Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 29:6
In the transgression of an evil man [there is] a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.
6. a snare ] in which, though perhaps he laid it for others (Psa 9:15-16), he himself shall be taken, and so have sorrow, in contrast to the “joy and singing” of the righteous.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
While the offence of the wicked, rising out of a confirmed habit of evil, becomes snare for his destruction; the righteous, even if he offend, is forgiven and can still rejoice in his freedom from condemnation. The second clause is taken by some as entirely contrasted with the first; it expresses the joy of one whose conscience is void of offence, and who is in no danger of falling into the snare.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
There is a snare; his sin will bring him to dreadful horrors and certain ruin.
Doth sing and rejoice, because he hath sweet peace in his own conscience, and assurance of present safety and eternal happiness.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. Inor, “By”
the transgressionhe isbrought into difficulty (Pr12:13), but the righteous go on prospering, and so sing orrejoice.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
In the transgression of an evil man [there is] a snare,…. Or, according to the accents in some copies, “in the transgression of a man is an evil snare”, as Aben Ezra observes the words may be read; there is a snare in sin to man himself; one sin leads on to another, and a man is snared by the works of his own hands, and is implicated and held in the cords of his own iniquity, and falls into the snare of the devil, out of which he is not easily recovered; and the transgression of one man is a snare to another; he is drawn into sin by ill examples; and, by indulging himself in sin, the evil day comes upon him unawares as a snare; and sooner or later he is filled with horrors of conscience, anguish, and distress;
but the righteous doth sing and rejoice; not at the snares of others, their sin or punishment; for such a man rejoices not in iniquity, though he sometimes does at the punishment of sinners, because of the glory of the divine justice; and Gersom thinks this is here meant; see
Ps 58:10; but rather, as he also observes, the righteous man rejoices at his deliverance from the snares of sin and Satan, and of the world; he rejoices in the righteousness by which he is denominated righteous; not his own, but the righteousness of Christ, it being so rich and glorious, so perfect and complete; he rejoices in salvation by him it being so suitable, so, real, so full, so free, and so much for the glory of God; he rejoices in the pardon of his sins through the blood of Christ, and in the expiation of them by his sacrifice; he rejoices in his person, in the greatness, fitness, fulness, and beauty of it; he rejoices in all his offices he bears and executes, and in all the relations he stands in to him; he rejoices in his word and ordinances, in the prosperity of his cause and interest, in the good of his people, and in hope of the glory of God; and even sings for joy in the view of electing, redeeming, and calling grace, and eternal life and happiness; he has peace of conscience now, fears no enemy, nor any danger, and expects a life of glory in the world to come; and oftentimes sings on the brink of the grave, in the view of death and eternity.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
6 In the transgression of the wicked man lies a snare;
But the righteous rejoiceth jubelt and is glad.
