Proverbs 1:18

but these men lie in wait for their own blood, ¹  they ambush their own lives! ² 

Es 7:10; Ps 7:14-16; Ps 9:16; Ps 55:23; Pr 5:22,23; Pr 9:17,18; Pr 28:17; Mt 27:4,5

¹ sn They think that they are going to shed innocent blood, but in their blindness they do not realize that it is their own blood they shed. Their greed will lead to their destruction. This is an example of ironic poetic justice. They do not intend to destroy themselves; but this is what they accomplish.

² tn Heb “their own souls.” The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”) is used as a metonymy (= soul) of association (= life). The noun נֶפֶשׁ often refers to physical “life” (Exod 21:23; Num 17:3; Judg 5:18; Prov 12:10; BDB 659 s.v. 3.c).