a net (as catching animals) · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
spread
מְזֹרָ֣הme.zo.Rah
H2219
to toss about · verb, pual passive participle, feminine singular absolute
sight
בְּ֝עֵינֵ֗יbe.'ei.Nei
H5869
an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct
bird
בַּ֥עַלBa.'al
H1167
a master · noun, common masculine singular construct
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Job 35:11 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?
Proverbs 7:23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
Jeremiah 8:7 Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but…
Isaiah 1:3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Proverbs 1:10-19
Here Solomon gives another general rule to young people, in order to their finding out, and keeping in, the paths of wisdom, and that is to take heed of the snare of bad company. David's psalms begin with this caution, and so do Solomon's proverbs; for nothing is more destructive, both to a lively devotion and to a regular conversation (Pro 1:10): "My son, whom I love, and have a tender concern for, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not." This is good advice for parents to give their children when they send them abroad into the world; it is the same that St. Peter gave to his new converts, (Act 2:40), Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Observe, 1. How industrious wicked people…
Men warned ought to escape danger as birds instinctively avoid visibly spread nets. But stupid sinners rush to their own ruin (Psa 9:16), and, greedy of gain, succeed in the very schemes which destroy them (Ti1 6:10), not only failing to catch others, but procuring their own destruction.
John Gill on Proverbs 1:17
Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. Or "without cause" (y), as the word is rendered in Proverbs 1:11; and so the words are an illustration of the preceding; showing that the blood of innocent persons is shed without cause, no injury being done by them to those that do it, but is shed without any provocation at all; just as the net is spread for the innocent bird, which has done no harm to the fowler that seeks to take it; so Gersom: or else the sense is, that though the net is spread by the fowler even in the sight of the bird, yet it is in vain to the bird, though not to the fowler; it is so intent upon the corn that is spread about, that it takes no notice of the net…
The second argument in support of the warning.
For in vain is the net spread out
In the eyes of all (the winged) birds.
The interpretation conspersum est rete, namely, with corn as a bait, which was put into circulation by Rashi, is inadmissible; for as little as הזּה (Hiph. of נזה) can mean to strew, can זרה mean to spread. The object is always that which is scattered (gestreut), not that which is spread (bestreut). Thus, expansum est rete, but not from מזר, extendere, from which מזורה
(Note: The MS Masora remarks לית וחסר, and hence מזרה is written defectively in the Erfurt, 1, 2, 3, Frankf. 1294, in the edition of Norzi and elsewhere.)
in this form cannot be derived (it would in that case…
The Church Fathers
Now, the Scripture saith, "Not unjustly are nets spread out for birds." This means that the man perishes justly, who, having a knowledge of the way of righteousness, rushes off into the way of darkness.
If then nets are not wrongfully stretched for birds, as it is said in Proverbs, but God justly leads men into the snare, as it is said, "You led us into the snare," and if not even a sparrow, cheapest of birds, falls into the snare without the will of the Father (its fall into the snare being due to its failure to use properly the power of its wings given to it to soar), let us pray to do nothing to deserve being brought into temptation. By God's righteous judgment, the wicked are delivered to uncleanness by God into the lusts of their own heart; or are delivered unto shameful affections; or, having not proved to have God in full knowledge, are delivered to a reprobate mind to do that which is disgraceful.
"Surely in vain the net is spread," etc. Truly the snare of persecution or death is spread in vain for the elect, who have the wings of hope and charity and other virtues, by which they desire heavenly things while they live, so that they may deserve to reach them after death. They also have the eyes of the mind, by which they foresee both the evils they endure from the wicked passing quickly and the eternal goods they have deserved for enduring. With these same eyes, they foresee both the pride of the reprobate soon to be consumed and the perpetual torments following. It can also be understood thus, that he rightly speaks of the pernicious doctrine of the wicked, which he wove from the place where he said: "If sinners entice you, do not consent." For it is in vain that such a net is spread before those who contemplate heavenly things with pure eyes of the heart; who know how to say with the prophet: "Our soul has escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers." For he easily avoids the snares spread on earth, who has his conversation in heaven. Therefore, the wicked in vain prepare both nets for the good, because if they persuade to wickedness, they are overcome by the wisdom of the righteous; and if they bring adversity, they are despised for their patience. Moreover, the tempters themselves are destroyed by their own snares. Hence, it is rightly added:
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Bird — Birds are divided in the Mosaic law into two classes, (1) the clean (Lev. 1:14-17; 5:7-10; 14:4-7), which were offered in sacrifice; and (2) the unclean (Lev. 11:13-20). When offered in sacrifice,…
Birds · Instincts of — Instincts of
Call Of God, The · Rejection by God — Rejection by God
Hunting · Fowling — Fowling
Instinct · Of animals — Of animals
Net · Set for birds — Set for birds
Proverbs · MISCELLANY OF — MISCELLANY OF
Temptation · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Young Men · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Birds will not go into an obvious trap, but greedy people will. By resorting to violence and robbery, they will be violently robbed of life. They might be killed in the attempt or executed when caught. Even if sinners prosper until the end of their lives, they will find judgment in death, while the righteous will be in God’s presence (see Ps 1).
Rashi on Proverbs 1:17
For the net is scattered without cause For the fowl that see wheat and legumes spread out upon the net—it appears to them that it is without cause; they do not realize for what reason they are spread, and they go down into it and eat.
