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Thursday, July 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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The NET Bible®

Amos 3:5

Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait? Does a trap spring up from the ground unless it has surely caught something?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Gin;   Hunting;   Snare;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Birds;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Fowler;   Gin;   Hunting;   Net;   Snare;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Amos;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Gin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Snares;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Obsolete or obscure words in the english av bible;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Gin,;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Amos (1);   Gin;   Hunting;   Snare;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Birds;   Poultry;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Does a bird land in a trap on the groundif there is no bait for it?Does a trap spring from the groundwhen it has caught nothing?
Hebrew Names Version
Can a bird fall in a trap on the eretz, Where no snare is set for him? Does a snare spring up from the ground, When there is nothing to catch?
King James Version
Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
English Standard Version
Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing?
New American Standard Bible
Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no device in it? Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?
New Century Version
A bird will not fall into a trap where there is no bait; the trap will not spring shut if there is nothing to catch.
Amplified Bible
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.]
Geneva Bible (1587)
Can a birde fall in a snare vpon the earth, where no fouler is? or will he take vp the snare from the earth, and haue taken nothing at all?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it? Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?
Legacy Standard Bible
Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it?Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?
Berean Standard Bible
Does a bird land in a snare where no bait has been set? Does a trap spring from the ground when it has nothing to catch?
Contemporary English Version
How can anyone catch a bird without using a net? Does a trap spring shut unless something is caught?
Complete Jewish Bible
Does a bird get caught in a trap on the ground if it hasn't been baited? Does a trap spring up from the ground when it has taken nothing?
Darby Translation
Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth when no gin [is laid] for him? Will the snare spring up from the earth when nothing at all hath been taken?
Easy-to-Read Version
A bird doesn't fly into a trap unless there is food in it. If a trap closes, it will catch the bird.
George Lamsa Translation
Will a bird fall into a snare upon the earth without a hunter? Or can a trap spring up from the ground and catch the prey without being set?
Good News Translation
Does a bird get caught in a trap if the trap has not been baited? Does a trap spring unless something sets it off?
Lexham English Bible
Does a bird fall into a trapping net on the earth when there is no snare for it? Does a trapping net spring up from the ground unless it has certainly caught something?
Literal Translation
Will a bird fall into a trap on the ground, and there is no bait for it? Will a trap spring up from the ground, and nothing at all be caught?
American Standard Version
Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is set for him? shall a snare spring up from the ground, and have taken nothing at all?
Bible in Basic English
Is it possible for a bird to be taken in a net on the earth where no net has been put for him? will the net come up from the earth if it has taken nothing at all?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Will a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where there is no lure for it? Will a snare spring up from the ground, and have taken nothing at all?
King James Version (1611)
Can a bird fall in a snare vpon the earth, where no ginne is for him? shall one take vp a snare from the earth, and haue taken nothing at all?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Can a birde fal in a snare vpon the earth where no fouler is? or wil he take vp the snare from the earth, and haue taken nothing at all?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Will a bird fall on the earth without a fowler? will a snare be taken up from the earth without having taken anything?
English Revised Version
Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is set for him? shall a snare spring up from the ground, and have taken nothing at all?
World English Bible
Can a bird fall in a trap on the earth, Where no snare is set for him? Does a snare spring up from the ground, When there is nothing to catch?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whether a brid schal falle in to a snare of erthe, with outen a foulere? Whether a snare schal be takun awei fro erthe, bifor that it tak sum thing?
Update Bible Version
Can a bird fall in a snare on the earth, where no gin is [set] for him? shall a snare spring up from the ground, and have taken nothing at all?
Webster's Bible Translation
Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin [is] for him? shall [one] take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
New King James Version
Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all?
New Living Translation
Does a bird ever get caught in a trap that has no bait? Does a trap spring shut when there's nothing to catch?
New Life Bible
Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no food to tempt it? Does a trap jump up from the ground when it does not catch anything?
New Revised Standard
Does a bird fall into a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Will a bird fall upon a net to the earth, when there is no, snare, for it? Will a net rise front the ground, when it hath, captured nothing?
Douay-Rheims Bible
Will the bird fall into the snare upon the earth, if there be no fowler? Shall the snare be taken up from the earth, before it hath taken somewhat?
Revised Standard Version
Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing?
Young's Literal Translation
Doth a bird fall into a snare of the earth, And there is no gin for it? Doth a snare go up from the ground, And prey it captureth not?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Doth a byrde fall in a snare vpo ye earth where no fouler is? Taketh a man his snare vp from the grounde, afore he catche somwhat?

