Bible Strands
Proverbs 26:11
As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The author of Proverbs places this saying between warnings about misusing a fool and the danger of self-conceit. It addresses any reader who must choose between temporary comfort and lasting wisdom.
The words — The Hebrew כֶּלֶב (kelev) means "dog," and עַל־קֵאֳוֹ (al-ke'ovo) translates to "to its own vomit." These terms establish a visceral comparison for compulsive return to defiled behavior.
The thread — The text explicitly quotes this proverb in 2 Peter 2:22 to describe false teachers reverting to sin. The surrounding context in Proverbs 26 frames it as a warning against normalizing destructive patterns.
Why it lands — The text states that unaddressed folly inevitably draws a person back to the same error. It asks the reader to recognize the cycle early and break it before the pattern hardens.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.
Cross-references
- 2 Peter 2:22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
- Matthew 12:45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man is worse than the first. So will it be with this wicked generation.”
- Exodus 8:15 When Pharaoh saw that there was relief, however, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.