How does Job 18:9 connect with Proverbs 11:5 on righteousness and wickedness?

Setting the verses side by side

• Job 18:9: “A trap seizes his heel; a snare grips him.”

• Proverbs 11:5: “The righteousness of the blameless directs their path, but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.”

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A shared picture: entrapment

• Both passages speak of the wicked being caught.

• Job paints the image of an external snare that clamps onto the heel, showing sudden, inescapable judgment.

• Proverbs reveals an internal snare: their own wickedness makes them stumble.

• Together, the verses underscore one truth—whether the trap is laid by circumstances (Job) or by the sinner’s own choices (Proverbs), wickedness guarantees capture.

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Contrast: Guidance vs. Downfall

• Proverbs adds the flip side that Job leaves unspoken.

– Righteousness “directs” or levels the path, portraying steady, unhindered progress.

• The wicked have no such light; their path ends in a pit of their own making.

• Psalm 37:23–24 affirms this: “The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD… though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed.” Righteous people may stumble, yet God upholds them.

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The larger biblical pattern

• Psalm 7:15–16: the wicked fall into the hole they dig.

• Psalm 9:16: the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.

• Galatians 6:7: a man reaps what he sows.

• These echoes confirm a universal law: God’s moral order turns sin back on the sinner, while righteousness leads to security.

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Personal takeaways for today

• Sin never travels alone; it drags a snare behind it.

• Choosing righteousness is not merely moral; it is the safest, surest route through life.

• Every step either loosens or tightens the trap. Living uprightly, by grace, keeps the path clear and our feet free.