Proverbs 22:25 (YLT)

Passage

Lest thou learn his paths, And have received a snare to thy soul.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:23 For Jehovah pleadeth their cause, And hath spoiled the soul of their spoilers.

Proverbs 22:24 Shew not thyself friendly with an angry man, And with a man of fury go not in,

Proverbs 22:25 Lest thou learn his paths, And have received a snare to thy soul.

Proverbs 22:26 Be not thou among those striking hands, Among sureties <FI>for<Fi> burdens.

Proverbs 22:27 If thou hast nothing to pay, Why doth he take thy bed from under thee?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lest", "thou", "learn", "paths", "received", "snare", and "soul". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lest" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "Shew not thyself friendly with an angry..." into verse 26's "Be not thou among those striking hands...", so "lest" and "thou" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "lest" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.