Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, September 14th, 2025
the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Job 18:10

This verse is not available in the MSG!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Snare;   Trap;   Wicked (People);   The Topic Concordance - Bearing Fruit;   Knowledge;   Perishing;   Snares;   Wickedness;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Bildad;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Net;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Fowler;   Hunt;   Job, the Book of;   Noose;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Hunting;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Hunting;   Trap;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Poultry;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
A rope lies hidden for him on the ground,and a snare waits for him along the path.
Hebrew Names Version
A noose is hidden for him in the ground, A trap for him in the way.
King James Version
The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.
English Standard Version
A rope is hidden for him in the ground, a trap for him in the path.
New Century Version
A trap for them is hidden on the ground, right in their path.
New English Translation
A rope is hidden for him on the ground and a trap for him lies on the path.
Amplified Bible
"A noose is hidden for him on the ground, And a trap for him on the path.
New American Standard Bible
"A noose for him is hidden in the ground, And a trap for him on the pathway.
World English Bible
A noose is hidden for him in the ground, A trap for him in the way.
Geneva Bible (1587)
A snare is layed for him in the ground, and a trappe for him in the way.
Legacy Standard Bible
A rope for him is hidden in the ground,And a trap for him on the path.
Berean Standard Bible
A noose is hidden in the ground, and a trap lies in his path.
Contemporary English Version
hidden along the path.
Complete Jewish Bible
A noose is hidden for him in the ground; pitfalls lie in his path.
Darby Translation
A cord is hidden for him in the ground, and his trap in the way.
Easy-to-Read Version
A rope is hidden on the ground to trip them. A trap is waiting in their path.
George Lamsa Translation
A snare is laid for him on the ground, and a trap for him in his paths.
Good News Translation
On the ground a snare is hidden; a trap has been set in their path.
Lexham English Bible
His rope is hidden in the ground, and his trap on the path.
Literal Translation
the pitfall is hid for him in the ground, and a trap for him on the way.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The snare is layed for him in the grounde, and a pytfall in the waye.
American Standard Version
A noose is hid for him in the ground, And a trap for him in the way.
Bible in Basic English
The twisted cord is put secretly in the earth to take him, and the cord is placed in his way.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
A noose is hid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.
King James Version (1611)
The snare is laide for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The snare is layde for him in the grounde, and a pitfall in the way.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
His snare is hid in the earth, and that which shall take him is by the path.
English Revised Version
A noose is hid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The foot trappe of hym is hid in the erthe, and his snare on the path.
Update Bible Version
A noose is hid for him in the ground, And a trap for him in the way.
Webster's Bible Translation
The snare [is] laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.
New King James Version
A noose is hidden for him on the ground, And a trap for him in the road.
New Living Translation
A noose lies hidden on the ground. A rope is stretched across their path.
New Life Bible
A tied rope is hidden in the ground for him. A trap is set for him on the path.
New Revised Standard
A rope is hid for them in the ground, a trap for them in the path.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Concealed in the ground is a cord for him, - and a snare for him, on the path.
Douay-Rheims Bible
A gin is hidden for him in the earth, and his trap upon the path.
Revised Standard Version
A rope is hid for him in the ground, a trap for him in the path.
Young's Literal Translation
Hidden in the earth is his cord, And his trap on the path.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"A noose for him is hidden in the ground, And a trap for him on the path.

Contextual Overview

5"Here's the rule: The light of the wicked is put out. Their flame dies down and is extinguished. Their house goes dark— every lamp in the place goes out. Their strong strides weaken, falter; they stumble into their own traps. They get all tangled up in their own red tape, Their feet are grabbed and caught, their necks in a noose. They trip on ropes they've hidden, and fall into pits they've dug themselves. Terrors come at them from all sides. They run helter-skelter. The hungry grave is ready to gobble them up for supper, To lay them out for a gourmet meal, a treat for ravenous Death. They are snatched from their home sweet home and marched straight to the death house. Their lives go up in smoke; acid rain soaks their ruins. Their roots rot and their branches wither. They'll never again be remembered— nameless in unmarked graves. They are plunged from light into darkness, banished from the world. And they leave empty-handed—not one single child— nothing to show for their life on this earth. Westerners are aghast at their fate, easterners are horrified: ‘Oh no! So this is what happens to perverse people. This is how the God-ignorant end up!'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

