Proverbs 30

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Agur, confessing his lack of human wisdom, extols God's pure word and prays for moderation, avoiding both poverty and riches. The chapter then presents various numerical proverbs, highlighting wicked generations, insatiable desires, and the consequences of filial disrespect. It contrasts incomprehensible wonders with the deceptive ways of the adulteress, and lists things that disquiet the earth, wise small creatures, and things comely in their going, concluding with a warning against pride and provoking strife.

The Words of Agur: Superscription 1–6

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the oracle. The man saith unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal:

Surely I am more brutish than any man, And have not the understanding of a man;

And I have not learned wisdom, Neither have I the knowledge of the Holy One.

Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou knowest?

Every word of God is tried: He is a shield unto them that take refuge in him.

Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Agur's Prayer for Balance 7–9

Two things have I asked of thee; Deny methemnot before I die:

Remove far from me falsehood and lies; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is needful for me:

Lest I be full, and denythee, and say, Who is Jehovah? Or lest I be poor, and steal, And use profanely the name of my God.

The Four Wicked Generations 10–14

Slander not a servant unto his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty.

There is a generation that curse their father, And bless not their mother.

There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, Andyetare not washed from their filthiness.

There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.

There is a generation whose teeth areasswords, and their jaw teethasknives, To devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

Numerical Sayings: Insatiable Things 15–17

The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, Yea, four that say not, Enough:

Sheol; and the barren womb; The earth that is not satisfied with water; And the fire that saith not, Enough.

The eye that mocketh at his father, And despiseth to obey his mother, The ravens of the valley shall pick it out, And the young eagles shall eat it.

Numerical Sayings: Mysteries of Movement 18–20

There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yea, four which I know not:

The way of an eagle in the air; The way of a serpent upon a rock; The way of a ship in the midst of the sea; And the way of a man with a maiden.

So is the way of an adulterous woman; She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, And saith, I have done no wickedness.

Numerical Sayings: Unbearable Upheaval 21–23

For three things the earth doth tremble, And for four, whichit cannot bear:

For a servant when he is king; And a fool when he is filled with food;

For an odious woman when she is married; And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

Numerical Sayings: Small but Wise Creatures 24–28

There are four things which are little upon the earth, But they are exceeding wise:

The ants are a people not strong, Yet they provide their food in the summer;

The conies are but a feeble folk, Yet make they their houses in the rocks;

The locusts have no king, Yet go they forth all of them by bands;

The lizard taketh hold with her hands, Yet is she in kings’ palaces.

Numerical Sayings: Majestic Bearing 29–31

There are three things which are stately in their march, Yea, four which are stately in going:

The lion, which is mightiest among beasts, And turneth not away for any;

The greyhound; the he-goat also; And the king against whom there is no rising up.

Final Warnings Against Strife 32–33

If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, Or if thou hast thought evil, Lay thy hand upon thy mouth.

For the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood; So the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Proverbs 30

Verse 1

the prophecy — 'Prophecy' is massa, the word rendered 'burden' in 'The burden of Babylon' (Isa 13:1), and again 'the prophecy' in 31:1, 'that his mother taught him'. Agur and his father Jakeh are named only here. The words are spoken to Ithiel and Ucal.

Verse 2

more brutish than any man — 'Brutish' is ba'ar, found five times (Ps 49:10; 73:22; 92:6; Prov 12:1; here). It is the state of 'he that hateth reproof' (12:1) and what Asaph confessed in Ps 73:22, 'I was as a beast before thee'. 'Understanding' is binah, discernment.

Verse 4

Who hath ascended up into heaven — The questions run through what belongs to God alone: ascending and descending, gathering the wind, binding the waters, establishing 'all the ends of the earth'. Job 26:8 says it of him, 'He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds'. John 3:13 states that none has ascended 'but he that came down from heaven'.

Verse 5

Every word of God is pure — 'Pure' is tsaraph, refined in the fire, the word for 'tried' in Ps 18:30, which this verse closely matches, and for silver 'tried in a furnace of earth' in Ps 12:6. 'Shield' (magen) is the 'buckler' of Ps 18:30. 'God' is Eloah, a form used mostly in Job and found only here in Proverbs.

Verse 6

Add thou not unto his words — The law set the same limit: 'Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it' (Deut 4:2; also 12:32), and Scripture closes with it (Rev 22:18–19). 'Reprove' is yakach, to set right, and the one who adds is 'found a liar' (kazab).

Verse 8

neither poverty nor riches — 'Lies' is literally 'word of falsehood'. 'Food convenient for me' is literally 'bread of my portion' (chuq, an appointed share), the thought of 'Give us day by day our daily bread' (Luke 11:3). Paul sets the same limit: 'having food and raiment let us be therewith content' (1 Tim 6:8).

Verse 9

Lest I be full, and deny thee — This gives the reason for 'neither poverty nor riches'. 'Full' is saba, the verb of 27:20, 'never satisfied'. Moses warned, 'when thou hast eaten and art full… then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God' (Deut 8:12–14). 'Who is the LORD?' is Pharaoh's question (Ex 5:2).

