Psalm 141:9-10
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The verse highlights how the "snare" isn't just a physical trap, but can also be "laid" – suggesting it's a deliberate, planned setup by evildoers. This emphasizes the cunning and intent behind the dangers we face, implying we need God's discernment to see the subtle traps woven into life's circumstances.
Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers! Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm describes a deep cry for help amidst relentless persecution, with the psalmist feeling surrounded by enemies. The verses leading up to this plea detail the wicked's deceitful schemes and how they've trapped the psalmist's very soul. The prayer here is a desperate request for divine protection against these hidden dangers, acknowledging that only God can rescue him from their destructive plots.
Ever felt like you're caught in something you can't escape? David uses a powerful image to describe the danger he's facing.
David describes the snares of evildoers not just as traps, but as being 'in the hands' of the snare. This isn't just a passive danger; it implies a gripping, active force. Think of a predator's claws or a hunter's firm grip.
A Gripping Danger
This language emphasizes how insidious and powerful the traps of evil can be. They aren't flimsy nets; they have a deliberate, crushing strength.
More Than Just a Mistake
It suggests that these aren't accidental pitfalls but intentional, dangerous plans designed to seize and hold us.
What looks appealing at first can often be the most dangerous trap. David warns about this deceptive nature of sin.
The word translated as 'snares' or 'gins' can also refer to lures or baits – things that attract us before trapping us. These aren't always obvious dangers; they can be subtle temptations that promise pleasure or gain, but lead to destruction.
The Deception of Sin
Evildoers use these 'lures' to draw people in. Think of how sin often whispers appealing promises that hide a deadly reality. It's designed to entice you, making the trap less visible until it's too late.
Divine Awareness Needed
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David prays for God's help not just to avoid the trap, but to discern it. This highlights the need for God's wisdom to see through the deceptive nature of iniquity.
Understand the original words
moqesh · Hebrew Noun
Metaphorically, an object or scheme designed to entrap, deceive, or destroy. In the psalms, it often represents the hidden dangers and malicious intentions plotted by those who oppose the righteous.
makmorim · Hebrew Noun
A device for catching or ensnaring, symbolizing the schemes, devices, or deceptive plans set by enemies to cause the ruin or downfall of the godly.
poalei aven · Hebrew Noun phrase
Individuals who actively practice, love, or persist in evil. Biblically, these are those who reject God’s law and character, acting in opposition to His will and His people.
resha'im · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
The generic term for those who have forsaken God's law, characterized by moral perversion, guilt, and opposition to the righteous. They are destined for divine judgment.
This psalm reflects the deep personal danger and betrayal David experienced. The 'snares' and 'traps' were not abstract evils but the very real, deadly plots hatched by King Saul and his court against David's life, especially during David's years as a fugitive.
c. 1025 BC
Saul's Jealousy of David
King Saul develops intense jealousy of David, fearing David's popularity and military success. This marks the beginning of Saul's relentless persecution of David.
c. 1024 BC
David Flees from Saul
David is forced to flee from Saul's court and becomes a fugitive, hiding in various wilderness locations and gathering a band of followers.
c. 1023 BC— this verse
David Spares Saul at En-gedi
David has an opportunity to kill Saul in a cave at En-gedi but chooses to spare him, cutting off a piece of Saul's robe as proof. This event highlights David's commitment to God's anointed king, even in the face of deadly pursuit.
c. 1023 BC
David Exiled to the Philistines
David seeks refuge among the Philistines, enemies of Israel, to escape Saul. He pretends to be a threat to his own people to gain their trust and protection.
c. 1011 BC
Saul's Death at Mount Gilboa
Saul and his sons are killed in battle against the Philistines. This tragic defeat for Israel marks the end of Saul's reign and frees David from his direct persecution.
This passage speaks of God raining down fiery traps and snares on the wicked, directly paralleling the imagery of David's enemies setting traps for him here in Psalm 141:9.
Psalms 140:5This psalm describes the proud setting a snare for the psalmist and spreading nets along the path, echoing the theme of hidden dangers and wicked plots from Psalm 141:9.
Proverbs 28:10This proverb warns that whoever leads the upright astray into an evil way will fall into their own pit, a concept that resonates with the hope in Psalm 141:9 that the wicked's traps will ensnare them.
1 Samuel 24:1-22This narrative shows David being pursued by Saul, who is actively seeking to trap and kill him, illustrating the very real danger of 'snares laid by evildoers' that David prays against in Psalm 141:9.
2 Timothy 2:26This verse describes people being rescued from the devil's trap, showing that the spiritual battles of life also involve snares and traps set by an enemy, similar to the physical dangers David faced.
ellicottPsalms 141:9: "Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity."
(9) From the snare. —The original idiom is far more forcible: “from the hands (or, ‘clutches’) of the snare.” (See above, Psalm 141:6 , “in the hands of the cliff.”)
pulpitPsalms 141:9: "Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity."
Verse 9. - Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity (comp. Psalm 40:4, 5).
The verse highlights how the "snare" isn't just a physical trap, but can also be "laid" – suggesting it's a deliberate, planned setup by evildoers. This emphasizes the cunning and intent behind the dangers we face, implying we need God's discernment to see the subtle traps woven into life's circumstances.
This psalm describes a deep cry for help amidst relentless persecution, with the psalmist feeling surrounded by enemies. The verses leading up to this plea detail the wicked's deceitful schemes and how they've trapped the psalmist's very soul. The prayer here is a desperate request for divine protection against these hidden dangers, acknowledging that only God can rescue him from their destructive plots.
This psalm describes a deep cry for help amidst relentless persecution, with the psalmist feeling surrounded by enemies. The verses leading up to this plea detail the wicked's deceitful schemes and how they've trapped the psalmist's very soul. The prayer here is a desperate request for divine protection against these hidden dangers, acknowledging that only God can rescue him from their destructive plots.
"Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers! Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely." — The verse highlights how the "snare" isn't just a physical trap, but can also be "laid" – suggesting it's a deliberate, planned setup by evildoers. This emphasizes the cunning and intent behind the d…
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Last reviewed October 2026