Contextual Overview

1 Listen, you Israelites, to this message which the Lord is proclaiming against you! This message is for the entire clan I brought up from the land of Egypt: 2 "I have chosen you alone from all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your sins." 3 Do two walk together without having met? 4 Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey? Does a young lion bellow from his den if he has not caught something? 5 Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait? Does a trap spring up from the ground unless it has surely caught something? 6 If an alarm sounds in a city, do people not fear? If disaster overtakes a city, is the Lord not responsible? 7 Certainly the sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. 8 A lion has roared! Who is not afraid? The sovereign Lord has spoken! Who can refuse to prophesy?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Ecclesiastes 9:12, Jeremiah 31:28, Daniel 9:14

Reciprocal: Numbers 28:11 - in the beginnings Psalms 91:3 - snare

Cross-References

Genesis 2:17
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die."
Genesis 3:2
The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard;
Genesis 3:3
but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.'"
Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
Genesis 3:7
Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Genesis 3:10
The man replied, "I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid."
Genesis 3:13
So the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman replied, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate."
Genesis 3:14
The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all the wild beasts and all the living creatures of the field! On your belly you will crawl and dust you will eat all the days of your life.
Genesis 3:15
And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; her offspring will attack your head, and you will attack her offspring's heel."
Genesis 3:22
And the Lord God said, "Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin [is] for him?.... No, there must be a snare set, or a bird can never be taken in it; and that is done, not by chance, but with the design of the fowler; yea, with the knowledge and will of God himself, Matthew 10:29; the design of this is to show, that no judgment or affliction comes upon a people, or they into one, by chance, or without the appointment of God; they are his nets and snares, which he on purpose spreads and sets for persons, to take them in; and unless he did do so, they would not fall into any; see Job 5:6;

shall [one] take up a snare from the earth; the Targum adds, out of its time:

and have taken nothing at all? when men set a snare to catch anything, do they take it up before anything is caught? they do not; they let it stand till something is ensnared in it, and so their end answered, and then they take it up, and not before. And thus when God denounces or brings a judgment, or an affliction, upon a people, does he remove it before the end is answered by it? he does not; if the end is to bring men to a sense of sin, and humiliation for it; or to bring near to God who have been wandering from him; or to try their graces, or take away their sin; when such an end is answered, then, and not till then, is the snare taken up, or the affliction removed; tilt such an end is brought about, the distress is continued, or the threatening of it; and of this Israel is hereby assured.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Can a bird fall in a snare - Again, the bird taken in the snare is the image of those drawn down from heaven, where ‘our conversation is Philippians 3:20 and the soul may rise free toward its God , “drawn up by the Spirit to high and heavenly things.” Such souls being allured by the things of earth, are entangled and taken by Satan; as, on the other hand, “the soul, escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler Psalms 124:7, is a soul, set free by Christ and restored to heaven.

In the last likeness, the prophet comes nearer to the people themselves, and the trumpet is, at once, the well-known token of alarm among people, and of the loud voice of God, wakening them to repentance Isaiah 58:1; Joel 2:15 and still oftener, warning them of the approach of judgment Isaiah 18:3; Jeremiah 4:5; Jeremiah 6:1; Ezekiel 33:2-6; Hosea 5:8; Hosea 8:1; Revelation 8:1-13, or summoning man before Him 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Rup.: “God’s Voice will not always be ‘a still small voice,’ or whispered only among the Angels, or heard as from the ground. It will be heard terribly in the whole world.” Jerome: “Whatever is said in Holy Scripture is a trumpet threatening, and with loud voice sinking into the hearts of believers. If we are righteous, we are called by the trumpet of Christ to bliss. If we are sinners, we know that we are to suffer torment.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Amos 3:5. Can a bird fall in a snare — Can ye, as a sinful people, fall into calamities which I have not appointed?

Shall one take up a snare - and have taken nothing — Will the snare be removed before it has caught the expected prey? - shall I remove my judgments till they are fully accomplished? This is a curious passage, and deserves farther consideration. The original, literally translated, is nearly as follows: "Shall the trap arise from the ground; and catching, shall it not catch?" Here is a plain allusion to such traps as we employ to catch rats, foxes, c. The jaws of the trap opening backward, press strongly upon a spring so as to keep it down and a key passing over one jaw, and hooking on a table in the centre, the trap continues with expanded jaws, till any thing touch the table, when the key, by the motion of the table, being loosened, the spring recovers all its elastic power, and throws up the jaws of the trap, and their serrated edges either close in each other, or on the prey that has moved the table of the trap. Will then the jaws of such a trap suddenly spring up from the ground, on which before they were lying flat, and catch nothing? Shall they let the prey that was within them escape? Certainly not. So my trap is laid for these offenders; and when it springs up, (and they themselves will soon by their transgressions free the key,) shall not the whole family of Israel be inclosed in it? Most certainly they shall. This is a singular and very remarkable passage, and, when properly understood, is beautifully expressive.


 
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