Original Word: נָקַשׁ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: naqash
Pronunciation: nah-KASH
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-kash')
KJV: catch (lay a) snare
NASB: ensnared, lay snares, laying a snare, seize, snared
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to entrap (with a noose), literally or figuratively

catch lay a snare

A primitive root; to entrap (with a noose), literally or figuratively -- catch (lay a) snare.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to knock, strike, hit, strike or bring down
NASB Translation
ensnared (1), lay snares (1), laying a snare (1), seize (1), snared (1).

[נָקַשׁ] verb knock, strike only in specific sense of hit, strike or bring down (a bird), and only figurative (Ecclus ינקש Ecclesiasticus 41:2c striketh against (ב; margin ונוקש), so נוקש ב 13:2c; Late Hebrew knock, strike e.g. the knees, or a door (so Hiph`il); Aramaic (including Biblical Aramaic) נְקַשׁ id., fixit, impegit, percussit, etc. (Arabic strike in, carve, etc., is loan-word Frä¹⁹⁴); — the Hebrew verb apparently means bring down with a [certain kind of] stick, perhaps like a boomerang, see description and illustration in Wilkinson^{gypten 323} WMM^{Asien u. Europa.123f.}); —

Qal Participle נוֺקֵשׁ Psalm 9:17 he (׳י) striketh down the wicked (so Hup-Now De Che); Vrss Ol Ew Bae Kau We Buhl^Lex read נוֺקַשׁ,

Niph`al from יקשׁ.

Niph`al Imperfect2masculine singular תִּנָּקֵשׁ אַחֲרֵיהֶם Deuteronomy 12:30 lest thou be thrust (impelled) after them.

Pi`el Imperfect יְנַקֵּשׁ Psalm 109:11 let the creditor strike at, take aim at (ל); 3 masculine plural וַיְנַקְּשׁוּ Psalm 38:13 (absolute).

Hithpa`el Participle מִתְנַקֵּשׁ בְּנַפְשִׁי 1 Samuel 28:9 why art thou striking at my life?

I, II. נֵר, נִר, (נִיר) see נור p. 632f

[נְקַשׁ] verb knock (see Biblical Hebrew (rare)); —

Pe`al Participle active feminine plural נָָֽקְשָׁן Daniel 5:6 of knees knocking דָּא לְדָא.

Overview

The verb נָקַשׁ (naqash, Strong’s 5367) depicts the act of laying a snare, setting a trap, or being caught in one. Across its five canonical occurrences the word consistently communicates peril—physical, moral, or spiritual—arising from deliberate entrapment.

Semantic Range and Thematic Threads

1. Intentionality: The snare is never accidental; it is planned by an agent bent on harm.
2. Moral Consequence: The imagery highlights how evil recoils upon the wicked (Psalm 9:16) or endangers the unsuspecting (Deuteronomy 12:30).
3. Judicial Reversal: Those who dig pits fall into them; the trapper becomes the trapped, underscoring Divine justice.
4. Spiritual Warfare: The term widens from literal pitfalls to the deceptiveness of idolatry, witchcraft, and slander.

Canonical Occurrences

• Deuteronomy 12:30 warns Israel not to be “ensnared by their ways.” The snare is idolatry, a spiritual trap disguised as curiosity about pagan worship.
• 1 Samuel 28:9 records the medium’s fear that Saul is “setting a trap” for her life, revealing political and legal peril in apostate Israel.
• Psalm 9:16 proclaims, “the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands,” illustrating poetic justice.
• Psalm 38:12 laments, “Those who seek my life lay snares,” echoing David’s experience with conspirators.
• Psalm 109:11 calls down imprecation: “May the creditor seize all he has,” portraying hostile actors as hunters who net their victim’s estate.

Historical and Cultural Context

Ancient Near Eastern hunters used pits, nets, or spring-loaded devices. Scripture borrows this familiar craft to expose subtler dangers: foreign cults enticing Israel, political intrigue at court, and malicious litigation. In agrarian society, land and labor were life; to “seize” another’s produce (Psalm 109:11) meant total ruin, intensifying the metaphor.

Theological Implications

1. Holiness and Separation: Avoiding idolatrous entanglements (Deuteronomy 12) preserves covenant purity.
2. Sovereign Retribution: God ensures that evil schemes recoil on perpetrators (Psalm 9).
3. Personal Lament and Trust: The psalms model truthful prayer amid entrapment, teaching believers to pour out complaint while resting in divine vindication.
4. The Principle of Sow-and-Reap: Laying snares invites self-destruction (Galatians 6:7 echoes the motif).

Practical and Pastoral Applications

• Guard the eye-gate: curiosity about forbidden practices can bind the heart.
• Discern hidden motives: friendships, media, and alliances may mask snares.
• Pray imprecatory wisdom: the psalms legitimize appeals for God to frustrate evil traps rather than seeking private vengeance.
• Offer counsel to the oppressed: remind sufferers that no snare escapes the Lord’s notice.

Connections to New Testament Revelation

Jesus denounces hypocrites who “tie up heavy burdens” (Matthew 23:4), moral snares parallels to naqash. Paul warns Timothy that those who oppose truth may “fall into the devil’s trap” (2 Timothy 2:26). Satan himself is termed the fowler (Revelation 12:9), yet Christ, the stronger Man, liberates captives (Luke 4:18). Thus the Old Testament imagery culminates in the cross, where the ultimate snare of sin is sprung upon the Adversary and broken for all who trust in the Redeemer.

וַיְנַקְשׁ֤וּ ׀ וינקשו יְנַקֵּ֣שׁ ינקש מִתְנַקֵּ֥שׁ מתנקש נוֹקֵ֣שׁ נוקש תִּנָּקֵשׁ֙ תנקש miṯ·naq·qêš mitnakKesh miṯnaqqêš nō·w·qêš noKesh nōwqêš tin·nā·qêš tinnaKesh tinnāqêš vaynakShu way·naq·šū waynaqšū yə·naq·qêš yenakKesh yənaqqêšInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts