save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's not just about escaping capture, but about the urgency of it – like a gazelle or bird doesn't just wait to be caught but instinctively struggles with all its might. The verse urges us to make the same desperate, immediate effort to free ourselves from the snare of irresponsible commitments.
save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This instruction comes right after warnings against laziness and over-commitment, especially about becoming a guarantor for someone else's debt. The writer is urging the listener, who might be entangled in a foolish promise or a bad financial deal, to escape it with the same urgent desperation that a captured animal would show. It’s a vivid image of fleeing a dangerous trap before it's too late.
Imagine being cornered. The only thing that matters is getting free, fast. That's the urgency Proverbs paints for us.
Escape Like a Gazelle
The verse uses the image of a gazelle (or roe) and a bird caught by a hunter or fowler. These animals are known for their speed and agility, especially when fleeing danger.
The point is not just to escape, but to escape with extreme urgency and every possible effort, like these creatures do when facing imminent danger.
Who or what is the 'hand' holding you? Understanding this helps us see the specific danger we need to escape.
Beyond the Hunter's Grip
The verse mentions escaping 'from the hand of the hunter' and 'from the hand of the fowler.' While the imagery is vivid, the 'hand' represents more than just the physical grip of a trapper.
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Understand the original words
tsebi · Hebrew Noun
A swift, graceful animal used metaphorically in Scripture to represent alertness, agility, and the desperate need for rapid escape from impending doom or the traps of the wicked.
yaqosh · Hebrew Noun
One who traps animals; metaphorically used to describe someone who seeks to destroy, entrap, or ruin another person, often through deceit or cunning schemes.
This passage also uses the imagery of a dove, emphasizing its gentleness and the desire of the beloved to see its 'face' and hear its 'voice,' a beautiful contrast to the desperate flight from danger in Proverbs.
Jeremiah 17:17Here, the prophet prays for deliverance from his enemies, asking God to be his 'refuge in the day of disaster,' echoing the urgent need for escape described in Proverbs.
Matthew 10:16Jesus tells his disciples to be 'wise as serpents and innocent as doves,' a similar duality of caution and purity needed for survival, even as they face persecution.
Psalm 91:3This psalm describes God's protection, shielding us from snares and deadly pestilence, acting as the ultimate rescuer from hidden dangers, much like the hunter or fowler.
pulpitProverbs 6:5: "Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler."
Verse 5. - The struggles of the roe and the bird to escape from the snare are employed figuratively to describe the efforts which the surety is to make to tear and free himself from his friend. From the hand of the hunter (Hebrew, miyyad); literally, from the hand, as shown by the italics. The variation in all the ancient versions, with the exception of the Vulgate and Venetian, whic…
clarkeProverbs 6:5: "Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler."
Deliver thyself as a roe - צבי tsebi, the antelope. If thou art got into the snare, get out if thou possibly canst; make every struggle and excertion, as the antelope taken in the net, and the bird taken in the snare would, in order to get free from thy captivity.
It's not just about escaping capture, but about the urgency of it – like a gazelle or bird doesn't just wait to be caught but instinctively struggles with all its might. The verse urges us to make the same desperate, immediate effort to free ourselves from the snare of irresponsible commitments.
This instruction comes right after warnings against laziness and over-commitment, especially about becoming a guarantor for someone else's debt. The writer is urging the listener, who might be entangled in a foolish promise or a bad financial deal, to escape it with the same urgent desperation that a captured animal would show. It’s a vivid image of fleeing a dangerous trap before it's too late.
This instruction comes right after warnings against laziness and over-commitment, especially about becoming a guarantor for someone else's debt. The writer is urging the listener, who might be entangled in a foolish promise or a bad financial deal, to escape it with the same urgent desperation that a captured animal would show. It’s a vivid image of fleeing a dangerous trap before it's too late.
"save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler." — It's not just about escaping capture, but about the urgency of it – like a gazelle or bird doesn't just wait to be caught but instinctively struggles with all its might. The verse urges us to make…
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Last reviewed October 2026