מוֹקֵשׁ

Exodus 10:7 לְמוֹקֵ֔שׁ <into> a snare

Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”

Exodus 23:33 לְמוֹקֵֽשׁ׃ פ <into> a snare

They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

Here: "Into/as a snare." This is a hunter's word for the bird-trap, or more exactly its bait or trigger: something attractive that draws the victim in and then springs shut. The verse, and the Book of the Covenant, ends on this picture. The closed-paragraph mark (פ) follows.

Exodus 34:12 לְמוֹקֵ֖שׁ <into> a snare

Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they become a snare in your midst.

Here: 'Into a snare.' The picture is a bird-catcher's trap, set with bait to draw the victim in. The danger described is being drawn in and caught, not being beaten in battle.

Deuteronomy 7:16 מוֹקֵ֥שׁ [will be] a snare

You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God will deliver to you. Do not look on them with pity. Do not worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you.

Here: A fowler's trap or bait-lure, something attractive that catches you. The peoples and their worship are pictured as bait that would trap Israel into disloyalty.

Joshua 23:13 וּלְמוֹקֵ֗שׁ and <into> a snare

know for sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.

Here: A snare, or possibly the bait or trigger that makes the trap spring. In the Torah it is the standard word for the danger that the Canaanites and their gods pose to Israel (Exod 23:33; Deut 7:16).

Judges 2:3 לְמוֹקֵֽשׁ׃ <into> a snare

So now I tell you that I will not drive out these people before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.”

Here: A baited trap that pulls its victim in and closes on it. The gods will attract Israel and catch it. This is the very word of the warnings in Exod 23:33, 34:12 and Deut 7:16.

Judges 8:27 לְמוֹקֵֽשׁ׃ <into> a snare

From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

Here: A hunter's trap or its bait. It is the sentence's last word and the same one God used of Canaanite gods in Judges 2:3, except that this trap is homemade.

1 Samuel 18:21 לְמוֹקֵ֔שׁ <into> a snare

“I will give her to David,” Saul thought, “so that she may be a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a second time now you can be my son-in-law.”

Here: A hunter's trap or its bait. Michal is the lure that will draw David into a deadly bride-price challenge (v. 25). She herself knows nothing of the plot.

2 Samuel 22:6 מֹֽקְשֵׁי־ [the] snares of

The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

Job 34:30 מִמֹּ֥קְשֵׁי from snares of

that godless men should not rule or lay snares for the people.

Here: Again 'from' with the sense 'so as not to be', joined to 'snares of'. The phrase repeats the first half of the verse in parallel. The godless ruler is kept from being snares for the people, or from setting snares for them. The Hebrew is very compressed, and translations fill in the verb.

Job 40:24 בְּ֝מֽוֹקְשִׁ֗ים with snares

Can anyone capture him as he looks on, or pierce his nose with a snare?

Psalm 18:5 מ֣וֹקְשֵׁי [the] snares of

The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

Psalm 64:5 מוֹקְשִׁ֑ים snares

They hold fast to their evil purpose; they speak of hiding their snares. “Who will see them?” they say.

Here: Hunters' traps, especially baited snares for birds. Here it is a picture of the hidden ways they plan to make the innocent person fall: lies, accusations, setups.

Psalm 69:22 לְמוֹקֵֽשׁ׃ <into> a snare

May their table become a snare; may it be a retribution and a trap.

Here: 'Into a snare.' This is a close partner of pach. It may be the bait or trigger that springs the trap, or simply anything that lures someone to ruin. In biblical usage it often means a hidden cause of downfall, the thing that brings a person down unaware.

Psalm 106:36 לְמוֹקֵֽשׁ׃ <into> a snare

They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.

Here: "Into a snare": a bird-catcher's trap, or the bait and trigger that springs it. Figuratively it means something that draws a person in and then destroys them. The phrase "become a snare to them" repeats almost word for word the warning of Judges 2:3.

Psalm 140:5 מֹקְשִׁ֖ים snares

The proud hide a snare for me; the cords of their net are spread along the path, and lures are set out for me. Selah

Here: 'Snares' or 'lures.' Scholars disagree on the exact part of the trap meant: the bait, the trigger stick, or the trap as a whole. The plural adds to the pile-up: one trap after another.

Psalm 141:9 וּ֝מֹקְשׁ֗וֹת and [the] snares of

Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the lures of evildoers.

Here: 'And the snares of…' This noun comes from the same root as the verb just used, so the line chimes: yāqəshû … mōqəshôt. It may mean the bait or trigger that makes a trap work, which is why the BSB says 'lures'. More generally it means anything that catches someone off guard and brings them down.

Proverbs 12:13 מוֹקֵ֣שׁ a snare

An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech, but a righteous man escapes from trouble.

Here: A fowler's trap, or the trigger stick that springs it. The picture is a hidden device that snaps shut. Proverbs often uses it for a trap a person walks into through their own conduct.

Proverbs 13:14 מִמֹּ֥קְשֵׁי from [the] snares of

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning one from the snares of death.

Here: "From the snares of." A hunter's trap, specifically the hidden device that springs shut. It suggests hidden danger that cannot be seen until it is too late.

Proverbs 14:27 מִמֹּ֥קְשֵׁי from [the] snares of

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

Here: "From the snares of", with the prefix 'from'. A hunter's trap, especially the bait or trigger that springs it. The word is plural: death has set many traps, and they are hidden.

Proverbs 18:7 מוֹקֵ֥שׁ [are] [the] snare of

A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

Here: A fowler's trap, or the bait or trigger that springs it. It is a hidden device that catches the unwary. Here the fool sets the trap and also walks into it.

Proverbs 20:25 מוֹקֵ֣שׁ a snare of

It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly, only later to reconsider his vows.

Here: A hunter's trap that catches its prey suddenly. Placed first for emphasis, it gives the verdict before describing the act: what follows is a trap.

Proverbs 22:25 מוֹקֵ֣שׁ a snare

or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

Here: A hunter's trap for birds or small animals. It is hidden, sudden and deadly once it is sprung. In Proverbs it is a stock picture of a ruin you do not see coming, and often one you have set for yourself (12:13; 18:7; 29:25).

Proverbs 29:6 מוֹקֵ֑שׁ a snare

An evil man is caught by his own sin, but a righteous one sings and rejoices.

Here: A baited trap, the kind a fowler used to catch birds. It springs suddenly on something that walked in without seeing it. The image is of a man caught by his own act, without anyone needing to come after him.

Proverbs 29:25 מוֹקֵ֑שׁ a snare

The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.

Here: A fowler's trap that snaps shut on a bird. The picture is of being caught suddenly and held fast, low on the ground.

Isaiah 8:14 וּלְמוֹקֵ֔שׁ and <into> a snare

And He will be a sanctuary—but to both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to the dwellers of Jerusalem a trap and a snare.

Here: 'And for a snare': the bait or trigger of a trap. In Hebrew it often means something that lures people to ruin (Exodus 23:33). It is paired with 'trap' to make the picture complete.

Amos 3:5 וּמוֹקֵ֖שׁ and [is] a snare

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?

Here: Something that makes the trap work: the bait, the lure, or the trigger-stick that releases the net. The exact sense is debated. The point is clear: nothing has been set to catch the bird.