snare: Psalms 11:6, Ezekiel 12:13, Romans 11:9

laid: Heb. hidden

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
But God said, "That's not what I mean. Your wife, Sarah, will have a baby, a son. Name him Isaac (Laughter). I'll establish my covenant with him and his descendants, a covenant that lasts forever.
Genesis 18:3
He said, "Master, if it please you, stop for a while with your servant. I'll get some water so you can wash your feet. Rest under this tree. I'll get some food to refresh you on your way, since your travels have brought you across my path." They said, "Certainly. Go ahead."
Genesis 18:9
The men said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" He said, "In the tent."
Genesis 18:13
God said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh saying, ‘Me? Have a baby? An old woman like me?' Is anything too hard for God ? I'll be back about this time next year and Sarah will have a baby."
Genesis 18:15
Sarah lied. She said, "I didn't laugh," because she was afraid. But he said, "Yes you did; you laughed."
Genesis 18:16
When the men got up to leave, they set off for Sodom. Abraham walked with them to say good-bye.
Genesis 18:17
Then God said, "Shall I keep back from Abraham what I'm about to do? Abraham is going to become a large and strong nation; all the nations of the world are going to find themselves blessed through him. Yes, I've settled on him as the one to train his children and future family to observe God 's way of life, live kindly and generously and fairly, so that God can complete in Abraham what he promised him."
Luke 1:13
But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He'll achieve great stature with God. "He'll drink neither wine nor beer. He'll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother's womb. He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he'll get the people ready for God." Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman." But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you will come true on time—God's time." Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary. When he came out and couldn't speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people. When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn't long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. "So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!" she said. In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you. She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called ‘Son of the Highest.' The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob's house forever— no end, ever, to his kingdom." Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man." The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her. Mary didn't waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah's house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly, You're so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed! And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me? The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy. Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true! And Mary said, I'm bursting with God-news; I'm dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened— I'm the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him. He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts. He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud. The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold. He embraced his chosen child, Israel; he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high. It's exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went back to her own home. When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her. On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father. But his mother intervened: "No. He is to be called John." "But," they said, "no one in your family is named that." They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named. Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, "His name is to be John." That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God! A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, "What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this." Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he came and set his people free. He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, and in the very house of David his servant, Just as he promised long ago through the preaching of his holy prophets: Deliverance from our enemies and every hateful hand; Mercy to our fathers, as he remembers to do what he said he'd do, What he swore to our father Abraham— a clean rescue from the enemy camp, So we can worship him without a care in the world, made holy before him as long as we live. And you, my child, "Prophet of the Highest," will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways, Present the offer of salvation to his people, the forgiveness of their sins. Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God's Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace. The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The snare [is] laid for him in the ground,.... Or "hidden" r there; for, as Solomon says, "in vain the net is spread in sight of any bird", Proverbs 1:17; and in vain it is to lay a snare publicly in the sight or creature, it will not then come near it, but shun and avoid it; and therefore it is laid underground, or hid in the earth, or in some private place, where the creature it is designed for may be thought to come, or into which it is decoyed; or "the cord" s, that which is fastened to the snare or net, and which the fowler holds in his hand, and pulls with; as he finds occasion and opportunity offers; but this is hid as much as possible, that it may not be seen:

and a trap for him in the way; in which he is used to walk, by the roadside, or in it; Mr. Broughton renders it, "a pitfall on the wayside", such as is dug for beasts to fall into and be taken. The whole of this is designed to show how suddenly and secretly wicked men are taken in nets, and snares, and gins, either of their own or others laying, and, while they are crying "Peace, peace, sudden destruction comes upon them"; see Ecclesiastes 9:12.

r טמון "absconditus", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, &c. s חבלו "funis ejus", Montanus, Tigurine version, Mercerus, Drusius, Cocceius, Schmidt.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The snare is laid - All this language is taken from the modes of taking wild beasts; but it is not possible to designate with absolute certainty the methods in which it was done. The word used here (חבל chebel) means a cord, or rope; and then a snare, gin, or toil, such as is used by hunters. It was used in some way as a noose to secure an animal. This was concealed (Hebrew) “in the earth” - so covered up that an animal would not perceive it, and so constructed that it might be made to spring upon it suddenly.

And a trap - We have no reason to suppose that at that time they employed steel to construct traps as we do now, or that the word here has exactly the sense which we give to it. The Hebrew word (מלכדת malkôdeth) is from לכד lâkad - “to take,” “to catch,” and means a noose, snare, spring - by which an animal was seized. It is a general term; though undoubtedly used to denote a particular instrument, then well known. The general idea in all this is, that the wicked man would be suddenly seized by calamities, as a wild animal or a bird is taken in a snare. Independently of the interest of the entire passage Job 18:8-10 as a part of the argument of Bildad, it is interesting from the view which it gives of the mode of securing wild animals in the early periods of the world. They had no guns as we have; but they early learned the art of setting gins and snares by which they were taken. In illustrating this passage, it will not be inappropriate to refer to some of the modes of hunting practiced by the ancient Egyptians. The same methods were practiced then in catching birds and taking wild beasts as now, and there is little novelty in modern practices. The ancients had not only traps, nets, and springs, but also bird-lime smeared upon twigs, and made use of stalking-horses, setting dogs, etc. The various methods in which this was done, may be seen described at length in Wilkinson’s Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians, vol. iii. pp. 1-81. The noose was employed to catch the wild ox, the antelope, and other animals.

This seems to be a self-acting net, so constructed that the birds, when coming in contact with it, close it upon themselves.

This trap appears as if in a vertical position, although, doubtless, it is intended to represent a trap lying upon the ground.

There are other traps very similar to this, except that they are oval; and probably have a net like the former. They are composed of two arcs, which, being kept open by machinery in the middle, furnish the oval frame of the net; but when the bird flies in, and knocks out the pin in the center, the arcs collapse enclosing the bird in the net. One instance occurs, in a painting at Thebes, of a trap, in which a hyaena is caught, and carried on the shoulders of two men. It was a common method of hunting to enclose a large tract of land by a circle of nets, or to station men at convenient distances, and gradually to contract the circle by coming near to each other, and thus to drive all the wild animals into a narrow enclosure, where they could be easily slain. Some idea of the extent of those enclosures may be formed from the by no means incredible circumstance related by Plutarch, that when the Macedonian conquerors were in Persia, Philotos, the son of Armenio, had hunting-nets that would enclose the space of an hundred furlongs. The Oriental sovereigns have sometimes employed whole armies in this species of hunting. Picture Bible.


 
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