Proverbs Chapter 26 verse 2 Holy Bible

ASV Proverbs 26:2

As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying, So the curse that is causeless alighteth not.
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BBE Proverbs 26:2

As the sparrow in her wandering and the swallow in her flight, so the curse does not come without a cause.
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DARBY Proverbs 26:2

As the sparrow for flitting about, as the swallow for flying, so a curse undeserved shall not come.
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KJV Proverbs 26:2

As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.
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WBT Proverbs 26:2


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WEB Proverbs 26:2

Like a fluttering sparrow, Like a darting swallow, So the undeserved curse doesn't come to rest.
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YLT Proverbs 26:2

As a bird by wandering, as a swallow by flying, So reviling without cause doth not come.
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Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerse 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 curseIs 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).

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(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.)