◄ Proverbs 29:25 ►
The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.
Study Bible
The fear of man
The phrase "The fear of man" refers to the anxiety or apprehension that arises from concern about what others think or might do. In Hebrew, the word for "fear" is "yir'ah," which can denote both reverence and terror. Historically, this fear has been a significant theme throughout the Bible, as seen in the lives of figures like Saul, who feared the people's opinion more than God's command (1 Samuel 15:24). This fear can lead to compromise and a departure from God's will, as it places human opinion above divine instruction.

is a snare
The term "snare" in Hebrew is "moqesh," which refers to a trap or a noose used for capturing animals. In a spiritual sense, it symbolizes anything that entangles or ensnares a person, leading them away from righteousness. The imagery of a snare suggests that the fear of man can capture and control an individual, preventing them from acting freely and according to God's will. Historically, snares were hidden and subtle, much like the insidious nature of fearing human opinion.

but whoever trusts in the LORD
The word "trusts" comes from the Hebrew "batach," which conveys a sense of confidence, security, and reliance. Trusting in the LORD implies a deep, unwavering faith in God's character and promises. Throughout Scripture, trust in God is portrayed as the antidote to fear, as seen in the lives of Daniel, David, and other biblical figures who faced adversity with confidence in God's protection and provision. This trust is not passive but active, requiring a conscious decision to place one's confidence in God rather than in human approval.

is set securely on high
The phrase "set securely on high" translates the Hebrew "sagab," which means to be exalted or lifted up. This imagery suggests safety, protection, and elevation above danger. In the ancient Near Eastern context, high places were often seen as secure locations, away from threats. Spiritually, being "set securely on high" implies that those who trust in the LORD are elevated above the fears and anxieties that plague those who rely on human approval. This security is not just physical but also emotional and spiritual, providing peace and assurance in God's sovereignty.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
Traditionally regarded as the author of Proverbs, Solomon was the son of King David and known for his wisdom. His insights into human behavior and divine wisdom are reflected throughout the book of Proverbs.

2. Israel
The nation to whom the Proverbs were initially addressed. The cultural and historical context of Israel provides a backdrop for understanding the societal pressures and fears that might lead one to fear man over God.

3. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God used in the Old Testament, emphasizing His eternal presence and faithfulness. Trusting in Yahweh is contrasted with fearing man.
Teaching Points
The Danger of Human Approval
The "fear of man" can lead to compromise and sin. It is a snare that traps us into valuing human opinion over God's truth.

Trust as a Secure Foundation
Trusting in the LORD provides security and stability. The Hebrew word for "trust" (batach) implies confidence and reliance, suggesting a firm foundation.

Elevated Perspective
Being "set securely on high" indicates a position of safety and perspective. Trusting God lifts us above the immediate fears and pressures of life.

Faith Over Fear
Cultivating a deep trust in God helps us overcome the fear of man. This trust is built through prayer, scripture study, and obedience.

Practical Steps to Trust
Regularly remind yourself of God's promises, surround yourself with a community of believers, and practice obedience in small steps to build trust in God.
Bible Study Questions
1. What are some specific situations in your life where you have experienced the "fear of man"? How did it act as a snare for you?

2. How does trusting in the LORD provide a sense of security and peace in your daily life? Can you think of a time when this trust helped you overcome fear?

3. In what ways can you actively cultivate a deeper trust in God, especially when facing societal pressures or expectations?

4. How do the additional scriptures (Psalm 118:8-9, Isaiah 51:12-13, Matthew 10:28) reinforce the message of Proverbs 29:25? What new insights do they provide?

5. Reflect on a biblical character who demonstrated trust in God over the fear of man. What can you learn from their example to apply in your own life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 118:8-9
These verses emphasize the safety and wisdom of trusting in the LORD rather than in human beings, echoing the theme of Proverbs 29:25.

Isaiah 51:12-13
These verses remind us of the futility of fearing man, who is mortal, and encourage trust in the eternal God.

Matthew 10:28
Jesus teaches about the fear of God over the fear of man, reinforcing the principle found in Proverbs 29:25.
Sermons
How to be SafeProverbs 29:25
The Fear of ManG. Everard, M.A.Proverbs 29:25
The Fear of ManS. SimeonProverbs 29:25
The Mischiefs of Slavish Complaisance and CowardiceJames Foster.Proverbs 29:25
Two Ancient ProverbsC.H. Spurgeon Proverbs 29:25
Prevalence in Alliance with ReligionE. Johnson Proverbs 29:24-27
Two Temptations and Two ResourcesW. Clarkson Proverbs 29:25, 26
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Bringeth, Brings, Cause, Causeth, Confidence, Confident, Danger, Exalted, Faith, Fear, Kept, Lays, Protected, Prove, Proves, Puts, Putteth, Safe, Snare, Trust, Trusts
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Proverbs 29:25

     5058   rest, spiritual
     5511   safety
     5589   trap
     5798   betrayal
     5819   cowardice
     6702   peace, destruction
     8021   faith, nature of
     8031   trust, importance
     8754   fear

Library
An Obscured vision
(Preached at the opening of the Winona Lake Bible Conference.) TEXT: "Where there is no vision, the people perish."--Proverbs 29:18. It is not altogether an easy matter to secure a text for such an occasion as this; not because the texts are so few in number but rather because they are so many, for one has only to turn over the pages of the Bible in the most casual way to find them facing him at every reading. Feeling the need of advice for such a time as this, I asked a number of my friends who …
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

