Proverbs30

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
The words of Agur the son of Yakeh, the prophecy. The man says to Iti'el, to Iti'el and Ukhal: ​
2
I am more boorish than anyone, I lack human discernment; ​
3
I have not learned enough wisdom to know the Holy One.
4
Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has cupped the wind in the palms of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know! ​
5
Every word of God's is pure; he shields those taking refuge in him. ​
6
Don't add anything to his words; or he will rebuke you, and you be found a liar. ​

Agur's Prayer for Balance

7
[God,] I have asked two things of you; don't deny them to me as long as I live -
8
keep falsehood and futility far from me, and give me neither poverty nor wealth. Yes, provide just the food I need today; ​
9
for if I have too much, I might deny you and say, "Who is ADONAI?"And if I am poor, I might steal and thus profane the name of my God. ​
10
Never disparage a slave to his master, or he will curse you, and you will deserve it.

The Four Wicked Generations

11
There is a type of people who curse their fathers and don't bless their mothers. ​
12
There is a type of people clean in their own view, but not cleansed from their filth. ​
13
There is a type of people - how haughty their look! -utterly supercilious!
14
There is a type of people whose teeth are like swords, yes, their fangs are knives; they devour the poor from the earth, the needy from humankind. ​

Numerical Sayings: Insatiable Things

15
The leech has two daughters; they cry, "Give! Give!" Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough!" ​
16
Sh'ol and a barren womb; the earth, never satisfied with water; and fire, which never says, "Enough!"
17
The eye that mocks his father and scorns obeying his mother will be pecked out by the ravens in the valley, and the vultures will eat it. ​

Numerical Sayings: Mysteries of Movement

18
Three things are too wonderful for me, four beyond my knowledge ​
19
the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the open sea, and the way of a man with a girl. ​
20
This is how an unfaithful wife behaves: she eats, wipes her mouth, and says, "I did nothing wrong." ​

Numerical Sayings: Unbearable Upheaval

21
Three things make the earth quake, four things it can't bear - ​
22
a slave who becomes king, a boor gorged with food, ​
23
a hated [wife] when her husband takes her [back], and a slave-girl who inherits from her mistress.

Numerical Sayings: Small but Wise Creatures

24
Four things on the earth are small; nevertheless, they are very wise - ​
25
the ants, a species not strong, yet they store up their food in the summer;
26
the coneys, a species with little power, yet they make their home in the rocks; ​
27
the locusts, who have no king, yet they all march out in ranks;
28
and the spiders, which you can catch in your hand, yet they are in the king's palace. ​

Numerical Sayings: Majestic Bearing

29
Three things are stately in their stride, four of stately gait ​
30
the lion, mightiest of beasts, which turns aside for none;
31
the greyhound, the billy-goat and the king when his army is with him. ​

Final Warnings Against Strife

32
If you have been boorish, exalting yourself, or if you have been scheming, lay your hand on your mouth. ​
33
For as pressing milk produces butter and pressing the nose produces blood, so pressing out anger produces strife. ​

Study Notes for Proverbs 30

Verse 1

Critical scholars debate the identity of Agur, Jakeh, Ithiel, and Ucal. This introductory section (Prov. 30–31) forms an appendix to the main Solomonic collection, suggesting wisdom literature was gathered from various sources.

Verse 2

Agur expresses profound rhetorical humility, acknowledging his limited understanding. In the wisdom tradition, recognizing one's ignorance is the first step toward seeking true divine knowledge.

Verse 4

This verse is a powerful rhetorical challenge asserting God's unique sovereignty over creation (heaven, wind, water, earth). If humanity cannot name the Creator or His Son, it highlights the limits of human wisdom compared to divine revelation.

Verse 5

Agur transitions from questioning human ability to affirming the absolute reliability and perfection ('pure') of God's revealed Word, which provides protection ('a shield') for the faithful.

Verse 6

This warning against manipulating or altering God's instruction is foundational to biblical fidelity, emphasizing the danger of human presumption in theological matters, echoing warnings found throughout the Torah.

Verse 8

This famous prayer rejects both extremes of wealth and poverty, seeking a balanced life dependent on God for daily necessities ('convenient food').

Verse 9

Agur explains the spiritual danger of each extreme: Riches lead to arrogant self-sufficiency and forgetting God, while poverty might lead to desperation, theft, and profaning God's name.

Verse 11

The term 'generation' (dôr) refers here to a class or type of people characterized by specific immoral behaviors, illustrating pervasive social evils.

Verse 12

This describes spiritual hypocrisy: those who are self-righteous ('pure in their own eyes') but have not been cleansed internally from moral corruption ('filthiness').

Verse 14

This harsh imagery uses teeth and knives as metaphors for those who exploit and consume the vulnerable poor through systemic injustice and violence.

Verse 15

The 'horseleach' (or vampire/blood-sucker) represents insatiable greed. The 'three things... yea, four' formula is a common poetic device used to emphasize completeness and climax.

Verse 17

This vivid and disturbing consequence illustrates the natural judgment for severe disrespect and disobedience toward parents, a fundamental violation of the social and divine order.

Verse 18

These four things share the common element of leaving no trace or discernible path, symbolizing things that are marvelous, swift, and inscrutable to human understanding.

Verse 19

The mystery is the 'way' (derek)—the mastery of movement without leaving a visible track. This sets up the comparison in verse 20 regarding the hidden nature of sin.

Verse 20

The adulterous woman is compared to the mysteries because she commits sin, immediately cleanses herself ('wipeth her mouth'), and denies wrongdoing, leaving no moral evidence of her transgression.

Verse 21

These four examples describe societal inversions where the natural hierarchy or expected order is disturbed, leading to communal instability and chaos.

Verse 22

A servant reigning suggests a sudden, undeserved rise to power without the character or wisdom required to govern justly; this inversion is 'unbearable' to the established social order.

Verse 24

This section praises practical wisdom found in nature (natural theology), demonstrating that physical size or strength is irrelevant to intelligence or foresight.

Verse 26

Conies (likely rock badgers or hyraxes) are defenseless, yet they wisely utilize the impenetrable rocks for protection—a lesson in compensating for weakness through strategy and preparation.

Verse 28

The spider (or possibly a lizard/gecko) symbolizes the ability to gain access to the highest places (kings' palaces) through persistence, skill, and careful placement, regardless of its small stature.

Verse 29

This final numerical series focuses on dignity, confidence, and authoritative movement, illustrating those who possess inherent majesty or authority.

Verse 31

The 'greyhound' is a debated translation, perhaps referring to a warrior or a strutting rooster. The king's majesty lies not only in his physical presence but in his unquestionable authority ('against whom there is no rising up').

Verse 32

This verse advises immediate self-control and silence ('lay thine hand upon thy mouth') when one realizes they have succumbed to foolish pride or malicious thought, preventing the thought from escalating into destructive action.

Verse 33

This concluding analogy warns that deliberate provocation and anger ('forcing of wrath') inevitably result in destructive conflict ('strife'), just as predictable physical pressure yields predictable physical results.

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