Proverbs 29:25

29:25 The fear of people ¹  becomes ²  a snare, ³ 

but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high. ⁴ 

John 12:42-43

12:42 Nevertheless, even among the rulers ⁵  many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees ⁶  they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, ⁷  so that they would not be put out of ⁸  the synagogue. ⁹  12:43 For they loved praise ¹⁰  from men more than praise ¹¹  from God.

[29:25]  ¹ tn Heb “the fear of man.” This uses an objective genitive to describe a situation where fearing what people might do or think controls one’s life. There is no indication in the immediate context that this should be limited only to males, so the translation uses the more generic “people” here.

[29:25]  ² tn Heb “gives [or yields, or produces]”; NIV “will prove to be.”

[29:25]  ³ sn “Snare” is an implied comparison; fearing people is like being in a trap – there is no freedom of movement or sense of security.

[29:25]  ⁴ sn The image of being set on high comes from the military experience of finding a defensible position, a place of safety and security, such as a high wall or a mountain. Trusting in the Lord sets people free and gives them a sense of safety and security (e.g, Prov 10:27; 12:2).

[12:42]  ⁵ sn The term rulers here denotes members of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews. Note the same word (“ruler”) is used to describe Nicodemus in 3:1.

[12:42]  ⁶ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[12:42]  ⁷ tn The words “Jesus to be the Christ” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (see 9:22). As is often the case in Greek, the direct object is omitted for the verb ὡμολόγουν (Jwmologoun). Some translators supply an ambiguous “it,” or derive the implied direct object from the previous clause “believed in him” so that the rulers would not confess “their faith” or “their belief.” However, when one compares John 9:22, which has many verbal parallels to this verse, it seems clear that the content of the confession would have been “Jesus is the Christ (i.e., Messiah).”

[12:42]  ⁸ tn Or “be expelled from.”

[12:42]  ⁹ sn Compare John 9:22. See the note on synagogue in 6:59.

[12:43]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the glory.”

[12:43]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the glory.”