Lexical Summary
naqash: To ensnare, to lay a trap, to lure
Original Word:נָקַשׁ
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:naqash
Pronunciation:nah-KASH
Phonetic Spelling:(naw-kash')
KJV: catch (lay a) snare
NASB:ensnared, lay snares, laying a snare, seize, snared
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to entrap (with a noose), literally or figuratively
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
catch lay a snare
A primitive root; to entrap (with a noose), literally or figuratively -- catch (lay a) snare.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto knock, strike, hit, strike or bring down
NASB Translationensnared (1), lay snares (1), laying a snare (1), seize (1), snared (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] only in specific sense of hit, strike or bring down (a bird), and only figurative (Ecclus Ecclesiasticus 41:2c
striketh against (; margin ), so 13:2c; Late Hebrew
knock, strike e.g. the knees, or a door (so Hiph`il); Aramaic (including Biblical Aramaic)
id.,
fixit, impegit, percussit, etc. (Arabic
strike in, carve, etc., is loan-word Frä
194); — the Hebrew verb apparently means
bring down with a [certain kind of]
stick, perhaps like a boomerang, see description and illustration in Wilkinson
gypten 323 WMM
Asien u. Europa.123f.); —
ParticiplePsalm 9:17 he ()striketh down the wicked (so Hup-Now De Che); Vrss Ol Ew Bae Kau We BuhlLex read ,
from .
Imperfect2masculine singularDeuteronomy 12:30 lestthou be thrust (impelled)after them.
ImperfectPsalm 109:11 let the creditorstrike at,take aim at (); 3 masculine pluralPsalm 38:13 (absolute).
Participle1 Samuel 28:9 whyart thoustriking at my life?
I, II. , , () see p. 632f
[] (see Biblical Hebrew (rare)); —
Participle active feminine pluralDaniel 5:6 of kneesknocking .
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe verb נָקַשׁ (naqash, Strong’s 5367) depicts the act of laying a snare, setting a trap, or being caught in one. Across its five canonical occurrences the word consistently communicates peril—physical, moral, or spiritual—arising from deliberate entrapment.
Semantic Range and Thematic Threads
1. Intentionality: The snare is never accidental; it is planned by an agent bent on harm.
2. Moral Consequence: The imagery highlights how evil recoils upon the wicked (Psalm 9:16) or endangers the unsuspecting (Deuteronomy 12:30).
3. Judicial Reversal: Those who dig pits fall into them; the trapper becomes the trapped, underscoring Divine justice.
4. Spiritual Warfare: The term widens from literal pitfalls to the deceptiveness of idolatry, witchcraft, and slander.
Canonical Occurrences
•Deuteronomy 12:30 warns Israel not to be “ensnared by their ways.” The snare is idolatry, a spiritual trap disguised as curiosity about pagan worship.
•1 Samuel 28:9 records the medium’s fear that Saul is “setting a trap” for her life, revealing political and legal peril in apostate Israel.
•Psalm 9:16 proclaims, “the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands,” illustrating poetic justice.
•Psalm 38:12 laments, “Those who seek my life lay snares,” echoing David’s experience with conspirators.
•Psalm 109:11 calls down imprecation: “May the creditor seize all he has,” portraying hostile actors as hunters who net their victim’s estate.
Historical and Cultural Context
Ancient Near Eastern hunters used pits, nets, or spring-loaded devices. Scripture borrows this familiar craft to expose subtler dangers: foreign cults enticing Israel, political intrigue at court, and malicious litigation. In agrarian society, land and labor were life; to “seize” another’s produce (Psalm 109:11) meant total ruin, intensifying the metaphor.
Theological Implications
1. Holiness and Separation: Avoiding idolatrous entanglements (Deuteronomy 12) preserves covenant purity.
2. Sovereign Retribution: God ensures that evil schemes recoil on perpetrators (Psalm 9).
3. Personal Lament and Trust: The psalms model truthful prayer amid entrapment, teaching believers to pour out complaint while resting in divine vindication.
4. The Principle of Sow-and-Reap: Laying snares invites self-destruction (Galatians 6:7 echoes the motif).
Practical and Pastoral Applications
• Guard the eye-gate: curiosity about forbidden practices can bind the heart.
• Discern hidden motives: friendships, media, and alliances may mask snares.
• Pray imprecatory wisdom: the psalms legitimize appeals for God to frustrate evil traps rather than seeking private vengeance.
• Offer counsel to the oppressed: remind sufferers that no snare escapes the Lord’s notice.
Connections to New Testament Revelation
Jesus denounces hypocrites who “tie up heavy burdens” (Matthew 23:4), moral snares parallels to naqash. Paul warns Timothy that those who oppose truth may “fall into the devil’s trap” (2 Timothy 2:26). Satan himself is termed the fowler (Revelation 12:9), yet Christ, the stronger Man, liberates captives (Luke 4:18). Thus the Old Testament imagery culminates in the cross, where the ultimate snare of sin is sprung upon the Adversary and broken for all who trust in the Redeemer.
Forms and Transliterations
וַיְנַקְשׁ֤וּ ׀ וינקשו יְנַקֵּ֣שׁ ינקש מִתְנַקֵּ֥שׁ מתנקש נוֹקֵ֣שׁ נוקש תִּנָּקֵשׁ֙ תנקש miṯ·naq·qêš mitnakKesh miṯnaqqêš nō·w·qêš noKesh nōwqêš tin·nā·qêš tinnaKesh tinnāqêš vaynakShu way·naq·šū waynaqšū yə·naq·qêš yenakKesh yənaqqêš
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