Proverbs 1:17

Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. (SURELY IN VAIN THE NET IS SPREAD IN THE SIGHT OF ANY BIRD) - Hebrew, 'any master of a wing,' (cf. margin.) In vain those sinners lay snares for as many godly men as they can; not one of these is taken: but the sinners themselves are caught in their own snare (cf. with ). The "in vain" of Solomon here answers, in caustic irony, to the 'in vain' (the English version, "without cause"), , of the sinners' plotting. They say, the godly are 'innocent in vain,' but it is themselves who 'spread their net in vain.'...

10-19 Wicked people are zealous in seducing others into the paths of the destroyer: sinners love company in sin. But they have so much the more to answer for. How cautious young people should be! "Consent thou not." Do not say as they say, nor do as they do, or would have thee to do; have no fellowship with them. Who could think that it should be a pleasure to one man to destroy another! See their idea of worldly wealth; but it is neither substance, nor precious. It is the ruinous mistake of thousands, that they overvalue the wealth of this world. Men promise themselves in vain that sin will turn to their advantage. The way of sin is down-hill; men cannot stop themselves. Would young people shun temporal and eternal ruin, let them refuse to take one step in these destructive paths. Men's greediness of gain hurries them upon practices which will not suffer them or others to live out half...

Verse Proverbs 1:17. _SURELY IN VAIN THE NET IS SPREAD IN THE SIGHT OF ANY_ _BIRD._] This is a _proverb_ of which the wise man here makes a particular use; and the meaning does not seem as difficult as some imagine. The wicked are represented as _lurking privily_ for the innocent. It is in this way alone that they can hope to destroy them and take their substance; for if their designs were _known_, proper precautions would be taken against them; for it would be _vain_ to _spread the net in the sight of those birds_ which men wish to ensnare. Attend therefore to my counsels, and they shall never be able to ensnare _thee_....

Strictly speaking, this is the first proverb (i. e., similitude) in the book; a proverb which has received a variety of interpretations. The true meaning seems to be as follows: “For in vain, to no purpose, is the net spread out openly. Clear as the warning is, it is in vain. The birds still fly in. The great net of God’s judgments is spread out, open to the eyes of all, and yet the doers of evil, willfully blind, still rush into it.” Others take the words as pointing to the failure of the plans of the evil-doers against the innocent (the “bird”): others, again, interpret the proverb of the young man who thinks that he at least shall not fall into the snares laid for him, and so goes blindly into them....

EXPOSITION PROVERBS 1:1 PART I. THE TITLE AND SUPERSCRIPTION. The superscription of the Proverbs, which extends from verse 1 to verse 6, furnishes us with an epitome in short and concise language of the general scope and bearing of the book, and points out its specific utility, both to the inexperienced and to those already wise. Thus (1) in Proverbs 1:1 it gives the name of the author to whom the proverbs are attributed; (2) in Proverbs 1:2 it declares the aim, object, or design of the collection, which is to lead to the acquirement of wisdom genera

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, and so is caught in it; and thus it is with those men that are bent upon their sinful practices, upon theft and murder, though their ruin and destruction are before their eyes; and they daily see thei...

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS A detailed analysis, as we have made it in other books, cannot be fully made in this collection of proverbs. Most of them are detached and each has a message by itself. To interpret each separately, to point out the many spiritual lessons, as well as prophetic application, to show their relation to other portions of the Word of God and to explain them by incidents taken from the Bible, would require volumes; and even then the spiritual meaning would not be exhausted. All we can do is to hint at their meaning and give some annotations which, under God, may be helpful in the closer study of this book I. INSTRUCTIONS OF WISDOM GIVEN TO SOLOMON CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The Introduction (Proverbs 1:1)_ 2. Warning against evil companions and covetousness (Pro

PROVERBS 1-9. FIRST SECTION. THE PRAISE OF WISDOM. Proverbs 1:1. Title, either of the whole book, or of this particular collection. The word for PROVERB, _mâ shâ l,_ has a wide significance _in Heb. (see BDB)._ Probably it originally expressed a comparison or allusion, drawn from history or nature, and employed to convey a taunt or satire, hence the rendering taunt-song. For different meanings _cf._ Numbers 21:27; Deuteronomy 28:37; Job 13:12; Isaiah 14:4;...

IN VAIN, &C.. it avails not. Figure of speech _Paroemia._ App-6. The sight of the net does not deter the birds. They (emphatic) still go on to their capture and death. The next verse requires this sense. So men go on in their evil ways, though they know it is to their own ruin (Proverbs 1:18)....

_in vain_ Because, whereas by the certain destruction which it portends, the net ought to deter the bird from yielding to the solicitations of appetite, the temptation of the bait prevails, and the warning of the visible net is unheeded. "So," in their unheeding regard of manifest warning, "are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain" (). His devices against others (Proverbs 1:11) are really devices against himself Proverbs 1:18. "In the net which they hid is their own foot taken" (Psalms 9:15)....