Key Verse Spotlight
Proverbs 26:17 - Meaning and Application
Understand how this verse speaks to what you're facing and how to apply it today
Translation: King James Version
" He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. "
Proverbs 26:17
Verse in Context
Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:
15 The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.
16 The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.
17 He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.
18 As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death,
19 So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?
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What is condemned here is interfering in a quarrel that does not belong to us. If we must not be quick to fight for our own cause (Proverbs 25:8), we certainly should not jump into other people’s disputes, especially when we have no real connection to them and only happen to come across them.
If we can help bring peace between people who are at odds, we should do so, even if both sides dislike us for a time while their anger is still hot. But to get involved in other people’s troubles, and take sides in their quarrels, is to invite our own trouble and put ourselves in danger. “Who made me a judge?” is the right question. Let them settle it themselves, the same way they began it.
We are warned against this because of the danger it brings. It is like grabbing a snapping dog by the ears. He will bite you if you let go, but if you keep holding on, your hands are full and you cannot do anything else. You may wish later that you had never touched the matter at all, because you may end up hurt and shamed.
So let each person work quietly and attend to his own business, and not stir up trouble by meddling in what does not concern him.
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From This Chapter
Proverbs 26:1
"As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool."
Proverbs 26:2
"As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come."
Proverbs 26:3
"A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back."
Proverbs 26:4
"Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like"
Proverbs 26:5
"Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit."
Proverbs 26:6
"He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage."
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