Lexical Summary moqesh: Snare, trap, stumbling block Original Word: מוֹקֵשׁ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be ensnared, gin, is snared, trap Or moqesh {mo-kashe'}; from yaqosh; a noose (for catching animals) (literally or figuratively): by implication, a hook (for the nose) -- be ensnared, gin, (is) snare(-d), trap. see HEBREW yaqosh NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom yaqosh Definition a bait or lure, a snare NASB Translation bait (1), barbs (1), ensnared (2), snare (12), snares (8), trap (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs מוֺקֵשׁ noun masculineProverbs 12:13 properly a bait or lure in a fowler's net; then figurative snare — absolute מוֺקֵשׁ Exodus 10:7 15t.; construct Proverbs 18:7; Proverbs 20:25; plural מוֺקְשִׁים Psalm 64:6; Job 40:24; מֹקְשִׁים Psalm 140:6; construct מוֺקְשֵי Psalm 18:6 3t.; מֹקְשֵׁי 2 Samuel 22:6; f. מֹקְשׁוֺת Psalm 141:9; bait or lure, in a net for birds Amos 3:5; will not pierce nostril of hippopotamus Job 40:24; elsewhere figurative of what allures and entraps any one to disaster or ruin; Moses a snare to Egyptians Exodus 10:7 (J); מוֺקְשֵׁי עָם Job 34:30, of men who are the ruin of their people; idols and idol-worship a pernicious lure to Israel Exodus 23:33 (JE), Deuteronomy 7:16; Judges 2:3; Judges 8:27; Psalm 106:36; so alliances with Canaanites Exodus 34:12 (JE), Joshua 23:13 (D); Michal, to David 1 Samuel 18:21; of ׳י as cause of ruin to evildoers Isaiah 8:14; of plots of wicked Psalm 64:6; Psalm 140:6 (verb שִׁית; "" מַּח, חֲבָלִים, רֶשֶׁת), Psalm 141:9 ("" מַּח); a lure or snare for wicked in their transgressions Proverbs 29:6; Psalm 69:23 ("" מַּח); consisting in transgressions of lips Proverbs 12:13, compare Proverbs 18:7; Proverbs 20:25; in wrathfulness Proverbs 22:25; in fear of man Proverbs 29:25; מָוֶת ׳מ Psalm 18:6 = 2 Samuel 22:6 ("" חֶבְלֵי שְׁאוֺל), Proverbs 13:14; Proverbs 14:27. Topical Lexicon Theme and Range of Imagery מוֹקֵשׁ portrays anything that entangles a living creature—or a human soul—so that freedom is lost. Scripture moves fluidly from the literal hunting device (Amos 3:5) to moral compromise (Proverbs 29:25) to divine judgment (Jeremiah 50:24), creating a unified theology of snares across the canon. Literal Snares in Daily Life and Warfare In pastoral Israel, the snare was a commonplace instrument for catching birds and small game. Its quick‐springing action made it an apt picture for sudden calamity (Job 18:9), mortal danger on the battlefield (2 Samuel 22:6), and the precarious nature of life apart from the LORD. The hunter’s craft also informed military strategy; enemies could “spread a net” (Psalm 140:5) or lay ambushes, reflecting the ever‐present threats surrounding the covenant community. Idolatry as a National Snare Moqesh is most prominent in the Torah’s warnings that Canaanite religion would entrap Israel. “They must not remain in your land… for if you worship their gods, it will surely become a snare to you” (Exodus 23:33). The same note sounds in Exodus 34:12; Deuteronomy 7:16, 25; and 12:30. Joshua later echoes it (Joshua 23:13), and Judges records the sad fulfillment (Judges 2:3; 8:27). The pattern is unmistakable: