The English word "snare" comes from the Old English word "sneare" ≈ "string, cord" .

A "snare drum" has a string or cord that vibrates to give a snare drum a distinctive rattling sound, as, for example, by a "rattle snake".

The Latin word "perversus" ≈ "subverted, corrupted".

The modern Greek word "σκολιός" (sko-lee-OS) ≈ "crooked" from which we get the medical term "scoliosis" which is translated by Wycliffe as "wayward" and by the KJV (King James Version) as "froward".

There is another Greek word for "trap" or "snare".

The ancient Greek word "παγίδα" ≈ "trap".

The modern Greek word "παγίδα" (pa-Y-tha) ≈ "trap".

This word is used in the LXX and GNT (Greek New Testament).

In Greek the word for "trap" is similar to the word for "well" as in a hole in the ground from which one can get water.

Details are left as a future topic.

An empty "well" is a "pit" such as the pit into which Joseph was put by his brothers.

The Greek words for "snare", "trap" and "stumbling block" appear to be related. Paul uses all three words in Romans 11:9.

Another word sometimes translated as "trap", as in the above verse, is the ancient Greek word "θήρα" ≈ "hunting" or can be the result of a hunting trip.
One trick in a hunt is to use a split group of hunters where one group attempts to herd or move the prey into a target area while the other group waits for them to move into the "trap" or "ambush". The reference Paul mentions in Romans 11:9 appears to come from Psalms 69:22 which uses the words "σκάνδαλον" for "trap", "snare" and "offend".

It is unclear as to the exact meaning of the middle word in the LXX. It appears to be the word to which Paul is referring in Romans 11:9.

The word comes from the Greek words for "backwards" and "foot".

The modern Greek word "ανταπόδοση" (an-ta-PO-tho-see) ≈ "repayment, return".

Here are some more verses from Psalms that use the words "σκάνδαλον" for "trap", "snare" and "offend".

Both of the words "offense" and "defense" have a suffix of the Latin word "fendo" ≈ "hit, thrust" as, in English, to "fend off" or a "fender" as in "fender-bender".

Let us "put the brake" chasing this rabbit trail before we crash - accidentally.

The Greek word for "accident" is, literally, "not lucky".

Details are left as a future topic.

The Latin word "fendo" ≈ "hit, thrust" is cognate with the ancient Greek word "θείνω" ≈ "strike, wound".


Here, the ancient Greek definition does not appear to match the GNT.

Details are left as a future topic.

The word "fend" is related to the English word "bane" as a strike or blow to death and the German word "Bahn" ≈ "path or track" is in "striking out" on a journey.

The German word "Bahnhoff" ≈ "railroad station".

More: Liberty Bell in Elizabethtown

One can try to trap or entangle someone else in a logical argument or "ambush".


These entrapments are deliberate and often based on words with multiple meanings, etc.

A misinterpretation is based on selective understanding of what is said. This can be direct (from the original speaker ) or indirect (transitively through someone else).

An "ambush" is a passive "attack" that waits for the enemy to take an action before the active attack starts. The key idea is to "wait" until the enemy falls for the trap.
This has happened again and again in military (and other) actions during history.

[Sandhurst officer's remarks about an ambush during West Point training at Camp Buckner]

The famous ambush line from Star Wars by Admiral Ackbar is "It's a trap!".

A deception may not be detected until it is too late. A con or confidence artist gets ones' confidence and then springs the trap.

A false prophet may deceive with "idle words" which are words that do not work for Christ. Do pastors do this when they mislead or waste time in a sermon rather than preaching words that work for Christ?

More: Matthew 12:30-37 Pardon the idle word counting

To get one's foot out of a snare or trap, one needs to "expedite" oneself from the snare or trap. The English word "expedite" comes from the Latin word "expeditus" ≈ "unimpeded, unfettered" which is from the Latin word "expedio" ≈ "bring forward, set right" which is from the following.

• The Latin prefix "ex" ≈ "out of".
• The Latin word "pes" ≈ "foot".

The literal meaning is that of getting one's foot out of it. The meaning of "it" would then depend on the context.

The English word "expedient" comes, through French, from the Latin word "expedite" ≈ "be profitable, advantageous" which comes from the Latin word "expedire" ≈ "bring forward, dispatch".

This word is often used in the KJV for a Greek word that means "carry together" (in a positive sense) as in "better together".

Details are left as a future topic.

The English word "foot" and is from the Middle English word "fote" ≈ "foot" and is from the Old English word "fot" ≈ "foot" .

• The German word "Fuß" ≈ "foot".
• The Gothic word "fotu" ≈ "foot".
• The Latin word "pes" ≈ "foot".
• The Spanish word "pie" ≈ "foot".
• The ancient Greek word "πούς" ≈ "foot".
• The modern Greek word "πόδι" (PO-thee) ≈ "foot".
• The Sanskrit word "पद्" (pad) ≈ "foot".
• The Hindi word "पांव" (pamv) ≈ "foot".

All come from the PIE (Proto Indo-European) root "pods" ≈ "foot".