Proverbs 22:25

Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex)

English Translation

Lest you learn his ways, And ensnare your soul.

World English Bible · Public Domain

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Word by word

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תֶּאֱלַ֥ף

ʼâlaph

H502

“to learn”

Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Singular

Appears 4× in the Hebrew Bible
First appears at Job 15:5

Full BDB Definition

Origin: a primitive root, to associate with

TWOT: 108

to learn - (Qal) to learn - (Piel) to teach

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

7: words
6: distinct lemmas
Wisdom: section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is תֶּאֱלַ֥ף to learn H502 — appearing just 4 times in the whole Hebrew Bible.

Shared distinctive vocabulary

תֶּאֱלַ֥ף to learn H502 occurs in 4 verses of the Hebrew Bible. Also found in:

Grammatical profile

2 verbs
4 nouns
1 conjunction

Verb forms

תֶּאֱלַ֥ף Qal · Imperfect
וְלָקַחְתָּ֖ Qal · Sequential Perfect

Repetition

A word recurs within this verse — often emphatic in Hebrew:

ארחתו way H734 ×2

Hebrew & Septuagint length

In English translation the verse runs 9 words from the Hebrew and 12 from the Septuagint (LXX English) — closely comparable.

A rough comparison of the two English renderings, which tokenize alike — not a word-level alignment.

Word counts can differ between the Hebrew and the Greek without any difference in meaning — e.g. the Hebrew direct-object marker אֵת has no separate Greek word, and Greek often adds the article ὁ.

In the original languages it is 7 Hebrew tokens and 11 Greek tokens — but the two are counted differently (Hebrew bundles its prefixes and suffixes into one token; the Greek is in lemma form), so that isn’t a like-for-like length.

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Proverbs 22:25 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Don't be deceived! "Evil companionships corrupt good morals."
Psalms 106:35 But mixed themselves with the nations, And learned their works.
Proverbs 13:20 One who walks with wise men grows wise, But a companion of fools suffers harm.

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Hebrew and Greek witnesses Masoretic Hebrew ↔ Greek Septuagint

The same verse in the two great witnesses to the Old Testament, shown verse-for-verse.

These are two independent witnesses, not word-aligned to each other, and the Septuagint is shown in lemma (dictionary) form.

Hebrew Proverbs 22:25 Masoretic · Westminster Leningrad Codex

פֶּן תֶּאֱלַ֥ף ארחתו אֹֽרְחֹתָ֑יו וְלָקַחְתָּ֖ מוֹקֵ֣שׁ לְנַפְשֶֽׁךָ

Lest you learn his ways, And ensnare your soul.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Greek LXX Proverbs 22:25 Septuagint · lemma form

μήποτε μανθάνω ὁ ὁδός αὐτός καί λαμβάνω βρόχος ὁ σός ψυχή

lest you learn of his ways, and get snares to your soul.

LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) · Public Domain

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (CC BY 4.0). Greek: Septuagint (public domain); English from LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) (Public Domain). How the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew →

Commentary

Notes on Proverbs 22:25 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Trapp's Complete Commentary

John Trapp

Pro 22:25 Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

Ver. 25. Lest thou learn his ways.] As a man is an imitating creature, and easily conformed to the company he keepeth. Sin is also very spreading, and more infectious than the plague: this of rash anger especially, whereunto being naturally inclined, we shall easily get a habit of frowardness. Entireness with wicked consorts is one of the strongest chains of hell, and binds us to a participation both of sin and punishment.

And get a snare to thy soul.] This is all thou art like to get by such men’s company. An angry man - a master of anger, as the Hebrew here hath it, or rather one that is mastered by his anger, and enslaved thereunto - is fitly compared by one to a cock of the game, that quarrelsome creature, that is still bloody with the blood either of others or of himself. He flies upon his best friends sometimes, as Alexander did, and slays those whom he would revive again with his own heart blood. Dogs in a chase bark oft at their best friends.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown

a snare . . . soul--The unsuspecting are often misled by bad company.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(25) Lest thou . . . get a snare to thy soul—i.e., lose thy life.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Gill's Exposition

Lest thou learn his ways,.... And be as wrathful and furious, as quarrelsome and contentious, as he is. Evil works and ways are soon learned; men are more ready to imitate what is evil than what is good: Joseph learned to swear in Pharaoh's court; and the Israelites learned the works of the Heathen, among whom they were mingled; "evil communications corrupt good manners", Co1 15:33. Many men, naturally mild and gentle, tenderhearted and compassionate, by being brought up among or conversing with bloodthirsty Papists, and imbibing their cruel notions and sentiments, have become fierce, and as furious persecutors of others;

and get a snare to thy soul; be drawn into sin, by speaking passionate words, or doing rash actions, which will bring on punishment, either in this world, or in that to come, or in both; which may affect the soul or life here; the taking of it away, or the eternal damnation of the soul hereafter.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

Soul. By imitating him, or by falling a victim to his rage.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Matthew Poole's English Annotations

Lest thou learn his ways; lest thou be infected by his example, or provoked by this passion to return the like to him.

A snare; either,

1. A mischief, which is oft the effect of unbridled rage. Or,

2. An occasion of sin; either by drawing thee to an imitation or requital of his rage; or by tempting thee to unfaithfulness in performing the great office of a friend, to wit, admonition or reproof, which, by reason of his furious temper, thou either canst not or wilt not do.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

Daniel D. Whedon

25. Lest thou learn his ways — We are apt to become assimilated to those with whom we keep company.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Kretzmann's Popular Commentary

Paul E. Kretzmann

v. 25. lest thou learn his ways, be infected by his vice, and get a snare to thy soul, for a violent temper is a fatal net to him who is subject to its attacks.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Rashi

Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)

lest you learn Heb. תאלף.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Proverbs, in the Wisdom, opens this verse with 7 words (6 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is ʼâlaph (“to learn”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

The word ʼâlaph carries the sense “to learn.” How does it shape the verse?
Job 15:5 shares the word «to learn» with this verse. How do the two illuminate each other?
“way” occurs 2× in this one verse. What is the effect of the repetition?
The translations on this page render this verse differently — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment. What might account for the different wordings?
The verb «תֶּאֱלַ֥ף» is Qal Imperfect. How does its form color the action?
Reading how Trapp's Complete Commentary and Jamieson, Fausset & Brown read this verse, where do the two commentators agree and where do they part?

Things to notice

This verse counts 7 Hebrew ↔ 11 Greek words.
These translations choose different wording for 9 words in this verse.
“way” occurs 2× in this single verse.
6 distinct Hebrew lemmas span 7 words in this verse.