Proverbs 22:5
in Proverbs 22Thorns and snares lie on the path of the perverse; he who guards his soul stays far from them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse: He that keepeth his soul shall be far from them.
KJV
Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
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This verse in Proverbs 22
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
The prudent see danger and take cover
on Proverbs 22:3-5
"The prudent see danger and take cover, but the simple keep going and suffer the consequences." Humility and the fear of the LORD bring "wealth and honor and life." Thorns and snares lie on the path of the perverse, and he who guards his soul stays far from them.
This site's exposition
Thorns and snares lie on the path
The thorns and snares return to the picture of verse 3, where the prudent see danger and take cover. Guarding the soul means keeping distance. The perverse walk a road that wounds and traps them, and the careful man stays clear of it.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Swords and arrows in the way of the perverse, etc. This is to be understood in two ways, because the perverse are always armed to harm their neighbors, either by word or wicked deed, and they themselves are always awaited by the prepared retribution of …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
he that . . . them--Those who properly watch over their own souls are thus preserved from the dangers which attend the way of perverse men (Pr 16:17).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
Thorns and snares - Various difficulties, trials, and sufferings.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| צִנִּ֣ים | tzinim | thorns | H6791 → | |
| פַּ֭חִים | pachim | snares | H6341 → | |
| בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ | bederekh | [are] in [the] path of | H1870 → | 707 times |
| עִקֵּ֑שׁ | ʾikesh | a perverse [person] | H6141 → | 11 times |
| שׁוֹמֵ֥ר | shomer | [one who] guards | H8104 → | 468 times |
| נַ֝פְשׁ֗וֹ | nafsho | self his | H5315 → | 754 times |
| יִרְחַ֥ק | yirchak | he will be far | H7368 → | 57 times |
| מֵהֶֽם׃ | mehem | from them |
צִנִּ֣יםthorns
tzinimH6791 →
פַּ֭חִיםsnares
pachimH6341 →
בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ[are] in [the] path of
bederekhH1870 →707 times
עִקֵּ֑שׁa perverse [person]
ʾikeshH6141 →11 times
שׁוֹמֵ֥ר[one who] guards
shomerH8104 →468 times
נַ֝פְשׁ֗וֹself his
nafshoH5315 →754 times
יִרְחַ֥קhe will be far
yirchakH7368 →57 times
מֵהֶֽם׃from them
mehem
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 John 5:18We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who was born of God protects him, and the evil one cannot touch him.
it leads to
- 1 John 3:9
Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
- 1 John 5:4
because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.
- Jude 1:21
keep yourselves in the love of God as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life.
- 1 John 5:1
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves those born of Him.
- Jude 1:24
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy—
- 1 John 3:9
Through
Proverbs 16:17The highway of the upright leads away from evil; he who guards his way protects his life.
it leads to
- Isaiah 35:8
And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it—only those who walk in the Way—and fools will not stray onto it.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 35:8
Through
Proverbs 13:15Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the faithless is difficult.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 2:19
Your own evil will discipline you; your own apostasies will reprimand you. Consider and realize how evil and bitter it is for you to forsake the LORD your God and to have no fear…
- Proverbs 4:19
But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.
- Jeremiah 2:19
Where this verse is studied
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).