Proverbs 26:11

26:11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit, ¹ 

so a fool repeats his folly. ² 

Isaiah 56:10-11

56:10 All their watchmen ³  are blind,

they are unaware. ⁴ 

All of them are like mute dogs,

unable to bark.

They pant, ⁵  lie down,

and love to snooze.

56:11 The dogs have big appetites;

they are never full. ⁶ 

They are shepherds who have no understanding;

they all go their own way,

each one looking for monetary gain. ⁷ 

Matthew 7:6

7:6 Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces. ⁸ 

Matthew 7:15

A Tree and Its Fruit

7:15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. ⁹ 

Matthew 24:10

24:10 Then many will be led into sin, ¹⁰  and they will betray one another and hate one another.

Galatians 5:15

5:15 However, if you continually bite and devour one another, ¹¹  beware that you are not consumed ¹²  by one another.

Galatians 5:2

5:2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all!

Galatians 4:14-15

4:14 and though my physical condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. ¹³  Instead, you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God, ¹⁴  as though I were Christ Jesus himself! ¹⁵  4:15 Where then is your sense of happiness ¹⁶  now? For I testify about you that if it were possible, you would have pulled out your eyes and given them to me!

Galatians 4:2

4:2 But he is under guardians ¹⁷  and managers until the date set by his ¹⁸  father.

Galatians 2:1

Confirmation from the Jerusalem Apostles

2:1 Then after fourteen years I went up to Jerusalem ¹⁹  again with Barnabas, taking Titus along too.

Revelation 22:15

22:15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers ²⁰  and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood! ²¹ 

[26:11]  ¹ sn The simile is graphic and debasing (cf. 2 Peter 2:22).

[26:11]  ² sn The point is clear: Fools repeat their disgusting mistakes, or to put it another way, whenever we repeat our disgusting mistakes we are fools. The proverb is affirming that no matter how many times a fool is warned, he never learns.

[56:10]  ³ sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.

[56:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.”

[56:10]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy.

[56:11]  ⁶ sn The phrase never full alludes to the greed of the leaders.

[56:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “for his gain from his end.”

[7:6]  ⁸ tn Or “otherwise the latter will trample them under their feet and the former will turn around and tear you to pieces.” This verse is sometimes understood as a chiasm of the pattern a-b-b-a, in which the first and last clauses belong together (“dogs…turn around and tear you to pieces”) and the second and third clauses belong together (“pigs…trample them under their feet”).

[7:15]  ⁹ sn Sheep’s clothing…voracious wolves. Jesus uses a metaphor here to point out that these false prophets appear to be one thing, but in reality they are something quite different and dangerous.

[24:10]  ¹⁰ tn Or “many will fall away.” This could also refer to apostasy.

[5:15]  ¹¹ tn That is, “if you are harming and exploiting one another.” Paul’s metaphors are retained in most modern translations, but it is possible to see the meanings of δάκνω and κατεσθίω (daknw and katesqiw, L&N 20.26 and 88.145) as figurative extensions of the literal meanings of these terms and to translate them accordingly. The present tenses here are translated as customary presents (“continually…”).

[5:15]  ¹² tn Or “destroyed.”

[4:14]  ¹³ tn Grk “your trial in my flesh you did not despise or reject.”

[4:14]  ¹⁴ tn Or “the angel of God.” Linguistically, “angel of God” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of God” or “the angel of God” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.

[4:14]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “as an angel of God…as Christ Jesus.” This could be understood to mean either “you welcomed me like an angel of God would,” or “you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God.” In context only the second is accurate, so the translation has been phrased to indicate this.

[4:15]  ¹⁶ tn Or “blessedness.”

[4:2]  ¹⁷ tn The Greek term translated “guardians” here is ἐπίτροπος (epitropo"), whose semantic domain overlaps with that of παιδαγωγός (paidagwgo") according to L&N 36.5.

[4:2]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “the,” but the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[2:1]  ¹⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[22:15]  ²⁰ tn On the term φάρμακοι (farmakoi) see L&N 53.101.

[22:15]  ²¹ tn Or “lying,” “deceit.”