Lexicon :: Strong's H4170 - môqēš

“The cords of Sheol surrounded me;

The snares of death confronted me.

“So that godless men would not rule

Nor be snares for the people.

“Can anyone capture him when he is on watch,

Or pierce his nose with barbs [to trap him]?

The cords of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) surrounded me;

The snares of death confronted me.

They encourage themselves in [their pursuit of] an evil agenda;

They talk of laying snares secretly;

They say, “Who will discover us?”

May their table [with all its abundance and luxury] become a snare [to them];

And when they are in peace [secure at their sacrificial feasts], may it become a trap.

And served their idols,

Which became a [dreadful] snare to them.

The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords;

They have spread a net by the wayside;

They have set traps for me. Selah.

Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me,

And from the snares of those who do evil.

An evil man is [dangerously] ensnared by the transgression of his lips,

But the righteous will escape from trouble.

The teaching of the wise is a fountain and source of life,

So that one may avoid the snares of death.

The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that leads to obedience and worship] is a fountain of life,

So that one may avoid the snares of death.

A fool’s mouth is his ruin,

And his lips are the snare of his soul.

It is a trap for a man to [[fn]speak a vow of consecration and] say rashly, “It is holy!”

And [not until] afterward consider [whether he can fulfill it].

Or you will learn his [undisciplined] ways

And get yourself trapped [in a situation from which it is hard to escape].

By his wicked plan an evil man is trapped,

But the righteous man sings and rejoices [for his plan brings good things to him].

The fear of man brings a snare,

But whoever trusts in and puts his confidence in the LORD will be exalted and safe.

“Then He shall be a sanctuary [a sacred, indestructible shelter for those who fear and trust Him];

But to both the houses of Israel [both the northern and southern kingdoms—Israel and Judah, He will be] a stone on which to stumble and a rock on which to trip,

A trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it?

Does a trap spring up from the ground when it has caught nothing at all? [Of course not! So it is that Israel has earned her impending judgment.]