Proverbs 29:25

“The fear of man bringeth a snare, etc.] Either that which is subjectively in man; not a divine fear, or the fear of God, that grace which is put into the heart, for that leads to no snare, but tends to life; but a human fear, a servile one, a distrust of the power and providence, grace and goodness, of God, which has torment in it; which brings into bondage, and into many distresses and difficulties, and is opposed to trust in the Lord: or objectively, which has man for its object; a fear of losing the favour and friendship of men, of not having honour and applause from them; and a fear of their reproaches and reviling; of the wrath of men, of persecution from them, and of sufferings by…”

“The fear . . . snare--involves men in difficulty (compare Pro 29:6). shall be safe--(Compare Margin; Pro 18:10).”

“The confusion and wretchedness in which the fear of what men can do entangles us, is contrasted with the security of one, who not only “fears” the Lord, so as to avoid offending Him, but trusts in Him as his protector and guide. return to 'Top of Page'”

“A snare - Is an occasion of many sins. Proverbs 29:26”

“29:25 Fearing people is a dangerous trap: See 1:7; Luke 12:4-5.”

“fear: Gen 12:11-13, Gen 20:2, Gen 20:11, Gen 26:7; Exo 32:22-24; Sa1 15:24, Sa1 27:1, Sa1 27:11; Kg1 19:3; Isa 57:11; Mat 10:28, Mat 15:12, Mat 26:69-74; Joh 3:2, Joh 9:22, Joh 12:42; Joh 19:12, Joh 19:13; Gal 2:11-13; Ti2 4:16, Ti2 4:17 whoso: Pro 16:20, Pro 18:10, Pro 30:5; Ch1 5:20; Psa 118:8, Psa 125:1; Ecc 7:18; Dan 3:28, Dan 6:23; Pe1 1:21 safe: Heb. set on high, Psa 69:29, Psa 91:14 Proverbs 29:26”

“25 Fear of man bringeth a snare with it; But he that trusteth in Jahve is advanced. It sounds strange, Hitzig remarks, that here in the Book of an Oriental author one should be warned against the fear of man. It is enough, in reply to this, to point to Isa 51:12. One of the two translations in the lxx (cf. Jerome and Luther) has found this "strange" thought not so strange as not to render it, and that in the gnomic aorist: φοβηθέντες καὶ αἰσχυνθέντες ἀνθρώπους ὑπεσκελίσθησαν. And why should not חרדּת אדם be able to mean the fear of man (cowardice)? Perhaps not so that אדם is the gen. objecti, but so that חרדת אדם means to frighten men, as in Sa1 14:15. חרדת אלהים, a trembling of God;…”