tolerate paganism, and idolatry will coil around the nation’s heart. The snare motif thus reinforces the call to radical covenant fidelity and separation from corrupting influences. Interpersonal and Moral Snares The term also describes schemes sprung by one individual upon another. Saul gives Michal to David “so that she may be a snare to him” (1 Samuel 18:21). Wicked speech catches its speaker (Proverbs 12:13); rash vows entangle the unwary (Proverbs 20:25); the “fear of man” binds the soul (Proverbs 29:25). These texts expose sin’s deceptiveness: what seems advantageous becomes bondage. Divine Use of Snares in Judgment While humans may lay snares, God Himself sets them in righteous retribution. He becomes “a snare and a trap to the inhabitants of Jerusalem” who stumble over the rejected cornerstone (Isaiah 8:14). In apocalyptic cadence Isaiah cries, “Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth” (Isaiah 24:17-18). Babylon—instrument of earlier judgment—finds a snare laid by the LORD (Jeremiah 50:24). The same image thus magnifies His sovereignty: He liberates the humble but ensnares the proud. Messianic and Eschatological Resonance Isaiah 8:14, picked up in Romans 9:33 and 1 Peter 2:8, shows how the snare motif converges on Christ. Those who reject Him stumble; those who trust Him find sanctuary. The eschatological “snare” that will come upon the whole world (Luke 21:35) mirrors Isaiah 24, urging readiness for the Day of the Lord. Pastoral and Discipleship Applications 1. Separation from spiritual compromise remains essential; modern idols (materialism, relativism) are no less ensnaring than Canaan’s. Representative References Exodus 23:33; Exodus 34:12, 16; Deuteronomy 7:16, 25; Deuteronomy 12:30; Joshua 23:13; Judges 2:3; Judges 8:27; 1 Samuel 18:21; 2 Samuel 22:6; Job 18:9; Psalm 140:5; Psalm 141:9; Proverbs 12:13; Proverbs 20:25; Proverbs 29:25; Isaiah 8:14; Isaiah 24:17-18; Isaiah 28:13; Jeremiah 50:24; Amos 3:5. Forms and Transliterations בְּ֝מֽוֹקְשִׁ֗ים במוקשים וּ֝מֹקְשׁ֗וֹת וּלְמוֹקֵ֔שׁ וּלְמוֹקֵ֗שׁ וּמוֹקֵ֖שׁ ולמוקש ומוקש ומקשות לְמוֹקֵ֔שׁ לְמוֹקֵ֖שׁ לְמוֹקֵֽשׁ׃ למוקש למוקש׃ מ֣וֹקְשֵׁי מִמֹּ֥קְשֵׁי מֹֽקְשֵׁי־ מֹקְשִׁ֖ים מוֹקְשִׁ֑ים מוֹקֵ֑שׁ מוֹקֵ֣שׁ מוֹקֵ֥שׁ מוקש מוקשי מוקשים ממקשי מקשי־ מקשים bə·mō·wq·šîm bemokShim bəmōwqšîm lə·mō·w·qêš lemoKesh ləmōwqêš mim·mō·qə·šê mimmōqəšê miMokeshei mō·qə·šê- mō·qə·šîm mō·w·qêš mō·wq·šê mō·wq·šîm moKesh mokeshei mokeShim Mokshei mokShim mōqəšê- mōqəšîm mōwqêš mōwqšê mōwqšîm ū·lə·mō·w·qêš ū·mō·qə·šō·wṯ ū·mō·w·qêš ulemoKesh ūləmōwqêš umoKesh umokeShot ūmōqəšōwṯ ūmōwqêšLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 10:7 HEB: זֶ֥ה לָ֙נוּ֙ לְמוֹקֵ֔שׁ שַׁלַּח֙ אֶת־ NAS: will this man be a snare to us? Let KJV: said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men INT: become will this snare Let the men Exodus 23:33 Exodus 34:12 Deuteronomy 7:16 Joshua 23:13 Judges 2:3 Judges 8:27 1 Samuel 18:21 2 Samuel 22:6 Job 34:30 Job 40:24 Psalm 18:5 Psalm 64:5 Psalm 69:22 Psalm 106:36 Psalm 140:5 Psalm 141:9 Proverbs 12:13 Proverbs 13:14 Proverbs 14:27 Proverbs 18:7 Proverbs 20:25 Proverbs 22:25 Proverbs 29:6 Proverbs 29:25 27 Occurrences |
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