Proverbs 26:11

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

so a fool repeats his folly. ² 

Proverbs 26:17

26:17 Like one who grabs a wild dog by the ears, ³ 

so is the person passing by who becomes furious ⁴  over a quarrel not his own.

Proverbs 7:22

7:22 Suddenly he went ⁵  after her

like an ox that goes to the slaughter,

like a stag prancing into a trapper’s snare ⁶ 

[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.

[26:17]  ³ tn Heb “grabs the ears of a dog. The word “wild” has been supplied in the translation to make clear that these were not domesticated pets. CEV, to accomplish the same point, has “a mad dog,” but there is no indication of that in context.

[26:17]  ⁴ tn The word מִתְעַבֵּר (mit’abber) means “to put oneself in a fury” or “become furious” (BDB 720 s.v.). The Latin version apparently assumed the verb was עָרַב (’arav), for it has the sense of “meddle” (so also NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). However, the MT reading could easily fit the verse, referring to anyone passing by who gets furious over a fight that is not his.

[7:22]  ⁵ tn The participle with “suddenly” gives a more vivid picture, almost as if to say “there he goes.”

[7:22]  ⁶ tn The present translation follows R. B. Y. Scott (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes [AB], 64). This third colon of the verse would usually be rendered, “fetters to the chastening of a fool” (KJV, ASV, and NASB are all similar). But there is no support that עֶכֶס (’ekhes) means “fetters.” It appears in Isaiah 3:16 as “anklets.” The parallelism here suggests that some animal imagery is required. Thus the ancient versions have “as a dog to the bonds.”