25:3 As the heaven is high 1 and the earth is deep
so the hearts of kings are unsearchable. 2
29:25 The fear of people 3 becomes 4 a snare, 5
but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high. 6
1 tn Heb “heavens for height and earth for depth.” The proverb is clearly intending the first line to be an illustration of the second – it is almost emblematic parallelism.
2 sn The proverb is affirming a simple fact: The king’s plans and decisions are beyond the comprehension of the common people. While the king would make many things clear to the people, there are other things that are “above their heads” or “too deep for them.” They are unsearchable because of his superior wisdom, his caprice, or his need for secrecy. Inscrutability is sometimes necessary to keep a firm grip on power.
3 tn Heb “the fear of man.” This uses an objective genitive to describe a situation where fearing what people might do or think controls one’s life. There is no indication in the immediate context that this should be limited only to males, so the translation uses the more generic “people” here.
4 tn Heb “gives [or yields, or produces]”; NIV “will prove to be.”
5 sn “Snare” is an implied comparison; fearing people is like being in a trap – there is no freedom of movement or sense of security.
6 sn The image of being set on high comes from the military experience of finding a defensible position, a place of safety and security, such as a high wall or a mountain. Trusting in the