Proverbs 30:21
“Numerical Sayings: Unbearable Upheaval”Proverbs 30:21–23
Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible · Public domain
Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain
Bible text: World English Bible, Messianic edition · Public domain
Bible text: Geneva Bible (1599) · Public domain
Bible text: Young's Literal Translation · Public domain
- תַּחַתTa·chatunderH8478N-mscNoun Singular Masculine Construct
- שָׁלוֹשׁSha·lo·oshthree [things]H7969Adj-csAdjective Numerical Singular common gender Absolute
- רָגְזָהRa·ge·zahit quakesH7264V-Qal-Perf-3fsVerb Qal Perfect 3rd Singular Feminine
- אֶרֶץ'E·retz[the] earthH776N-fsNoun Singular Feminine Absolute
- וְתַחַתve·Ta·chatand underH8478Conj-w ¦ N-mscNoun Singular Masculine Constructוְandתַחַתunder
- אַרְבַּע'ar·Ba'four [things]H702Adj-csAdjective Numerical Singular common gender Absolute
- לֹאlo'notH3808NegParticle Negative
- תוּכַלtu·Khalit is ableH3201V-Qal-Imperf-3fsVerb Qal Imperfect 3rd Singular Feminine
- שְׂאֵתse·'Etto bear upH5375V-Qal-InfVerb Qal Infinitive Construct
English is a literal word-by-word gloss of the Hebrew, not the KJV's wording. Why?
This is the original text the KJV's translators worked from — each Hebrew word with its own literal English meaning in this verse, prepared by scholars at Tyndale House, Cambridge. The KJV translates whole sentences, not word by word, so its wording differs: one Hebrew word can become several English words, and the KJV may choose “the LORD” where the gloss reads “Yahweh”. Both are faithful — they answer different questions. For the KJV's own rendering, switch to the KJV text.
Words in [ ] are added by the English.
Details
Study this verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry wrote on whole passages, and this entry covers Proverbs 30:18–23. He set out his notes in a three-level outline, kept here as he numbered it.
Here is, I. An account of four things that are unsearchable, too wonderful to be fully known. And here,
1.The first three are natural things, and are only designed as comparisons for the illustration of the last. We cannot trace,
(1.)An eagle in the air. Which way she has flown cannot be discovered either by the footstep or by the scent, as the way of a beast may upon ground; nor can we account for the wonderful swiftness of her flight, how soon she has gone beyond our ken.
(2.)A serpent upon a rock. The way of a serpent in the sand we may find by the track, but not of a serpent upon the hard rock; nor can we describe how a serpent will, without feet, in a little time creep to the top of a rock.
(3.)A ship in the midst of the sea. The leviathan indeed makes a path to shine after him, one would think the deep to be hoary (Job 41:32), but a ship leaves no mark behind it, and sometimes it is so tossed upon the waves that one would wonder how it lives at sea and gains its point. The kingdom of nature is full of wonders, marvellous things which the God of nature does, past finding out.
2.The fourth is a mystery of iniquity, more unaccountable than any of these; it belongs to the depths of Satan, that deceitfulness and that desperate wickedness of the heart which none can know, Jeremiah 17:9. It is twofold: - (1.) The cursed arts which a vile adulterer has to debauch a maid, and to persuade her to yield to his wicked and abominable lust. This is what a wanton poet wrote a whole book of, long since, De arte amandi - On the art of love. By what pretensions and protestations of love, and all its powerful charms, promises of marriage, assurances of secresy and reward, is many an unwary virgin brought to sell her virtue, and honour, and peace, and soul, and all to a base traitor; for so all sinful lust is in the kingdom of love. The more artfully the temptation is managed the more watchful and resolute ought every pure heart to be against it. (2.) The cursed arts which a vile adulteress has to conceal her wickedness, especially from her husband, from whom she treacherously departs; so close are her intrigues with her lewd companions, and so craftily disguised, that it is as impossible to discover her as to track an eagle in the air. She eats the forbidden fruit, after the similitude of Adam's transgression, and then wipes her mouth, that it may not betray itself, and with a bold and impudent face says, I have done no wickedness. [1.] To the world she denies the fact, and is ready to swear it that she is as chaste and modest as any woman, and never did the wickedness she is suspected of. Those are the works of darkness which are industriously kept from coming to the light. [2.] To her own conscience (if she have any left) she denies the fault, and will not own that that great wickedness is any wickedness at all, but an innocent entertainment. See Hosea 12:7, Hosea 12:8. Thus multitudes ruin their souls by calling evil good and out-facing their convictions with a self-justification.
