Deep Dive: Did a Deer or an Idiot Get Caught?
In Proverbs 7:22 we are introduced to a simple lad who follows a scent to his destruction. I’m picture the cartoons where one of the characters gets a whiff of a pleasing aroma and follows that scent into some trap that has been set for them. That’s the picture here. But you’ll notice a difference in some of the translations:
…or as a stag is caught fast (ESV)
…or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool (NASB)
…like a deer stepping into a noose (NIV)
…or as a fool to the correction of the stocks (KJV)
…He was like a stag caught in a trap (NLT)
…and as a dog to the bonds (LXX)
…and as a lamb playing the wanton (Vulgate)
…like an anklet to the correction of a fool (MT)
As you can see, there is some difference here. We know that somebody is getting trapped or put in chains. But who? The text is difficult and we cannot be certain which is original. I won’t be able to solve that for you today. But I can help to understand why is translation reads as it does.
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