6:5

This verse contains parallel similes:

5a Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,

5b
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

The efforts of the hearer to free himself from his promise are compared to the desperate struggles of a gazelle to escape from a hunter’s trap. They are also compared to the efforts of a bird to escape from a bird hunter’s snare. Just as these animals struggle desperately to escape from a trap, so the hearer must try very hard to get himself released from the financial agreement that he has promised to fulfill.

6:5a

gazelle: The animal referred to here is probably a gazelle. A number of modern versions translate this word with the more general term “deer.”

6:5b

from the snare of the fowler: In Hebrew, the phrase snare of the fowler is literally “hand of the fowler” (New Revised Standard Version). “Hand” is a figure of speech (metonymy) that here represents a “snare” or “trap.” In some languages, it may be more natural to leave part of the figure of speech implied. For example:

from a hunter (Good News Translation)
-or-
from a trapper (New Century Version)
-or-
from a net (New Living Translation (2004))

fowler: The word fowler refers to a person who traps birds. In some languages, it may be preferable to use a general term such as “hunter” or “trapper,” as in the Good News Translation and New Century Version (quoted above).

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