II.An account of four things that are intolerable, that is, four sorts of persons that are very troublesome to the places where they live and the relations and companies they are in; the earth is disquieted for them, and groans under them as a burden it cannot bear, and they are all much alike: - 1. A servant when he is advanced, and entrusted with power, who is, of all others, most insolent and imperious; witness Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, Nehemiah 2:10. 2. A fool, a silly, rude, boisterous, vicious man, who when he has grown rich, and is partaking of the pleasures of the table, will disturb all the company with his extravagant talk and the affronts he will put upon those about him. 3. An ill-natured, cross-grained, woman, when she gets a husband, one who, having made herself odious by her pride and sourness, so that one would not have thought any body would ever love her, yet, if at last she be married, that honourable estate makes her more intolerably scornful and spiteful than ever. It is a pity that that which should sweeten the disposition should have a contrary effect. A gracious woman, when she is married, will be yet more obliging. 4. An old maid-servant that has prevailed with her mistress, by humouring her, and, as we say, getting the length of her foot, to leave her what she has, or is as dear to her as if she was to be her heir, such a one likewise will be intolerably proud and malicious, and think all too little that her mistress gives her, and herself wronged if any thing be left from her. Let those therefore whom Providence has advanced to honour from mean beginnings carefully watch against that sin which will most easily beset them, pride and haughtiness, which will in them, of all others, be most insufferable and inexcusable; and let them humble themselves with the remembrance of the rock out of which they were hewn.
Historical interpretation
Historical reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
The shaking (of the earth) signifies the change of things upon earth.-Sin, then, which in its own nature is a slave, has reigned in the mortal body of men: once, indeed, at the time of the flood; and again in the time of the Sodomites, who, not satisfied with what the land yielded, offered violence to strangers; and a third time in the case of hateful Egypt, which, though it obtained in Joseph a man who distributed food to all, that they might not perish of famine, yet did not take well with his prosperity, but persecuted the children of Israel. "The handmaid casting out her mistress: "i.e., the Church of the Gentiles, which, though itself a slave and a stranger to the promises, cast out the free-born and lordly synagogue, and became the wife and bride of Christ. By Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the whole earth is moved. The "fourth it cannot bear: "for He came first by lawgivers, and secondly by prophets, and thirdly by the Gospel, manifesting Himself openly; and in the fourth instance He shall come as the Judge of the living and the dead, whose glory the whole creation will not be able to endure.
"By three things the earth is moved," viz., by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. "And the fourth it cannot bear," viz., the last appearing of Christ. "When a servant reigneth: "Israel was a slave in Egypt, and in the land of promise became a ruler. "And a fool when he is filled with meat: "i.e., getting the land in possession readily, and eating its fruit, and being filled, it (the people) kicked. "And a handmaid when she casts out her mistress: "i.e., the synagogue which took the life of the Lord, and crucified the flesh of Christ.
Continue studying Proverbs 30:21 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
Written with AI assistance. Always check it against Scripture.
This verse
Agur says that the earth itself trembles under three things, and four, that are too heavy for it to carry, and so prepares us for the list that follows.
“For three things the earth is disquieted,”
The earth is spoken of as a person who trembles, râgaz. It stands for the world of people and the order God set in it. “Three” begins a count that the next clause completes.
“and for four which it cannot bear:”
The earth is unable, yâkôl, to carry, nâsâʼ, the weight of what follows. The step up to four closes the count and tells us the list is whole.
Passage studyProverbs 30:21–23
Four Upheavals the Earth Cannot Bear
Summary
Agur names four things that make the earth tremble: a servant who becomes king, a fool who has all he can eat, an odious woman who gets a husband, and a handmaid who becomes heir to her mistress. In each one a person has come into power, plenty or position while lacking the character to carry it, and the people around them suffer for it. The saying teaches us that God made the world with an order, that character matters more than standing, and that a rise in status leaves the heart just as it was.
