The way of the perverse is full of thorns and snares, but the man who watches over his own way stays clear of them.
Solomon describes the road itself in Proverbs 22:5: Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse, he who guards himself will be far from them (v. 5). The path itself is described.
Thorns and snares are two distinct hazards. Thorns scratch, slow, and bleed. Snares trap. Solomon names both because the way of the perverse, the man whose moral direction is twisted, contains both kinds of trouble: the visible irritations and the hidden traps.
He who guards himself will be far from them. The phrase names the watchful posture of the man who keeps an eye on his own way. He is not constantly in trouble because he is not constantly walking through trouble's territory. The verse echoes Proverbs 4:23, "Watch over your heart with all diligence."
Proverbs 22:5
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
Set to dark mode
Proverbs 22:5 meaning
Solomon describes the road itself in Proverbs 22:5: Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse, he who guards himself will be far from them (v. 5). The path itself is described.
Thorns and snares are two distinct hazards. Thorns scratch, slow, and bleed. Snares trap. Solomon names both because the way of the perverse, the man whose moral direction is twisted, contains both kinds of trouble: the visible irritations and the hidden traps.
He who guards himself will be far from them. The phrase names the watchful posture of the man who keeps an eye on his own way. He is not constantly in trouble because he is not constantly walking through trouble's territory. The verse echoes Proverbs 4:23, "Watch over your heart with all diligence."