Two Ancient Proverbs
A Sermon (No. 3080) Published on Thursday, February 20th, 1908. Delivered by C.H. Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington on Lord's Day evening, March 29th, 1874. "The fear of man bringeth a snare; but whoso puteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe." --Proverbs 29:25. We have two ancient proverbs here; each of them is true as a separate proverb, and they are equally true when linked together. The independent proposition, that the fear of man bringeth a snare, is a truth which experience …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

The Baptismal Covenant Can be Kept Unbroken. Aim and Responsibility of Parents.
We have gone "to the Law and to the Testimony" to find out what the nature and benefits of Baptism are. We have gathered out of the Word all the principal passages bearing on this subject. We have grouped them together, and studied them side by side. We have noticed that their sense is uniform, clear, and strong. Unless we are willing to throw aside all sound principles of interpretation, we can extract from the words of inspiration only one meaning, and that is that the baptized child is, by virtue …
G. H. Gerberding—The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church

But Sometimes a Peril to Eternal Salvation Itself is Put Forth against Us...
40. But sometimes a peril to eternal salvation itself is put forth against us; [2466] which peril, they cry out, we by telling a lie, if otherwise it cannot be, must ward off. As, for instance, if a person who is to be baptized be in the power of impious and infidel men, and cannot be got at that he may be washed with the laver of regeneration, but by deceiving his keepers with a lie. From this most invidious cry, by which we are compelled, not for a man's wealth or honors in this world which are …
St. Augustine—Against Lying

Little Sarah Howley.
MISS SARAH HOWLEY, when she was between eight and nine years old, was carried by her friends to hear a sermon, where the minister preached upon Matt. xi, 30, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light;" in the applying of which scripture the child was mightily awakened, and made deeply sensible of the condition of her soul, and her need of Christ: she wept bitterly to think what a case she was in; went home, retired into a chamber, and upon her knees she wept and cried to the Lord as well as she could, …
John Wesley—Stories of Boys and Girls Who Loved the Saviour

For, Concerning False Witness, which is Set Down in the Ten Commands of The...
36. For, concerning false witness, which is set down in the ten commands of the Law, it can indeed in no wise be contended that love of truth may at heart be preserved, and false witness brought forth to him unto whom the witness is borne. For, when it is said to God only, then it is only in the heart that the truth is to be embraced: but when it is said to man, then must we with the mouth also of the body bring forth truth, because man is not an inspector of the heart. But then, touching the witness …
St. Augustine—On Lying

Palm Sunday
Text: Philippians 2, 5-11. 5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 10 that …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

It Remains Then that we Understand as Concerning those Women...
33. It remains then that we understand as concerning those women, whether in Egypt or in Jericho, that for their humanity and mercy they received a reward, in any wise temporal, which indeed itself, while they wist not of it, should by prophetical signification prefigure somewhat eternal. But whether it be ever right, even for the saving of a man's life, to tell a lie, as it is a question in resolving which even the most learned do weary themselves, it did vastly surpass the capacity of those poor …
St. Augustine—Against Lying

What are Evidences of Backsliding in Heart.
1. Manifest formality in religious exercises. A stereotyped, formal way of saying and doing things, that is clearly the result of habit, rather than the outgushing of the religious life. This formality will be emotionless and cold as an iceberg, and will evince a total want of earnestness in the performance of religious duty. In prayer and in religious exercises the backslider in heart will pray or praise, or confess, or give thanks with his lips, so that all can hear him, perhaps, but in such a …
Charles G. Finney—The Backslider in Heart

God's Glory the Chief End of Man's Being
Rom. xi. 36.--"Of him and through him, and to him, are all things, to whom be glory for ever." And 1 Cor. x. 31--"Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." All that men have to know, may be comprised under these two heads,--What their end is, and What is the right way to attain to that end? And all that we have to do, is by any means to seek to compass that end. These are the two cardinal points of a man's knowledge and exercise. Quo et qua eundum est,--Whither to go, and what way to go. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

How the Impatient and the Patient are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 10.) Differently to be admonished are the impatient and the patient. For the impatient are to be told that, while they neglect to bridle their spirit, they are hurried through many steep places of iniquity which they seek not after, inasmuch as fury drives the mind whither desire draws it not, and, when perturbed, it does, not knowing, what it afterwards grieves for when it knows. The impatient are also to be told that, when carried headlong by the impulse of emotion, they act in some …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Humility is the Root of Charity, and Meekness the Fruit of Both. ...
Humility is the root of charity, and meekness the fruit of both. There is no solid and pure ground of love to others, except the rubbish of self-love be first cast out of the soul; and when that superfluity of naughtiness is cast out, then charity hath a solid and deep foundation: "The end of the command is charity out of a pure heart," 1 Tim. i. 5. It is only such a purified heart, cleansed from that poison and contagion of pride and self-estimation, that can send out such a sweet and wholesome …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

How to Make Use of Christ as the Truth, when Error Prevaileth, and the Spirit of Error Carrieth Many Away.
There is a time when the spirit of error is going abroad, and truth is questioned, and many are led away with delusions. For Satan can change himself into an angel of light, and make many great and fairlike pretensions to holiness, and under that pretext usher in untruths, and gain the consent of many unto them; so that in such a time of temptation many are stolen off their feet, and made to depart from the right ways of God, and to embrace error and delusions instead of truth. Now the question is, …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Characters and Names of Messiah
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. S uch was the triumphant exultation of the Old Testament Church! Their noblest hopes were founded upon the promise of MESSIAH; their most sublime songs were derived from the prospect of His Advent. By faith, which is the substance of things hoped for, they considered the gracious declarations …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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