Why the earth trembles
These verses belong to the words of Agur the son of Jakeh, which run from Proverbs 30:1 to Proverbs 30:33. Agur watches the natural world and human behaviour closely, and he often gathers what he sees into numbered lists. This list is about things that are out of place.
He speaks of the earth as if it were a person who can be shaken and weighed down. The word for “disquieted”, râgaz, means to quiver or tremble, as someone does in anger or fear. It is used for quaking, raging and being troubled, so Agur is describing a deep shaking, far stronger than annoyance. “Cannot” is yâkôl, the ordinary verb for being able, and “bear” is nâsâʼ, to lift or carry. Together they say that these four things are a load the earth is unable to hold up.
“The earth” here takes in the people who live on it and the way their life together is arranged. Israel understood that God had set an order in his creation, and that peace, shalom, the wholeness and well-being of a community, depended on it. God is the God of peace and order (1 Corinthians 14:33). When roles are turned upside down by people unfit for them, the harm spreads far past the persons involved, and Agur pictures the ground itself recoiling. Paul says something like it of the whole creation, which groans and labours in pain together under the weight of what sin has done (Romans 8:22).
Why “three” and then “four”
“For three things... and for four” is a way of counting found elsewhere in Scripture. Amos opens the LORD’s judgment on Damascus with the same step from three to four (Amos 1:3). The first number starts the count and the second finishes it, so that the hearer waits to learn what the four are. The pattern gathers weight as it goes, and it tells us that the list is complete. Verses 22 and 23 then give the four, two in each verse.
A servant when he reigneth
The servant, ʻebed, is a slave or bondman, someone whose whole life has been spent obeying. The word comes from the verb for serving and working. “Reigneth” is mâlak, to reign or to come to the throne, the word for a king’s rule. Agur sets the lowest place and the highest side by side: a man used to taking orders now holds supreme power.
The trouble Agur sees is what such a man does with a throne he was never prepared for. A ruler who lacks wisdom, humility and training governs by whim, and the people under him pay for it. Proverbs holds up the opposite picture in the king who establishes the land by justice (Proverbs 29:4). The Preacher saw the same upheaval in his own day, folly set in great dignity and servants riding on horses while princes walked like servants on the ground (Ecclesiastes 10:5–7).
A fool when he is filled with meat
The fool here is a nâbâl. The word describes someone stupid and wicked, especially impious, so his folly lies in his heart toward God and has little to do with how clever he is. This is the fool of Psalm 14:1, who “hath said in his heart, There is no God.” The best-known man of this kind bore the word as his name: Nabal, whose story is told in 1 Samuel 25.
“Meat” in the KJV means food in general. The Hebrew is lechem, bread or food, and to be “filled” with it, sâbaʻ, is to be satisfied, to have all one wants. In a land where food was often scarce, a full table was a picture of prosperity. A fool with plenty wastes it, hoards it or grows proud on it, since he lacks the wisdom to see it as a trust from God. Proverbs warns that “the prosperity of fools shall destroy them” (Proverbs 1:32), and that pride goes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18). Jesus tells of such a man in the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16–21).
Does this mean the lowly should never rule, or that wealth is wrong?
The warning is about character, the kind of person who holds the power or the plenty. Agur’s servant is an unprepared and unwise man on a throne, and his full man is a godless fool. Scripture honours righteous rulers who came from humble places, as David did when he was called in from keeping the sheep and anointed king (1 Samuel 16:11–13). It also says that “the blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich” (Proverbs 10:22). Authority and abundance are both trusts from God, and they do good in the hands of those who fear him. Humble birth and wealth are left uncondemned.
An odious woman when she is married
The second pair moves from the kingdom into the household, the father’s house, bet ‘av, which was the centre of family and working life in Israel. “Odious” translates sânêʼ, the verb for hating, so this is a woman who is hated or hateful. “Married” is bâʻal, a verb that means to be master and, from the noun for a husband, to marry.
