Proverbs 26:11 kjv

As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

Proverbs 26:11 nkjv

As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly.

Proverbs 26:11 niv

As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.

Proverbs 26:11 esv

Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

Proverbs 26:11 nlt

As a dog returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his foolishness.

Proverbs 26 verses

Proverbs 26 11 Meaning

Proverbs 26:11 describes the abhorrent and persistent nature of a fool. It uses the vivid and repulsive imagery of a dog returning to consume its own vomit to illustrate how a morally obtuse person, who rejects wisdom and instruction, continually reverts to their harmful, senseless, or sinful ways, despite negative consequences or prior experiences. It signifies a profound lack of learning, true repentance, and moral discernment.

Proverbs 26 11 Context

Proverbs chapter 26 is primarily a collection of discrete, pithy sayings concerning various types of problematic individuals, with a particular focus on the fool and the sluggard. Verses 1-12 directly address the character and behaviors of the fool (k^esîl), describing their lack of honor, their unteachability, the futility of trying to reason with them, and their inherent danger. Proverbs 26:11 specifically functions as a climactic summation of the fool's nature, emphasizing their inherent resistance to change and their repulsive inclination to revert to past errors. Historically, the imagery reflects the practical observations of the ancient Near East, where dogs were often despised scavengers, associated with uncleanness and impudence, contrasting sharply with their common status as pets in modern times. This understanding enhances the disgust and condemnation inherent in the comparison. The chapter, as part of Solomon's proverbs copied by Hezekiah's men, presents divine wisdom for navigating life by contrasting righteous conduct with folly.

Proverbs 26 11 Word analysis

• As a dog (ככלב, k^ekheleḇ): The Hebrew word k^eleḇ refers to a dog. In ancient Israelite culture, dogs were generally viewed with disdain, often depicted as scavenging, wild, and unclean animals (unlike many cultures today, where dogs are beloved pets). This comparison immediately evokes a sense of revulsion and degradation. It underscores a creature driven purely by instinct, without reason or discretion.
• returns (ישׁוּב, yāšûḇ): This verb means "to return, turn back, go back." It implies a circular motion, a lack of progress, and a conscious act of reversion. It suggests that despite having left a particular state or action, the dog—and by analogy, the fool—deliberately chooses to go back to it. There is no spiritual or intellectual advancement.
• to its vomit (על־קיאו, ʿal qēʾō): The noun qēʾ means "vomit, regurgitation." This is the most repulsive element of the metaphor. Vomiting is the body's act of expelling something harmful or undesirable. Returning to consume it is universally seen as disgusting, unnatural, and self-defiling. This phrase highlights the abhorrent and fundamentally unhygienic/unhealthy nature of the folly a fool engages in.
• so (כן, kēn): This word acts as a comparative particle, "thus, so, likewise." It introduces the direct application of the repulsive animal behavior to human conduct.
• a fool (כסיל, k^esîl): The Hebrew word k^esîl describes more than mere intellectual deficiency. It signifies a person who is morally and spiritually dull, obstinate, and stubbornly resistant to wisdom, correction, and instruction. This is someone who chooses folly over understanding, actively rejecting the path of righteousness and divine wisdom. This individual is impervious to learning from experience or counsel.
• repeats (שׁונה, šōnêh): This verb means "to repeat, do again, teach, study." In this context, it emphasizes the repetitive, cyclical nature of the fool's actions. It implies an entrenched habit, an inability or unwillingness to break destructive patterns. Unlike "return," which might imply a single act of turning back, "repeats" highlights an ongoing, habitual pattern.
• his folly (באולתו, bəʾiwwalṯō): The noun ʾiwwalṯō means "foolishness, stupidity, folly, senselessness." It refers to the misguided actions, decisions, and overall way of life that characterize the k^esîl. It encapsulates the moral blindness and lack of discernment that leads the fool to act in self-destructive or socially detrimental ways.

Word Group Analysis:

• As a dog returns to its vomit: This vivid simile functions as an adynaton (an impossible or extremely repulsive situation used for rhetorical effect) to depict the utter depravity and irrationality. It is an image of natural instinct twisted into an unnatural and disgusting cycle. It powerfully conveys the idea of an unclean habit, a complete failure to learn or progress, and a regression to something vile that has already been expelled or rejected.
• so a fool repeats his folly: This parallel clause directly applies the horrific imagery to human behavior. It explains that the fool's inclination to re-engage with their errors is as inherently disgusting, senseless, and deeply ingrained as a dog's repulsive habit. The phrase emphasizes the circularity of the fool's life – a constant recycling of detrimental choices and attitudes. This is not about making a single mistake, but about a pattern of self-defeating behavior stemming from an unteachable heart.

Proverbs 26 11 Bonus section

• The graphic imagery of Proverbs 26:11 makes it one of the most memorable and forceful condemnations of persistent foolishness in Scripture. Its very grossness aids in impressing the gravity of the spiritual condition described.
• The New Testament directly quotes this proverb in 2 Peter 2:22, applying it to those who, having seemingly escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Jesus Christ, fall back into former sinful ways. This gives the proverb a particularly potent application to apostasy, underscoring that a mere external cleansing without genuine heart transformation leaves one susceptible to returning to the very defilement from which they were supposedly freed.
• This proverb starkly contrasts with the biblical call to repentance. True repentance involves a decisive turning away from sin, a learning from past mistakes, and a transformation of behavior and thought patterns (cf. Acts 3:19). The fool, by contrast, demonstrates no such turning.
• In the wisdom literature of the Bible, the k^esîl is typically seen as beyond redemption or persuasion through mere human effort or argument, unlike the "simple one" (peti) who can still learn. This proverb encapsulates that dire assessment of the fool's character.

Proverbs 26 11 Commentary

Proverbs 26:11 serves as a stark and unyielding condemnation of the "fool" (k^esîl). The chosen analogy of a dog consuming its own vomit is deliberately repugnant, designed to evoke deep disgust and underscore the inherent loathsomeness of repeated folly. This is not simply about an innocent mistake made twice; it's about a deep-seated moral and spiritual problem. The dog, driven by base instinct and lacking rational thought, reverts to the very thing its body previously rejected. Similarly, the k^esîl, being unteachable and rejecting wisdom, persists in foolish behaviors, choices, and thought patterns, even after experiencing their negative consequences. There is no true remorse, no genuine desire for change, and no learning from prior errors. This proverb warns against a condition of persistent obduracy where the mind and heart become so calloused that even self-inflicted harm fails to serve as a corrective. It reveals that the fool’s problem lies not in their intellect but in their moral character and their determined resistance to divine wisdom and guidance, making their cyclical returns to destructive ways as repulsive and pitiful as the animal's actions. This proverb highlights the difficulty, if not impossibility, of reforming someone who is deeply entrenched in such a pattern of rejecting wisdom and repeating folly, especially when they find some twisted comfort or satisfaction in it, or are simply incapable of recognizing it as truly destructive.