Proverbs 26:2
New International Version
Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

New Living Translation
Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.

English Standard Version
Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.

Berean Standard Bible
Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

King James Bible
As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.

New King James Version
Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight.

New American Standard Bible
Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, So a curse without cause does not come to rest.

NASB 1995
Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, So a curse without cause does not alight.

NASB 1977
Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, So a curse without cause does not alight.

Legacy Standard Bible
Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in flying, So a curse without cause does not come to pass.

Amplified Bible
Like the sparrow in her wandering, like the swallow in her flying, So the curse without cause does not come and alight [on the undeserving].

Christian Standard Bible
Like a flitting sparrow or a fluttering swallow, an undeserved curse goes nowhere.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Like a flitting sparrow or a fluttering swallow, an undeserved curse goes nowhere.

American Standard Version
As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying, So the curse that is causeless alighteth not.

Contemporary English Version
A curse you don't deserve will take wings and fly away like a sparrow or a swallow.

English Revised Version
As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying, so the curse that is causeless lighteth not.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Like a fluttering sparrow, like a darting swallow, so a hastily spoken curse does not come to rest.

Good News Translation
Curses cannot hurt you unless you deserve them. They are like birds that fly by and never light.

International Standard Version
Like a fluttering sparrow or a swallow in flight, a curse without cause will not alight.

Majority Standard Bible
Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

NET Bible
Like a fluttering bird or like a flying swallow, so a curse without cause does not come to rest.

New Heart English Bible
Like a fluttering sparrow, like a darting swallow, so the undeserved curse doesn't come to rest.

Webster's Bible Translation
As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.

World English Bible
Like a fluttering sparrow, like a darting swallow, so the undeserved curse doesn’t come to rest.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
As a bird by wandering, as a swallow by flying, "" So reviling without cause does not come.

Young's Literal Translation
As a bird by wandering, as a swallow by flying, So reviling without cause doth not come.

Smith's Literal Translation
As the sparrow for wandering, as the swallow for flying, so the curse shall not come in vain.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
As a bird flying to other places, and a sparrow going here or there: so a curse uttered without cause shall come upon a man.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Like a bird flying away to another place, and like a sparrow that hurries away freely, so also a curse uttered against someone without cause will pass away.

New American Bible
Like the sparrow in its flitting, like the swallow in its flight, a curse uncalled-for never lands.

New Revised Standard Version
Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, an undeserved curse goes nowhere.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Like sparrows wandering and like birds flying in the air, so the curse that is causeless shall be driven away.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Like a bird and a flying creature in the air, so an empty curse wanders.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
As the wandering sparrow, as the flying swallow, So the curse that is causeless shall come home.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
As birds and sparrows fly, so a curse shall not come upon any one without a cause.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Similitudes and Instructions
1Like snow in summer and rain at harvest, honor does not befit a fool. 2Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest. 3A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!…

Cross References
Numbers 23:8
How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?

Deuteronomy 23:5
Yet the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.

Psalm 109:28
Though they curse, You will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but Your servant will rejoice.

Isaiah 54:17
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.

Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 27:29
May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”

2 Samuel 16:12
Perhaps the LORD will see my affliction and repay me with good for the cursing I receive today.”

Job 5:3
I have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed.

Psalm 37:22
Surely those He blesses will inherit the land, but the cursed will be destroyed.

Psalm 91:5-8
You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, / nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the calamity that destroys at noon. / Though a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, no harm will come near you. ...

Psalm 109:17-18
The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him. / The cursing that he wore like a coat, may it soak into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.

Psalm 140:9-11
May the heads of those who surround me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused. / May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise again. / May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.

Ecclesiastes 10:20
Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your words, and a winged creature may report your speech.

Matthew 5:44
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Matthew 12:36-37
But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. / For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”


Treasury of Scripture

As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.

so

Numbers 23:8
How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?

Deuteronomy 23:4,5
Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee…

1 Samuel 14:28,29
Then answered one of the people, and said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food this day. And the people were faint…

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Proverbs 26
1. observations about fools
13. about sluggards
17. and about contentious busybodies














Like a fluttering sparrow
The imagery of a "fluttering sparrow" evokes a sense of restlessness and aimlessness. In Hebrew, the word for sparrow is "tsippor," which often represents small, insignificant birds. Sparrows are known for their constant movement and inability to settle in one place. This metaphor suggests that just as a sparrow flits about without landing, so too does a baseless curse lack the power to find a target. Historically, sparrows were common in ancient Israel, and their behavior would have been familiar to the original audience, reinforcing the idea that a curse without cause is ineffective and transient.

