Lexical Summary
moqesh: Snare, trap, stumbling block
Original Word:מוֹקֵשׁ
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:mowqesh
Pronunciation:mo-KAYSH
Phonetic Spelling:(mo-kashe')
KJV: be ensnared, gin, (is) snare(-d), trap
NASB:snare, snares, trap, ensnared, bait, barbs
Word Origin:[fromH3369 (יָקוֹשׁ - snared)]
1. (literally or figuratively) a noose (for catching animals)
2. (by implication) a hook (for the nose)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be ensnared, gin, is snared, trap
Or moqesh {mo-kashe'}; fromyaqosh; a noose (for catching animals) (literally or figuratively): by implication, a hook (for the nose) -- be ensnared, gin, (is) snare(-d), trap.
see HEBREWyaqosh
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
yaqoshDefinitiona bait or lure, a snare
NASB Translationbait (1), barbs (1), ensnared (2), snare (12), snares (8), trap (4).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Proverbs 12:13 properly in a fowler's net; then figurative snare — absolute
Exodus 10:7 15t.; construct
Proverbs 18:7;
Proverbs 20:25; plural
Psalm 64:6;
Job 40:24;
Psalm 140:6; construct
Psalm 18:6 3t.;
2 Samuel 22:6;
f.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);
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 as cause of ruin to evildoers
Isaiah 8:14; of plots of wicked
Psalm 64:6;
Psalm 140:6 (verb ; "" , , ),
Psalm 141:9 ("" ); a
lure or
snare for wicked in their transgressions
Proverbs 29:6;
Psalm 69:23 ("" ); 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;
Psalm 18:6 =
2 Samuel 22:6 ("" ),
Proverbs 13:14;
Proverbs 14:27.
Topical Lexicon
Theme and Range of Imageryמוֹקֵשׁ 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 inExodus 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 inRomans 9:33 and1 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) mirrorsIsaiah 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.
2. Watchfulness over speech, relationships, and vows prevents self-laid traps (Proverbs 12:13; 20:25).
3. Deliverance is found in trusting the LORD: “The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high” (Proverbs 29:25).
4. Evangelism should warn that rejecting Christ is embracing a divine snare; acceptance brings refuge.
5. Prayer follows the psalmist’s pattern: “Keep me from the snares they have laid for me” (Psalm 141:9), confident the righteous will pass by safely (Psalm 141:10).
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 ūmōwqêš
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