New King James Version
Proverbs 1:17
17Surely, in vain the net is spread In the sight of any bird;
Proverbs 1:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
- New International Version (NIV)How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it!
- English Standard Version (ESV)For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird,
- New Living Translation (NLT)If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away.
Context of Proverbs 1:17
15My son, do not walk in the way with them, Keep your foot from their path; 16For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood. Surely, in vain the net is spread In the sight of any bird; 18But they lie in wait for their own blood, They lurk secretly for their own lives. 19So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.
Read all of Proverbs 1Proverbs 1:17 word by word
כִּֽי־חִ֭נָּם מְזֹרָ֣ה הָרָ֑שֶׁת בְּ֝עֵינֵ֗י כָל־בַּ֥עַל כָּנָֽף׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 1:17
- Proverbs 7:23Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life.
- Job 35:11Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?’
- Isaiah 1:3The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.”
- Jeremiah 8:7“Even the stork in the heavens Knows her appointed times; And the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow Observe the time of their coming. But My people do not know the judgment of the Lord.
Commentaries on Proverbs 1:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird - This is a proverb of which the wise man here makes a particular use; and the meaning does not seem as difficult as some imagine. The wicked are represented as lurking privily for the innocent. It is in this way alone that they can hope to destroy them and take their substance; for if their designs were known, proper precautions would be taken against them; for it would be vain to spread the net…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17Strictly speaking, this is the first proverb (i. e., similitude) in the book; a proverb which has received a variety of interpretations. The true meaning seems to be as follows: “For in vain, to no purpose, is the net spread out openly. Clear as the warning is, it is in vain. The birds still fly in. The great net of God‘s judgments is spread out, open to the eyes of all, and yet the doers of evil, willfully blind, still rush into it.” Others take the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-19Verses 10-19 Wicked people are zealous in seducing others into the paths of the destroyer: sinners love company in sin. But they have so much the more to answer for. How cautious young people should be! "Consent thou not." Do not say as they say, nor do as they do, or would have thee to do; have no fellowship with them. Who could think that it should be a pleasure to one man to destroy another! See their idea of worldly wealth; but it is neither…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-19Birds avoid obvious traps, but greedy people do not. When they choose violence and robbery, they risk losing their lives violently. They might die during the crime or be punished with death if caught. Even if wrongdoers succeed until they die, they will experience judgment after death, while the righteous will be with God (see Psalm 1).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-1910-19. A solemn warning against temptation. entice--literally, "open the way." consent ... not--Sin is in consenting or yielding to temptation, not in being tempted.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 1:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries