3369. yaqosh
Lexical Summary
yaqosh: To ensnare, to trap, to lay a snare

Original Word: יָקשׁ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: yaqosh
Pronunciation: yah-KOHSH
Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-koshe')
KJV: fowler (lay a) snare
NASB: snared, ensnared, set, set a snare, trapper
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to ensnare (literally or figuratively)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fowler lay a snare

A primitive root; to ensnare (literally or figuratively) -- fowler (lay a) snare.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to lay a bait or lure
NASB Translation
ensnared (1), set (1), set a snare (1), snared (4), trapper (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[יָקשׁ] verb lay a bait or lure (see מוֺקֵשׁ), then Generally lay snares (see also נקשׁ, קוֺשׁ) —

Qal Perfect יָק֫שְׁתִּי Jeremiah 50:24; יָָֽקְשׁוּ Psalm 141:9; Participle plural יוֺקְשִׁים Psalm 124:7; — lay snares, figurative of devices of wicked Psalm 141:9 (with accusative of congnate meaning with verb); of ׳יs plan to destroy Babylon Jeremiah 50:24 יקשׁתי לך וגם נלכדר; Participle as substantive bait-layers, fowlers Psalm 124:7 (compare Psalm 141:9) simile

Niph`al Perfect נוֺקַ֫שְׁתָּ Proverbs 6:2; וְנוֺקְשׁוּ consecutive Isaiah 8:15; Isaiah 28:13; Imperfect2masculine singular תִּוָּקֵשׁ Deuteronomy 7:25; be caught by a bait, ensnared, in business entanglements Proverbs 6:2; in disastrous consequences of idolatry Deuteronomy 7:25 ("" נלכד); of those ensnared by ׳יs plans (followed by ונלכדו) Isaiah 8:15; Isaiah 28:13.

Pu`al Participle יוּקָשִׁים (for מְיוּקָשִׁים, unless this should be read: Ges§ 52. R. 6; Sta§ 220): entrapped, in circumstances of life Ecclesiastes 9:12.

Topical Lexicon
Imagery of the Snare

The word pictures a concealed device designed to seize an unsuspecting victim. Scripture employs this image to describe idolatry (Deuteronomy 7:25), the schemes of the wicked (Psalm 141:9), self-inflicted entrapment through speech (Proverbs 6:2), and divine judgment on the unrepentant (Isaiah 28:13). In each case the idea is sudden, inescapable capture—an apt metaphor for sin’s deceptiveness and the adversary’s tactics.

Occurrences and Narrative Flow

Deuteronomy 7:25 – Israel is warned that pagan idols “will be a snare to you” if not destroyed, underscoring the incompatibility of covenant loyalty and syncretism.
Psalm 124:7 – “We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; the snare is broken, and we have escaped.” The psalmist credits deliverance solely to the LORD’s intervention, turning the image from peril to praise.
Psalm 141:9 – David prays, “Keep me from the snares they have set for me,” exposing the malice of adversaries and the believer’s dependence on divine guardianship.
Proverbs 6:2 – The father warns, “you have been trapped by the words of your lips,” expanding the image to rash vows and the moral responsibility of speech.
Ecclesiastes 9:12 – Humanity is “caught in an evil time” like fish in a net, illustrating life’s unpredictability and the certainty of mortality apart from God’s wisdom.
Isaiah 8:15; 28:13 – In prophetic judgment passages, the snare depicts the fate of those who stumble over God’s word; rebellion against revelation ensures captivity.
Jeremiah 50:24 – Babylon herself falls into the LORD’s snare, proving that the trap which ensnares nations is ultimately set by divine justice.

Historical Backdrop

Ancient Near Eastern hunting relied on hidden nets, pits, and spring traps. Their stealth and inevitability made them ideal rhetorical devices for covenant writers addressing an agrarian audience familiar with such methods. The imagery also evokes military ambush tactics employed in border skirmishes, deepening the sense of danger.

Theological Significance

1. Moral Law: Idolatry, deceit, and hasty speech function like traps; they promise gain yet enslave the soul.
2. Divine Sovereignty: God both warns against snares and sets them for the proud, revealing His righteous control of outcomes (Jeremiah 50:24).
3. Covenant Protection: Those who seek refuge in the LORD are rescued—“Our help is in the name of the LORD” (Psalm 124:8).
4. Progressive Revelation: The motif anticipates the New Testament warning that “people are held captive by the devil to do his will” (echoing 2 Timothy 2:26) and the gospel promise of liberation.

Wisdom and Prophetic Literature

In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes the snare motif functions pedagogically, urging prudence and mindful speech. In Isaiah and Jeremiah it becomes an instrument of eschatological judgment, proving that rejection of God’s word transforms grace into stumbling.

