Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 26:17, Don’t Be a Busybody

by Marilynn Chadwick

"Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.”

Proverbs 26:17

My husband, David, recently addressed Proverbs 26:17, but I find it so important that I want to expound upon it again today. Proverbs 26:11 says that if someone repeats their folly, they are fools. So, in an effort to walk in wisdom, let’s look at this concept again.

It is the danger of meddling in another’s affairs, sometimes referring to the sin of being a “busybody.” This kind of intrusion includes entering into someone else’s argument. It doesn’t take much imagination to see how grabbing a “stray dog by the ears,” as described in Proverbs 26:17, will cause us certain pain in the end. Just as a dog will snap at you if you grab its ears, people in a fight will sometimes turn their anger on the person who meddles in their quarrel.

The word “busybody” seems a bit old-fashioned. I’ve always thought of a busybody as a term for the frivolous but rather harmless gossip caricatured in a comedy. But the Bible paints a more serious picture. Scripture warns that being a meddler or busybody comes with its own form of danger, even suffering.

“But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters” (1 Peter 4:15 NKJV). Did you catch that? Being a busybody, or meddler, causes suffering.

Let’s look at a different version of this verse in its context: “If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name (1 Peter 4:15-16 NIV). Life is messy, and sin causes pain. But if we suffer, it shouldn’t be as a murderer or thief. Or even as a busybody.

The New Testament term for “busybody” is defined as “one who oversees that which belongs to another.” Also described as “factious,” the busybody, or meddler, causes trouble for himself or herself and spreads trouble and division to others. That’s why it’s not a minor offense.

Proverbs repeatedly emphasizes the wisdom of avoiding the temptation to stir up strife. It warns that “fools constantly meddle and bring trouble on themselves” (Proverbs 20:3).

Bottom line? Mind your own business! And when you’re tempted to take charge of something that’s not your own, remember the Bible’s warning to avoid the suffering that’s sure to follow. Next time I’m tempted to meddle, I’ll think back to that image of a dog snapping at me and try to resist the temptation to “fix everybody and everything.”