Olney Hymns · Chapter
The Bee Saved from the Spider explained
The poem uses the metaphor of a bee caught in a spider's web to describe the believer's encounter with Satan's snares, even within the means of grace.
What happens
The poem uses the metaphor of a bee caught in a spider's web to describe the believer's encounter with Satan's snares, even within the means of grace. The soul, initially unaware of danger, is trapped and poisoned by the enemy, but the Savior's pitying eye breaks the snare and rescues the helpless soul, teaching believers to look to Him for aid.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional peak occurs in stanza V, where the speaker’s hope is violently extinguished as Satan obscures ev…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Spiritual Warfare
The believer faces the subtle snares and poisonous attacks of Satan, even in the midst of spiritual activities.
- Grace and Unmerited Favor
The Savior's pitying eye and rescue of the helpless soul highlight unmerited deliverance and divine compassion.
Characters to notice
- Satan
The spider, who weaves unsuspected snares and poisons the bee, representing the enemy's attack on the believer.
- Jesus Christ
The pitying friend who saves the bee, breaking the spider's web and rescuing the soul from despair.
- The Narrator
The speaker who identifies with the bee, recounting personal experience of being ensnared and rescued.
Key passages
“The subtle spider often weaves His unsuspected snares Among the balmy flowers and leaves, To which the bee repairs.”
The cunning enemy sets hidden traps in pleasant places, where the unwary seek nourishment.
The spider's web is a metaphor for Satan's hidden dangers in the means of grace.
“But oh! the Saviour’s pitying eye Relieved me from despair; He saw me at the point to die, And broke the fatal snare.”
The Lord's compassionate gaze saved me from hopelessness; He saw my peril and destroyed the deadly trap.
Christ's intervention is the central act of deliverance.