New Testament Resonance

Jesus describes hypocrisy as a hidden trap (Luke 21:34–35), Paul exposes legalism as a “snare” (1 Timothy 6:9), and the writer to the Hebrews urges believers to “throw off the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1). These passages echo the Old Testament root image, culminating in Christ who liberates captives (Luke 4:18).

Ministry Applications

• Discipleship: Teach believers to identify cultural idols before they allure and bind.
• Pastoral Care: Counsel those trapped by sinful patterns with the assurance that the “snare is broken” through Christ’s atonement.
• Preaching: Use the metaphor to illustrate both the subtlety of temptation and the certainty of divine rescue.
• Intercession: Pray as David did, asking the LORD to guard against unseen pitfalls and to break existing chains.

Homiletical Outline

1. The Concealed Trap: How Sin Lures (Deuteronomy 7:25; Proverbs 6:2)
2. The Captive’s Cry: Dependence on God’s Deliverance (Psalm 141:9)
3. The Broken Snare: Celebrating Redemption (Psalm 124:7)
4. The Hunter Hunted: God’s Justice on the Proud (Jeremiah 50:24)
5. Walking Free: New Covenant Liberty and Vigilance (Galatians 5:1; Hebrews 12:1)

Through the recurring image of the snare, Scripture unites the themes of human vulnerability, divine judgment, and gracious deliverance, calling every generation to heed the warning, seek refuge in the LORD, and walk in the freedom He provides.

Forms and Transliterations
וְנוֹקְשׁ֖וּ ונוקשו י֫וֹקְשִׁ֥ים יָ֣קְשׁוּ יָקֹ֨שְׁתִּי יֽוּקָשִׁים֙ יוקשים יקשו יקשתי נוֹקַ֥שְׁתָּ נוקשת תִּוָּקֵ֣שׁ תוקש nō·w·qaš·tā noKashta nōwqaštā tivvaKesh tiw·wā·qêš tiwwāqêš venokShu wə·nō·wq·šū wənōwqšū yā·qə·šū yā·qō·šə·tî Yakeshu yaKosheti yāqəšū yāqōšətî yō·wq·šîm yokShim yōwqšîm yū·qā·šîm yukaShim yūqāšîm
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Deuteronomy 7:25
HEB: לָ֔ךְ פֶּ֚ן תִּוָּקֵ֣שׁ בּ֔וֹ כִּ֧י
NAS: it for yourselves, or you will be snared by it, for it is an abomination
KJV: [that is] on them, nor take [it] unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it [is] an abomination
INT: take or will be snared for is an abomination

Psalm 124:7
HEB: נִמְלְטָה֮ מִפַּ֪ח י֫וֹקְשִׁ֥ים הַפַּ֥ח נִשְׁבָּ֗ר
NAS: out of the snare of the trapper; The snare
KJV: out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare
INT: has escaped of the snare of the trapper the snare is broken

Psalm 141:9
HEB: מִ֣ידֵי פַ֭ח יָ֣קְשׁוּ לִ֑י וּ֝מֹקְשׁ֗וֹת
NAS: of the trap which they have set for me, And from the snares
KJV: me from the snares [which] they have laid for me, and the gins
INT: the jaws of the trap have set the snares do

Proverbs 6:2
HEB: נוֹקַ֥שְׁתָּ בְאִמְרֵי־ פִ֑יךָ
NAS: [If] you have been snared with the words
KJV: Thou art snared with the words
INT: have been snared the words of your mouth

Ecclesiastes 9:12
HEB: בַּפָּ֑ח כָּהֵ֗ם יֽוּקָשִׁים֙ בְּנֵ֣י הָֽאָדָ֔ם
NAS: of men are ensnared at an evil
KJV: of men snared in an evil
INT: A snare so are ensnared the sons of men

Isaiah 8:15
HEB: וְנָפְל֣וּ וְנִשְׁבָּ֔רוּ וְנוֹקְשׁ֖וּ וְנִלְכָּֽדוּ׃ ס
NAS: and be broken; They will even be snared and caught.
KJV: and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
INT: will fall and be broken will even be snared and caught

Isaiah 28:13
HEB: אָחוֹר֙ וְנִשְׁבָּ֔רוּ וְנוֹקְשׁ֖וּ וְנִלְכָּֽדוּ׃ פ
NAS: be broken, snared and taken captive.
KJV: and be broken, and snared, and taken.
INT: backward be broken snared and taken

Jeremiah 50:24
HEB: יָקֹ֨שְׁתִּי לָ֤ךְ וְגַם־
NAS: I set a snare for you and you were also
KJV: I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken,
INT: set were also caught

8 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3369
8 Occurrences


nō·w·qaš·tā — 1 Occ.
tiw·wā·qêš — 1 Occ.
wə·nō·wq·šū — 2 Occ.
yā·qə·šū — 1 Occ.
yā·qō·šə·tî — 1 Occ.
yō·wq·šîm — 1 Occ.
yū·qā·šîm — 1 Occ.

3368
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