King James Version

Proverbs 26:17

He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

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Hebrew

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מַחֲזִ֥יקmachaziqbe constantחָזַקverb, hiphil, participle, absolute — “be constant”, a verb used as a describing wordH2388to fasten upon; hence, to seize, be strong (figuratively, courageous, causatively strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conqueraid, amend, [idiom] calker, catch, cleave, confirm, be constant, constrain, continue, be of good (take) courage(-ous, -ly), encourage (self), be established, fasten, force, fortify, make hard, harden, help, (lay) hold (fast), lean, maintai…בְּאָזְנֵיbeazenein earאֹזֶןpreposition, noun, common, feminine, dual, construct — “in ear”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH241broadness. i.e. (concrete) the ear (from its form in man)[phrase] advertise, audience, [phrase] displease, ear, hearing, [phrase] show.כָ֑לֶבkhalevdogכֶּלֶבnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “dog”, the ordinary formH3611a dog; hence (by euphemism) a male prostitutedog.עֹבֵ֥רoveralienateעָבַרverb, qal, participle, absolute — “alienate”, a verb used as a describing wordH5674to cross over; used very widely of any transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive, intensive, causative); specifically, to cover (in copulation)alienate, alter, [idiom] at all, beyond, bring (over, through), carry over, (over-) come (on, over), conduct (over), convey over, current, deliver, do away, enter, escape, fail, gender, get over, (make) go (away, beyond, by, forth, his way…מִ֝תְעַבֵּ֗רmitaberalienateעָבַרverb, hithpael, participle, absolute — “alienate”, a verb used as a describing wordH5674to cross over; used very widely of any transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive, intensive, causative); specifically, to cover (in copulation)alienate, alter, [idiom] at all, beyond, bring (over, through), carry over, (over-) come (on, over), conduct (over), convey over, current, deliver, do away, enter, escape, fail, gender, get over, (make) go (away, beyond, by, forth, his way…עַלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…רִ֥יבrivcauseרִיבnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “cause”, the ordinary formH7379a contest (personal or legal)[phrase] adversary, cause, chiding, contend(-tion), controversy, multitude (from the margin), pleading, strife, strive(-ing), suit.לֹּֽאlono , -r,לֹאparticle, negative — “no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…לֽוֹlvotoלֽוֹpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “to”to

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife not his own, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

He that passeth by, and vexeth himself with strife belonging not to him, Is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

Young’s Literal Translation

Laying hold on the ears of a dog, [Is] a passer-by making himself wrath for strife not his own.

World English Bible

Like one who grabs a dog’s ears is one who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own.

Darby Translation

He that passing by vexeth himself with strife belonging not to him, is [like] one that taketh a dog by the ears.

Douay-Rheims

As he that taketh a dog by the ears, so is he that passeth by in anger, and meddleth with another man’s quarrel.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife not his own, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

As he that lays hold of a dog's tail, so is he that makes himself the champion of another's cause.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ὥσπερ ὁ κρατῶν κέρκου κυνὸς, οὕτως ὁ προεστὼς ἀλλοτρίας κρίσεως.