Proverbs 29:25
in Proverbs 29The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The fear of man bringeth a snare; But whoso putteth his trust in Jehovah shall be safe.
KJV
The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
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This verse in Proverbs 29
Commentary
7 notes on this verseHe who fears man will quickly fall, etc. To whom fits the gospel saying, "Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul" (Matthew 10).
This site's exposition
The fear of man is a snare
on Proverbs 29:25-27
"The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high" sets two fears against each other. Verse 26 turns the chapter's thread on rulers toward the true court. Verse 27 closes the sentence literature on a verdict, each detestable to the other.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The fear of man bringeth a snare,....
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The confusion and wretchedness in which the fear of what men can do entangles us, is contrasted with the security of one, who not only “fears” the Lord, so as to avoid offending Him, but trusts in Him as his protector and guide.
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3080: “Two Ancient Proverbs” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) · Written before 1892.
proposed
WE have two ancient Proverbs here. Each of them is true as a separate Proverb, but they are equally true when linked together. The independent proposition, that the fear of man brings a snare, is a Truth of God which experience has taught to many. The other proposition, that he that trusts in the Lord shall be safe, has been found most blessedly true by all those who have tested it. Then put the two propositions together—that the fear of man brings a snare, but trust in the Lord is the safe and certain way to avoid that snare—and this also is true. I. We shall, first of all, consider for a little while the first of the two ancient Proverbs—"The fear of man brings a snare." That is ONE OF THE GREAT EVILS THAT WE HAVE TO AVOID. What a common evil the fear of man is—the fear of losing human approbation, the fear of incurring human wrath. There are thousands of men who have no fear of God, who have great fear of man. They break the Laws of God without any fear of the consequences that must ensue, yet they are afraid to break the laws of man because they dread the punishment that might possibly follow. They are not afraid of Hell, yet they are afraid of an earthly prison! They dread not the arm of the Almighty, yet they are afraid of an arm of flesh. The fear of man has been thought by some persons to be a very good and salutary thing. Instead of bringing a snare, they think that it is the means of preventing much sin among mankind. Now I do not doubt that some are hindered by the fear of man from committing great crimes and open acts of wrong, but the utmost that the fear of man can do is to confer a very doubtful benefit. Try it in your own house among your own children. If your children are kept from wrongdoing only by the fear of you—if they only do that which they are bid to do because they are afraid to do otherwise— you will have a very poor form of obedience.
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3080: “Two Ancient Proverbs” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) · Written before 1892.
proposed
WE have two ancient Proverbs here. Each of them is true as a separate Proverb, but they are equally true when linked together. The independent proposition, that the fear of man brings a snare, is a Truth of God which experience has taught to many. The other proposition, that he that trusts in the Lord shall be safe, has been found most blessedly true by all those who have tested it.
The fear of man bringeth a snare - How often has this led weak men, though sincere in their general character, to deny their God, and abjure his people! See the case of Peter; and learn from this, O reader, that where the mighty have been slain, thou wilt fall, unless thou call on the Strong for strength, and for courage to use it. Be not ashamed of Jesus nor of his people, nor of his cross. Glory in this, that thou knowest him, art joined to them, and art counted worthy to bear it.
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| חֶרְדַּ֣ת | cherdat | fear of | H2731 → | |
| אָ֭דָם | ʾadom | a person | H120 → | 551 times |
| יִתֵּ֣ן | yiten | it makes | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| מוֹקֵ֑שׁ | mokesh | a snare | H4170 → | 27 times |
| וּבוֹטֵ֖חַ | uvoteach | and [one who] trusts | H982 → | 120 times |
| בַּיהוָ֣ה | bayahweh | in Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| יְשֻׂגָּֽב׃ | yesugav | he will be set on high | H7682 → | 20 times |
חֶרְדַּ֣תfear of
cherdatH2731 →
אָ֭דָםa person
ʾadomH120 →551 times
יִתֵּ֣ןit makes
yitenH5414 →2011 times
מוֹקֵ֑שׁa snare
mokeshH4170 →27 times
וּבוֹטֵ֖חַand [one who] trusts
uvoteachH982 →120 times
בַּיהוָ֣הin Yahweh
bayahwehH3068 →6520 times
יְשֻׂגָּֽב׃he will be set on high
yesugavH7682 →20 times
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
Proverbs 18:10The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 22:3
My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation. My stronghold, my refuge, and my Savior, You save me from violence.
- Isaiah 26:4
Trust in the LORD forever, because GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal.
- Psalms 91:2
I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
- Psalms 144:2
He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
- Psalms 61:3–4
For You have been my refuge, a tower of strength against the enemy.
- 2 Samuel 22:3
Through
Psalms 91:14“Because he loves Me, I will deliver him; because he knows My name, I will protect him.
it leads to
- Psalms 9:10
Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
- John 14:23
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
- Psalms 9:10
Through
Psalms 118:8It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
it leads to
- Psalms 40:4
Blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, who has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
- Psalms 40:4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3080: “Two Ancient Proverbs” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.