or a darting swallow
The "darting swallow" continues the theme of movement and instability. The Hebrew word for swallow, "deror," can also mean freedom, indicating a bird that moves swiftly and freely through the air. Swallows are known for their rapid, unpredictable flight patterns. This comparison emphasizes the futility and lack of permanence of an undeserved curse. In the biblical context, swallows were seen as creatures of grace and agility, further illustrating that a curse without justification cannot find a place to settle.

an undeserved curse
The phrase "undeserved curse" refers to a curse that is not warranted by the actions or character of the person it is directed towards. In Hebrew, the word for curse is "qelalah," which implies a spoken word intended to bring harm or misfortune. The Bible consistently teaches that God is just and that He does not allow unjust curses to prevail. This reflects the broader biblical principle that God protects the innocent and that His justice will ultimately prevail. The undeserved nature of the curse underscores the righteousness of the individual and the impotence of the curse itself.

does not come to rest
The conclusion of the verse, "does not come to rest," assures the reader of the ultimate ineffectiveness of an unjust curse. The Hebrew verb "nuach" means to rest or settle, suggesting that without a legitimate cause, a curse cannot find a place to alight or take effect. This is a comforting promise for believers, affirming that God’s providence and protection extend over His people, ensuring that baseless accusations or curses will not have lasting impact. Theologically, this aligns with the biblical theme of divine justice and the protection of the righteous, reinforcing the trustworthiness of God’s oversight in the lives of His followers.

(2) As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying.--Rather, As the bird (any small one, especially the sparrow) is made for wandering, and the swallow for flying (where it pleases), so the curse causeless (i.e., spoken without reason) shall not come (reach its destination). The Hebrew reads in the margin "to him," instead of "not," in the sense that a causeless curse, though it passes out of sight like a bird in its flight, yet returns "to him" who uttered it--an idea expressed in more than one English proverb. (Comp. Psalm 109:17-18; Isaiah 55:11.)

Verse 2. - As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying. "Bird" (tsippor) is the sparrow, which is found throughout Palestine; "swallow" (deror), the free flier. The Authorized Version hardly gives the sense. The line should be rendered, as the sparrow in (in respect of) its wandering, as the swallow in its flying. The point of comparison is the vagueness and aimlessness of the birds' flight, or the uselessness of trying to catch them in their course. So the curse causeless shall not come. It shall, as it were, spend its force in the air, and fall not on the head on which it was invoked. A causeless curse is that which is uttered against one who has done nothing to deserve such denunciation. Septuagint, "As birds and sparrows fly, so a causeless (ματαία) curse shall come upon no one" (comp. 1 Samuel 17:43; Nehemiah 13:2.) Bailey, 'Festus' -

"Blessings star forth forever; but a curse
Is like a cloud - it passes."
Closely connected with the superstition that dreads a curse is that which is alarmed by omens. Against this irrational fear we find some Eastern proverbs directed; e.g., "The jackal howls: will my old buffalo die?" "The dog barks - still the caravan passes: will the barking of the dog reach the skies?" (Lane). Instead of ללֺא, "not," the Keri reads לו, "to him." This makes the proverb say that the unprovoked curse shall return upon him who uttered it. But this reading is not to be accepted, as it does not suit the terms of comparison, though it seems to have been used by St. Jerome, who translates, Sic maledictum frustra prolatum in quempiam superveniet. This retributive justice is often alluded to elsewhere; e.g., ver. 27 (where see note). So we find in various languages proverbs to the same effect. Thus in English, "Harm watch, harm catch;" Spanish, "Who sows thorns, let him not walk barefoot;" Turkish, "Curses, like chickens, always come home to roost;" Yoruba, "Ashes always fly back in the face of him that throws them" (Trench).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Like a fluttering
לָ֭נוּד (lā·nūḏ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5110: To nod, waver, to wander, flee, disappear, to console, deplore, taunt

sparrow
כַּצִּפּ֣וֹר (kaṣ·ṣip·pō·wr)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 6833: A little bird

or darting
לָע֑וּף (lā·‘ūp̄)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5774: To fly, to faint

swallow,
כַּדְּר֣וֹר (kad·də·rō·wr)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1866: The swift, a kind of swallow

an undeserved
חִ֝נָּ֗ם (ḥin·nām)
Adverb
Strong's 2600: Gratis, devoid of cost, reason, advantage

curse
קִֽלְלַ֥ת (qil·laṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 7045: Vilification

does not
ל֣וֹ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3808: Not, no

come to rest.
תָבֹֽא׃ (ṯā·ḇō)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 26:2 Like a fluttering sparrow like a darting (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 26:1
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