Proverbs 29:5

5 The man that flatters his neighbour spreads a net for his feet.

Proverbs 29:5 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 29:5

A man that flattereth his neighbour
That speaks smooth things to him gives him flattering titles, speaks fair to his face, highly commends him on one account or another: spreadeth a net for his feet;
has an idle design upon him, and therefore should be guarded against; his view is to draw him into a snare and make a prey of him; he attacks him on his weak side, and hopes to make some advantage of it to himself; wherefore flatterers should be avoided as pernicious persons; or he spreads a net for his own feet, and is taken in the snare which he had laid for his neighbour; or falls into the pit he dug for him, as Gersom observes; see ( Psalms 140:5 ) ( Hosea 5:1 ) .

Proverbs 29:5 In-Context

3 Whosoever loves wisdom causes his father to rejoice, but he that maintains harlots shall lose his inheritance.
4 The king by judgment establishes the land, but he that receives gifts shall overthrow it.
5 The man that flatters his neighbour spreads a net for his feet.
6 In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare, but the righteous shall sing and rejoice.
7 The righteous considers the cause of the poor, but the wicked does not understand wisdom.
The Jubilee Bible (from the Scriptures of the Reformation), edited by Russell M. Stendal, Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2010