם

(to)_a,father & mother_of

Here Agur implies that a father and a mother are the parents of the person who mocks and shows contempt. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “that person’s father … to that person’s mother”

Note 4 topic: translate-unknown

עֹרְבֵי־נַ֑חַל & נָֽשֶׁר

ravens_of valley & vultures

Both the ravens and the vulture refer to large birds that eat dead animals. If your readers would not be familiar with these types of birds, you could use the name of something similar in your area, or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “birds that scavenge in the valley … other birds that scavenge” or “scavengers … scavengers”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

יִקְּר֥וּ⁠הָ עֹרְבֵי־נַ֑חַל

they,will_peck_it_out ravens_of valley

Since ravens and vultures usually eat dead animals, Agur implies here that this person will be killed before the birds eat him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “that person will die and the ravens of the valley will peck that person’s eyes out”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

בְנֵי־נָֽשֶׁר

sons_of vultures

Here Agur refers to young vultures as if they were sons from the vulture family. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the young vultures”

Parallel PROV 30:17

Section 30:1–33: Here are the sayings of Agur

Paragraph 30:17 The punishment of children who do not show respect for their parents

30:17

30:17a

30:17a–b

30:17b

30:17c–d

30:17c

30:17d

General Comment on 20:17c–d