Proverbs 6:2

6:2 if you have been ensnared by the words you have uttered,

and have been caught by the words you have spoken,


tn The term “if” does not appear in this line but is implied by the parallelism. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

tn The verb יָקַשׁ (yaqash) means “to lay a bait; to lure; to lay snares.” In the Niphal it means “to be caught by bait; to be ensnared” – here in a business entanglement.

tn Heb “by the words of your mouth.” The same expression occurs at the end of the following line (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). Many English versions vary the wording slightly, presumably for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).