Marriage brought a woman honour, standing and a household of her own. Agur’s point is that the new standing does nothing to change the woman herself. A disposition that made her detested before the wedding now has a home to fill, and marriage, which should bring companionship and stability, becomes a place of contention. Proverbs says a good deal about what a quarrelsome spirit does to a house: the contentions of a wife are like a continual dropping (Proverbs 19:13, Proverbs 27:15), and it is better to live in a corner of the housetop than to share a wide house with a brawling woman (Proverbs 21:9). The same book counts a good name as worth more than great riches (Proverbs 22:1). Character outweighs position in a marriage as it does everywhere else.
An handmaid that is heir to her mistress
A handmaid was a female servant or slave. She belonged to the household and was plainly under her mistress. “Is heir” translates yârash, which means to take possession of something, often by driving out the one who held it before, and so to inherit. The handmaid ends up holding what was her mistress’s, and the two have changed places.
Agur gives no account of how it happened. What disturbs the house is the reversal itself, with the one who served now standing where the one she served once stood, and resentment and disorder following. It answers the servant on the throne in verse 22: the first upheaval and the last are the same one, seen once in a kingdom and once in a home. Proverbs says elsewhere that integrity guides the upright (Proverbs 11:3), and it is integrity that an ambitious grasp for another’s place leaves behind.
Christ, the servant who reigns and the heir of all things
The disorder Agur lists is part of a deeper one, our rebellion against God, and the earth groans under that weight still. Jesus came into this world as the one who bears what it is unable to bear. He is “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), who carried our griefs and sorrows and was wounded for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:4–5). All things hold together in him (Colossians 1:17), and he upholds them by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3).
In him each of the four upheavals is answered. Agur dreads a servant who reigns badly, and Christ is the servant who reigns well. Being in the form of God, he “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men,” and God has highly exalted him (Philippians 2:6–9). His kingdom, he says, “is not of this world” (John 18:36), and it brings peace where the upstart king brings trouble. Where the fool is full of bread and empty of wisdom, all the treasures of wisdom are hidden in Christ (Colossians 2:3). He warns us against laying up treasure on earth (Matthew 6:19–21) and gives himself as “the bread of life” (John 6:35).
The odious woman shows what a heart is like when grace has left it untouched, and God promises a new heart, taking away the heart of stone and giving a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). And where the handmaid takes an inheritance that belonged to another, the Son is appointed “heir of all things” by right (Hebrews 1:2). He then shares that inheritance. We who once served sin (Romans 6:6) are made children of God, “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). That is a reversal the earth can rejoice in, because it comes by his gift.
What Agur’s list gives us
Agur gives us a way of looking at power, plenty and position. Each of them is good when it rests on wisdom, and each becomes a burden to everyone nearby when it rests on a foolish or bitter heart. So the saying turns our attention from a person’s standing to the person. It applies to those we choose and follow as leaders, and it applies to ourselves, since most of us have been “filled with meat” in some way, with money, ability, influence or opportunity that God has put in our hands.
It also shows us who God is. He cares about the peace of a kingdom and the peace of a kitchen alike, and he made the world so that it flourishes when his order is kept. The wisdom this takes comes from him, “for the LORD giveth wisdom” (Proverbs 2:6), and he has given us in Christ a King whose rule the earth is glad to bear.
Proverbs 30:21 This verse
“For three things the earth is disquieted,”
The earth is spoken of as a person who trembles, râgaz. It stands for the world of people and the order God set in it. “Three” begins a count that the next clause completes.
“and for four which it cannot bear:”
The earth is unable, yâkôl, to carry, nâsâʼ, the weight of what follows. The step up to four closes the count and tells us the list is whole.
Proverbs 30:22
“For a servant when he reigneth;”
An ʻebed, a slave used to obeying, comes to the throne, mâlak. The danger is rule by someone with neither the training nor the humility for it.
“and a fool when he is filled with meat;”
The nâbâl is the godless fool of Psalm 14:1. “Meat” is food of any kind, lechem, and to be filled, sâbaʻ, is to have plenty. Abundance in his hands feeds his pride.
Proverbs 30:23
“For an odious woman when she is married;”
“Odious” is sânêʼ, hated. She gains a husband, bâʻal, and a home, and carries the same disposition into both.
“and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.”
The servant woman comes to possess, yârash, what belonged to the woman she served. It is the household’s version of the servant who reigns.
Last revised