“The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him” is literally “his own sins will trap the wicked,” that is, “A person will be trapped by his own sins.” For the whole verse Contemporary English Version has “Sinners are trapped and caught by their own evil deeds.” “Ensnare” is used here of catching something in a trap.
“And he is caught in the toils of his sin”: “Toils” is literally cords, ropes, or bands and refers to a net for catching small birds or animals. “Toils of his sins” means the net his sins have made. Without the image of the net we may say, for example, “He is caught in his own sins.” Using the idea of the net we may say, for example, “He is caught in his sins like a bird in a net.”
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