Thus the first line is to be translated according to the sequence of the accents, Mahpach, Munach, Munach, Athnach, for the second Munach is the transformation of Dechi; thus, like , Pro 28:5, go together, although the connection is not, like this, genitival, but adjectival. But there is also this sequence of the accents, Munach, Dechi, Munach, Athnach, which separates and . According to this, Ewald translates: “in the transgression of one lies an evil snare;” but in that case the word ought to have been , as at Pro 12:13; for although the numeral sometimes precedes its substantive, yet no other adjective ever does; passages such as Isa 28:21 and Isa 10:30 do not show the possibility of this position of the words. In this sequence of accents the explanation must be: in the wickedness of a man is the evil of a snare, i.e., evil is the snare laid therein (Bttcher); but a reason why the author did not write would also not be seen there, and thus we must abide by the accentuation . The righteous also may fall, yet he is again raised by means of repentance and pardon; but in the wickedness of a bad man lies a snare into which having once fallen, he cannot again release himself from it, Pro 24:16. In the second line, the form , for , is defended by the same metaplastic forms as , Psa 91:6; , Isa 42:4; and also that the order of the words is not (lxx ; Luther: frewet sich und hat wonne [rejoices and has pleasure]), is supported by the same sequence of ideas, Zec 2:1-13:14, cf. Jer 31:7: the Jubeln is the momentary outburst of gladness; the Freude gladness, however, is a continuous feeling of happiness. To the question as to what the righteous rejoiceth over [ jubelt ] and is glad [ greuet ] because of, the answer is not: because of his happy release from danger (Zckler), but: because of the prosperity which his virtue procures for him (Fleischer). But the contrast between the first and second lines is not clear and strong. One misses the expression of the object or ground of the joy. Cocceius introduces into the second line a si lapsus fuerit . Schultens translates, justus vel succumbens triumphabit , after the Arab. ran f . o ., which, however, does not mean succumbere , but subigere ( vid., under Psa 78:65). Hitzig compares Arab. raym f . i ., discedere, relinquere , and translates: “but the righteous passeth through and rejoiceth.” Bttcher is inclined to read , he sees it (what?) and rejoiceth. All these devices, however, stand in the background compared with Pinsker’s proposal ( Babylon.-Heb. Punktationssystem, p. 156):
“On the footsteps of the wicked man lie snares,
But the righteous runneth and is glad,”
i.e., he runneth joyfully (like the sun, Psa 19:6) on the divinely-appointed way (Psa 119:132), on which he knows himself threatened by no danger. The change of into has Pro 12:13 against it; but may be regarded, after Pro 4:12, cf. Pro 18:10, as the original from which is corrupted.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
6 In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.
Here is, 1. The peril of a sinful way. There is not only a punishment at the end of it, but a snare in it. One sin is a temptation to another, and there are troubles which, as a snare, come suddenly upon evil men in the midst of their transgressions; nay, their transgression itself often involves them in vexations; their sin is their punishment, and they are holden in the cords of their own iniquity, ch. v. 22. 2. The pleasantness of the way of holiness. The snare that is in the transgression of evil men spoils all their mirth, but righteous men are kept from those snares, or delivered out of them; they walk at liberty, walk in safety, and therefore they sing and rejoice. Those that make God their chief joy have him for their exceeding joy, and it is their own fault if they do not rejoice evermore. If there be any true joy on this side heaven, doubtless those have it whose conversation is in heaven.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
The Peril of the Evil Way
Verse 6 contrasts the consequence of the evil man’s transgression which like the unseen net set for birds and fish, will fall upon him suddenly; with the assurance which enables the righteous to sing and rejoice, Pro 22:5; Ecc 9:12; Exo 14:29-31; Exo 15:1.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Pro. 29:7. Considereth. Literally knoweth. Zckler and Delitzsch translate the latter clause, the godless discern, or understand not, knowledge.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro. 29:6
A SNARE AND A SONG
I. Sin deceives men. If a man digs a pit for the purpose of entrapping a victim, his great aim is to make the path over it as inviting as possible, and entirely to hide from sight the snare which he has laid, for, as Solomon tells us elsewhere, Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. (Chap. Pro. 1:17.) So when the great deceiver of men tries to lead them into sin, he makes the way of transgression look very inviting, and persuades his victim that some great gain is to be gotten by the sin. He hides from view the pit of misery which lies at the end of every path of disobedience to God. He did not let Adam and Eve see beforehand the bitter consequences of breaking the Divine command or he would not have succeeded in accomplishing their downfall. And be does not let the young man whom he persuades to rob his master see the felons cell beyond, or his persuasions would be ineffectual. His great aim is to make men believe there is security where there is dangera solid rock where there is a yawning pitprobable gain where there is certain loss. Seeing that sin is against the sinners own interests, and that there is in every man an instinct of self-preservation, we must conclude that if transgressors were not ensnared, Satan could take the captive in no other way.
