A-Z: Common sayings from the Bible: Dog returning to its vomit

Usage

A reference to someone returning to bad habits or wickedness of any sort.

Definition

In Proverbs, the fool is the one who does not learn from his mistakes. In Peter's second letter, the proverb refers to those who once were apparently Christians, but who turned from the faith back into sin.

Bible References

Proverbs 26:11; 2 Peter 2:22

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool. ²Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight. ³A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools. ⁴Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. ⁵Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. ⁶Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. ⁷Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools. ⁸Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool. ⁹Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools. ¹⁰Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard. ¹¹Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. ¹²Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. ¹³The sluggard says, There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets! ¹⁴As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. ¹⁵The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth. ¹⁶The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly. ¹⁷Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears. ¹⁸Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death ¹⁹is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, I am only joking! ²⁰For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. ²¹As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. ²²The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body. ²³Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are fervent lips with an evil heart. ²⁴Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; ²⁵when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; ²⁶though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. ²⁷Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. ²⁸A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

¹As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool. ²As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. ³A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back. ⁴Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. ⁵Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. ⁶He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage. ⁷The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools. ⁸As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool. ⁹As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouths of fools. ¹⁰The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors. ¹¹As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. ¹²Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him. ¹³The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets. ¹⁴As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. ¹⁵The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth. ¹⁶The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. ¹⁷He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. ¹⁸As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, ¹⁹So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport? ²⁰Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. ²¹As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife. ²²The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. ²³Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross. ²⁴He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; ²⁵When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. ²⁶Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation. ²⁷Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him. ²⁸A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ²And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. ⁴For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; ⁵if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; ⁶if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; ⁷and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked ⁸(for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); ⁹then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, ¹⁰and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, ¹¹whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. ¹²But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, ¹³suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. ¹⁴They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! ¹⁵Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, ¹⁶but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. ¹⁷These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. ¹⁸For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. ¹⁹They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. ²⁰For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. ²¹For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. ²²What the true proverb says has happened to them: The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.

¹But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. ²And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. ³And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. ⁴For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; ⁵And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; ⁶And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; ⁷And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: ⁸(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) ⁹The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: ¹⁰But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. ¹¹Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. ¹²But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; ¹³And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; ¹⁴Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: ¹⁵Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; ¹⁶But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. ¹⁷These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. ¹⁸For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. ¹⁹While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. ²⁰For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. ²¹For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. ²²But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Scan and go

Scan on your mobile for direct link.