Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Proverbs 26:3

Whips are for horses, and harnesses are for donkeys, so paddles are good for fools.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ass (Donkey);   Bridle;   Fool;   Punishment;   Whip;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bridle;   Correction;   Rod;   Whips;   The Topic Concordance - Chastisement;   Foolishness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ass, the Domestic;   Horse, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Fool, Foolishness, Folly;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Bit;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Bit, Bridle;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Horse;   Proverbs, Book of;   Rod;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Horse;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Whip;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bit and Bridle;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Bridle;   Cruelty;   Folly and Fool;   Horse;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,and a rod for the backs of fools.
Hebrew Names Version
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the back of fools!
King James Version
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.
English Standard Version
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.
New American Standard Bible
A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the back of fools.
Amplified Bible
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the backs of fools [who refuse to learn].
World English Bible
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the back of fools!
Geneva Bible (1587)
Vnto the horse belongeth a whip, to the asse a bridle, and a rod to the fooles backe.
Legacy Standard Bible
A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,And a rod for the back of fools.
Berean Standard Bible
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!
Contemporary English Version
Horses and donkeys must be beaten and bridled— and so must fools.
Complete Jewish Bible
A whip for a horse, a bridle for a donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.
Darby Translation
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the back of fools.
Easy-to-Read Version
You have to whip a horse, you have to put a bridle on a mule, and you have to beat a fool.
George Lamsa Translation
A whip for the horse, a goad for the ass, and a rod for the back of a fool.
Good News Translation
You have to whip a horse, you have to bridle a donkey, and you have to beat a fool.
Lexham English Bible
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.
Literal Translation
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the back of fools.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Vnto the horse belongeth a whyppe, to the Asse a brydle, and a rodde to the fooles backe.
American Standard Version
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, And a rod for the back of fools.
Bible in Basic English
A whip for the horse, a mouth-bit for the ass, and a rod for the back of the foolish.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the back of fools.
King James Version (1611)
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the asse; and a rod for the fooles backe.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Unto the horse belongeth a whip, to the asse a brydle: and a rod to the fooles backe.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Give not thy wealth to women, nor thy mind and living to remorse. Do all things with counsel: drink wine with counsel.
English Revised Version
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the back of fools.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Beting to an hors, and a bernacle to an asse; and a yerde in the bak of vnprudent men.
Update Bible Version
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the back of fools.
Webster's Bible Translation
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.
New English Translation
A whip for the horse and a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!
New King James Version
A whip for the horse, A bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the fool's back.
New Living Translation
Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back!
New Life Bible
A whip is for the horse, leather ropes are for the donkey, and a stick is for the back of fools.
New Revised Standard
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A whip for the horse, a bridle a for the ass, and a rod for the back of dullards.
Douay-Rheims Bible
A whip for a horse, and a snaffle for an ass, and a rod for the back of fools.
Revised Standard Version
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the back of fools.
Young's Literal Translation
A whip is for a horse, a bridle for an ass, And a rod for the back of fools.
THE MESSAGE
A whip for the racehorse, a tiller for the sailboat— and a stick for the back of fools!
New American Standard Bible (1995)
A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the back of fools.

Contextual Overview

3 Whips are for horses, and harnesses are for donkeys, so paddles are good for fools.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

According to our notions, we should rather say, a bridle for the horse, and a whip for the ass; but it should be considered, that the Eastern asses are not only much more beautiful, but better goers that ours; and being active and well broken, they need only a bridle to guide them; whereas their horses being scarce, and often caught wild, and badly broken, are much less manageable, and need the correction of the whip. Proverbs 10:13, Proverbs 17:10, Proverbs 19:25, Proverbs 27:22, Judges 8:5-7, Psalms 32:9, 1 Corinthians 4:21, 2 Corinthians 10:6, 2 Corinthians 13:2

Reciprocal: Proverbs 19:29 - and Proverbs 26:1 - so Proverbs 29:19 - servant Isaiah 30:28 - a bridle Jeremiah 31:18 - as a

Cross-References

Genesis 12:7
The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your descendants." So Abram built an altar there to the Lord , who had appeared to him.
Genesis 13:15
All this land that you see I will give to you and your descendants forever.
Genesis 13:17
Get up! Walk through all this land because I am now giving it to you."
Genesis 15:18
So on that day the Lord made an agreement with Abram and said, "I will give to your descendants the land between the river of Egypt and the great river Euphrates.
Genesis 17:8
You live in the land of Canaan now as a stranger, but I will give you and your descendants all this land forever. And I will be the God of your descendants."
Genesis 20:1
Abraham left Hebron and traveled to southern Canaan where he stayed awhile between Kadesh and Shur. When he moved to Gerar,
Genesis 26:1
Now there was a time of hunger in the land, besides the time of hunger that happened during Abraham's life. So Isaac went to the town of Gerar to see Abimelech king of the Philistines.
Genesis 26:2
The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, "Don't go down to Egypt, but live in the land where I tell you to live.
Genesis 26:6
So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
Genesis 26:12
Isaac planted seed in that land, and that year he gathered a great harvest. The Lord blessed him very much,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A whip for the horse,.... One that is dull of going, or refractory and wants breaking;

a bridle for the ass; not to curb and restrain it from going too fist, asses being generally dull; but to direct its way and turn it when necessary, it being stiffnecked and obstinate; though the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, render it a "spear" or "goad", something to prick with, and excite it to motion; and so the Targum; or otherwise one would have thought the whip was fitter for the ass and the bridle for the horse;

and a rod for the fool's back; suggesting that the fool, or wicked man, is like the horse or the mule; though not without understanding of things natural, yet of things divine and moral; and as stupid as the ass, however wise he may conceit himself to be, being born like a wild ass's colt; and instead of honour being given him, stripes should be laid upon him; he should be reproved sharply, and corrected for his wickedness, especially the causeless curser, Proverbs 19:29.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 26:3. A whip for the horse — Correction is as suitable to a fool, as a whip is for a horse, or a bridle for an ass.


 
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