Verse 11

a generation that curseth their father — 'There is a generation' (dor) opens four verses in a row (vv.11–14), each naming a kind of person. The law made cursing a parent a capital offence (Ex 21:17; Lev 20:9), and Christ cites it: 'He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death' (Matt 15:4).

Verse 12

pure in their own eyes — 'Pure' is tahor, clean, and 'filthiness' is tso'ah, filth, the word of Isa 4:4, where the Lord 'shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion'. 16:2 gives the same self-judgment, 'All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes'. The Pharisee's prayer in Luke 18:11 is an instance.

Verse 14

whose teeth are as swords — The second blade is ma'akheleth, a knife named for eating, and the verb that follows is 'devour' (akal). The victims are the 'poor' (ani) and the 'needy' (ebyon). David's enemies have 'teeth… spears and arrows' (Ps 57:4), and Amos hears those who 'swallow up the needy' (Amos 8:4).

Verse 15

The horseleach hath two daughters — 'Horseleach' (alukah) occurs only here. Its cry 'Give, give' leads into four things never satisfied: the grave, the barren womb, the earth never filled with water, and fire (v.16). The pattern 'three things… yea four' returns in vv.18, 21 and 29, as 'six… yea seven' does in 6:16.

Verse 17

the ravens of the valley shall pick it out — 'Obey' is yiqqahah, a word found only here and in Gen 49:10, 'the gathering of the people'. The eye that mocks is the part struck. The law's rebellious son 'will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother' (Deut 21:18), and 23:22 says 'despise not thy mother when she is old'.

Verse 18

too wonderful for me — 'Too wonderful' is pala, to be marvellous and beyond reach, the word of Ps 139:6, 'Such knowledge is too wonderful for me', and of Job 42:3. The four things follow in v.19, each introduced by 'the way of' (derek).

Verse 19

the way of a man with a maid — 'Way' (derek) is repeated four times; the first three travel 'in the air', 'upon a rock' and 'in the midst of the sea'. 'Maid' is almah, a young woman, the word of Isa 7:14, 'a virgin shall conceive', which Matthew quotes (Matt 1:23).

Verse 20

she eateth, and wipeth her mouth — The sin is treated like a meal, and the mouth wiped afterward. Her words, 'I have done no wickedness' (aven), match the 'generation' of v.12 and Israel's 'Because I am innocent… I have not sinned' (Jer 2:35). Her meal is of the kind 9:17 describes: 'bread eaten in secret is pleasant'.

Verse 21

For three things the earth is disquieted — 'Disquieted' is ragaz, to tremble, and 'bear' is nasa, to lift or carry, the verb of 'lifting up' in v.32. The four are a servant who reigns, a fool filled with food, an odious woman who is married, and a handmaid who is heir to her mistress (vv.22–23).

Verse 22

a servant when he reigneth — 19:10 says 'much less for a servant to have rule over princes', and Eccl 10:7 saw 'servants upon horses'. 'Fool' is nabal, the letters of the name of Abigail's husband, who held 'a feast in his house, like the feast of a king' and was 'very drunken' (1 Sam 25:25, 36). 'Meat' is lechem, bread.

Verse 24

exceeding wise — 'Little' is qatan, small, and 'exceeding wise' is literally 'wise, made wise' (chakam, the verb and then the adjective). The ant, the conies, the locusts and the spider follow in vv.25–28. Scripture sends the reader to such teachers: 'Go to the ant, thou sluggard' (6:6), and 'ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee' (Job 12:7).

Verse 26

The conies are but a feeble folk — 'Feeble' renders atsum, which is the word for strong or mighty, so the clause is literally 'a people not strong'. 'Rocks' is sela, the crag, where 'the rocks for the conies' (Ps 104:18) are their refuge. The law lists the coney among the unclean (Lev 11:5).

Verse 28

The spider taketh hold with her hands — 'Spider' is semamit, found only here. 'Taketh hold' is taphas, to grasp, and 'palaces' is heikal, the word used of the temple (1 Kings 6:3, 5), so the smallest creature stands in the largest houses.

Verse 29

three things which go well — Introduces the four of vv.30–31. 'Go' is tsa'ad, to step or march, and 'well' and 'comely' both come from the Hebrew for 'good'. The four are the lion, the greyhound, the he goat and a king.

Verse 31

a king, against whom there is no rising up — 'Greyhound' is literally 'girded of loins' (zarzir mothnayim). 'No rising up' is alqum, a word found only here. The king completes a list that began with the lion (v.30), and 20:2 joins them: 'The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion'.

Verse 32

lay thine hand upon thy mouth — 'Done foolishly' is nabal, the verb from the root of 'fool' in v.22, and 'lifting up' is nasa, as in v.21. Job lays his hand on his mouth before the LORD (Job 40:4), and Paul says the law speaks 'that every mouth may be stopped' (Rom 3:19).

Verse 33

the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife — One word, mits, pressing, serves all three lines (churning, wringing, forcing), with one verb, yatsa, 'bringeth forth'. Aph means both 'nose' and 'anger', so the pressed nose and the pressed anger are joined in a single word. 15:18 gives the result, 'A wrathful man stirreth up strife'.