briers - not as the Margin and Gesenius, “rebels,” which would not correspond so well to “thorns.” The Hebrew is from a root meaning “to sting” as nettles do. The wicked are often so called (2Sa 23:6; Son 2:2; Isa 9:18).
scorpions - a reptile about six inches long with a deadly sting at the end of the tail.