II. Righteousness gladdens men. God, who is the Fountain and Source of all the joy in the universe, made man for happiness. This is the portion which He intended all His creatures to possess, and which they forfeit by their own act and deed. Before sin entered our world, song was mans natural employmentit was as natural for him to rejoice in Gods love as it was to breathe Gods air. And in proportion as sin is banished from the human soul, and the right relation between it and God is re-established, joy and gladness re-enter the heart. The indissoluble connection which is found everywhere between righteousness of life and peace of mind is a revelation of the character of the Being who sits upon the throne of the universe, and although the song of the righteous in this world is not an unbroken one, and they have sorrow as well as joy, they are hastening to a world where God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. (Rev. 21:4.)
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Or, a cord, viz., to strangle his joy withto check and choke all his comforts. In the midst of his mirth he hath many a secret gripe, and little knows the world where the shoe pinches him. Every fowl that hath a seemly feather hath not the sweetest flesh, nor doth every tree that bringeth a goodly leaf bear good fruit. Glass giveth a clearer sound than silver, and many things glitter besides gold. The wicked mans jollity may wet the mouth, but not warm the heartsmooth the brow, but not fill the breast But though Saul could not be merry without a fiddler, Ahab without Naboths vineyard, Haman without Mordecais courtesy, yet a righteous man can be merry without all these.Trapp.
For Homiletics of Pro. 29:7 see on chap. Pro. 14:31, page 389, and chap. Pro. 24:11-12, page 680.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(6) In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare.For he knows not how by repentance to escape Gods wrath.
But the righteous doth sing and rejoice.Being assured of Gods mercy to those who repent, lie rejoices because his conscience is clear, and the peace of God (Php. 4:7) keeps his heart.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Transgression a snare In which he is himself taken and brought to sorrow.
But the righteous He whose conduct is upright, escapes, and, as a consequence, he doth sing and rejoice.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Pro 29:6 In the transgression of an evil man [there is] a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.
Ver. 6. In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare. ] Or, A cord – viz., to strangle his joy with – to check and choke all his comforts. In the midst of his mirth he hath many a secret gripe, and little knows the world where his shoe pincheth him. Every fowl that hath a seemly feather hath not the sweetest flesh, nor doth every tree that bringeth a goodly leaf bear good fruit. Glass giveth a clearer sound than silver, and many things glitter besides gold. The wicked man’s jollity is but the hypocrisy of mirth; it may wet the mouth, but not warm the heart – smooth the brow, but not fill the breast. We may be sure, that as Jezebel had a cold heart under a painted complexion, so many a man’s heart aches and quakes within him when his face counterfeits a smile.
But the righteous sing and rejoice.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the righteous = a righteous one.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pro 29:6
Pro 29:6
“In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare; But the righteous doth sing and rejoice.”
“The snare is that the sinner is caught and held fast by his sin. It becomes a habit which he is unwilling or unable to break. The contrast here is not very obvious. “It means (1) either that the good man has a peaceful conscience free of the snare of sin, or (2) that, although the righteous man has also sinned, he has repented; God has forgiven him, and therefore he sings.
Pro 29:6. The contrast within the verse shows that the snare ensnares the transgressor himself. This very language is used in several other passages, all relating to ones transgression: A fools mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul (Pro 18:7); It is a snare to a man rashly to say, It is holy and vows to make inquiry (Pro 20:25); Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul (Pro 22:25). But righteousness does not ensnare one; it leads to singing and rejoicing.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
the transgression: Pro 5:22, Pro 11:5, Pro 11:6, Pro 12:13, Job 18:7-10, Psa 11:6, Isa 8:14, Isa 8:15, 2Ti 2:26
but: Psa 97:11, Psa 118:15, Psa 132:16, Rom 5:2, Rom 5:3, Jam 1:2, 1Pe 1:8, 1Jo 1:4
Reciprocal: Exo 10:7 – snare Jdg 20:34 – knew not Job 18:8 – he is cast Pro 12:12 – desireth Ecc 9:12 – the sons
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
29:6 In the transgression of an evil man [there is] a {b} snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.
(b) He is always ready to fall into the snare that he lays for others.