Proverbs 30:17
New International Version
“The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.

New Living Translation
The eye that mocks a father and despises a mother’s instructions will be plucked out by ravens of the valley and eaten by vultures.

English Standard Version
The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.

Berean Standard Bible
As for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it.

King James Bible
The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

New King James Version
The eye that mocks his father, And scorns obedience to his mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.

New American Standard Bible
The eye that mocks a father And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.

NASB 1995
The eye that mocks a father And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.

NASB 1977
The eye that mocks a father, And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.

Legacy Standard Bible
The eye that mocks a father And despises obedience to a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.

Amplified Bible
The eye that mocks a father And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young vultures will devour it.

Christian Standard Bible
As for the eye that ridicules a father and despises obedience to a mother, may ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures eat it.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
As for the eye that ridicules a father and despises obedience to a mother, may ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures eat it.

American Standard Version
The eye that mocketh at his father, And despiseth to obey his mother, The ravens of the valley shall pick it out, And the young eagles shall eat it.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Ravens of the valley will tear out the eye that laughs at its father and despises the old age of its mother, and the young Eagles will eat it.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The eye that laughs to scorn a father, and dishonours the old age of a mother, let the ravens of the valleys pick it out, and let the young eagles devour it.

Contemporary English Version
Don't make fun of your father or disobey your mother--crows will peck out your eyes, and buzzards will eat the rest of you.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The eye that mocketh at his father, and that despiseth the labour of his mother in bearing him, let the ravens of the brooks pick it out, and the young eagles eat it.

English Revised Version
The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The eye that makes fun of a father and hates to obey a mother will be plucked out by ravens in the valley and eaten by young vultures.

Good News Translation
If you make fun of your father or despise your mother in her old age, you ought to be eaten by vultures or have your eyes picked out by wild ravens.

International Standard Version
The eye that mocks a father and looks with a disobedient attitude at a mother— the valley ravens will pluck it out; and vultures will eat it.

JPS Tanakh 1917
The eye that mocketh at his father, And despiseth to obey his mother, The ravens of the valley shall pick it out, And the young vultures shall eat it.

Literal Standard Version
An eye that mocks at a father, | And despises to obey a mother, | Ravens of the valley dig it out, | And young eagles eat it.

Majority Standard Bible
As for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it.

New American Bible
The eye that mocks a father, or scorns the homage due a mother, Will be plucked out by brook ravens; devoured by a brood of vultures.

NET Bible
The eye that mocks at a father and despises obeying a mother--the ravens of the valley will peck it out and the young vultures will eat it.

New Revised Standard Version
The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.

New Heart English Bible
"The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother: the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it.

Webster's Bible Translation
The eye that mocketh at its father, and despiseth to obey its mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

World English Bible
“The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it.

Young's Literal Translation
An eye that mocketh at a father, And despiseth to obey a mother, Dig it out do ravens of the valley, And eat it do young eagles.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Words of Agur
16Sheol, the barren womb, land never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’ 17As for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it. 18There are three things too wonderful for me, four that I cannot understand:…

Cross References
Genesis 9:22
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside.

Deuteronomy 28:26
Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the air and beasts of the earth, with no one to scare them away.

Proverbs 15:20
A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.

Proverbs 23:22
Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

Proverbs 30:18
There are three things too wonderful for me, four that I cannot understand:

Malachi 1:6
"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?" says the LORD of Hosts to you priests who despise My name. "But you ask, 'How have we despised Your name?'


Treasury of Scripture

The eye that mocks at his father, and despises to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

eye

Proverbs 30:11
There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.

Proverbs 20:20
Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.

Proverbs 23:22
Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

the ravens

1 Samuel 17:44
And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

2 Samuel 21:10
And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

valley or brook

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Despiseth Dig Eagles Eat Eaten Eye Makes Mocketh Mocks Mother Obedience Obey Pick Picked Ravens Rooted Scorns Sport Valley Value Vultures Young
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Despiseth Dig Eagles Eat Eaten Eye Makes Mocketh Mocks Mother Obedience Obey Pick Picked Ravens Rooted Scorns Sport Valley Value Vultures Young
Proverbs 30
1. Agur's confession of his faith
7. The two points of his prayer
10. The meanest are not to be wronged
11. Four wicked generations
15. Four things insatiable
24. four things exceeding wise
29. Four things stately
32. Wrath is to be prevented














(17) The ravens of the valley shall pick it out--i.e., the rebellious son shall die of a "grievous death" (Jeremiah 16:4). The propensity of ravens to attack the eyes is well known.

Verse 17. - This is an independent proverb, only connected with the preceding by being founded on an allusion to an animal. The eye that mocketh at his father. The eye is named as the mind's instrument for expressing scorn and insubordination; it is the index to the inner feeling; and look may be as sinful as action. And despiseth to obey his mother; i.e. holds obedience to his mother to be a thing of no importance whatever. The word translated "to obey" (ליקהת) is rendered by St. Jerome partum; by others, "weakness," or "wrinkles," or "old age," as Septuagint, γῆρας. But etymology has led most modern commentators to give the sense of "obedience" (see Genesis 49:10). The ravens of the valley shall pick it out. Such an undutiful son shall die a violent death; his corpse shall lie unburied, and the birds of prey shall feed upon him. It is well known that ravens, vultures, and other birds that live on carrion first attack the eyes of their prey; and in our own islands we are told crows and birds of this sort will fix on the eyes of young or sickly animals. Corn. a Lapide quotes Catullus, 'Carm.,' 108:5 -

"Effossos oculos voret atro gutture corvus,
Intestina canes, cetera membra lupi."

"His eyes, plucked out, let croaking ravens gorge,
His bowels dogs, his limbs the greedy wolves."
The valley, or brook, reminds one of Elijah's miraculous support (1 Kings 17:4). Young eagles. The nesher must here mean one of the vulture tribe, as eagles do not feed on carrion (but see Job 39:30). St. Gregory ('Moral.,' 18:49) applies the proverb thus: "'The eye that sneereth at his father, and despiseth the travail of his mother, lo! the ravens from the torrents shall pick it out.' For bad men, while they find limit with the judgments of God, do 'sneer at their Father;' and heretics of all sorts, whilst in mocking they contemn the preaching of holy Church and her fruitfulness, what else is this but that they 'despise the travail of their mother'? whom we not unjustly call the mother of them as well, because from the same they come forth, who speak against the same."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
As for the eye
עַ֤יִן ׀ (‘a·yin)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

[that] mocks
תִּֽלְעַ֣ג (til·‘aḡ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3932: To deride, to speak unintelligibly

a father
לְאָב֮ (lə·’āḇ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1: Father

and scorns
וְתָב֪וּז (wə·ṯā·ḇūz)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 936: To disrespect

obedience
לִֽיקֲּהַ֫ת־ (lîq·qă·haṯ-)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3349: Obedience

to a mother,
אֵ֥ם (’êm)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 517: A mother, )

may the ravens
עֹרְבֵי־ (‘ō·rə·ḇê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 6158: A raven

of the valley
נַ֑חַל (na·ḥal)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5158: A stream, a winter torrent, a, valley, a shaft

pluck it out
יִקְּר֥וּהָ (yiq·qə·rū·hā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5365: To bore, pick, dig

and young
בְנֵי־ (ḇə·nê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

vultures
נָֽשֶׁר׃ (nā·šer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5404: The eagle

devour it.
וְֽיֹאכְל֥וּהָ (wə·yō·ḵə·lū·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person feminine singular
Strong's 398: To eat


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 30:17 The eye that mocks at his father (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 30:16
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