Proverbs 30

The Words of Agur

30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.

  The man declares, I am weary, O God;
    I am weary, O God, and worn out.
  Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
    I have not the understanding of a man.
  I have not learned wisdom,
    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.
  Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
  What is his name, and what is his son’s name?
    Surely you know!
  Every word of God proves true;
    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
  Do not add to his words,
    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
  Two things I ask of you;
    deny them not to me before I die:
  Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
    give me neither poverty nor riches;
    feed me with the food that is needful for me,
  lest I be full and deny you
    and say, “Who is the LORD?”
  or lest I be poor and steal
    and profane the name of my God.
  Do not slander a servant to his master,
    lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.
  There are those who curse their fathers
    and do not bless their mothers.
  There are those who are clean in their own eyes
    but are not washed of their filth.
  There are those—how lofty are their eyes,
    how high their eyelids lift!
  There are those whose teeth are swords,
    whose fangs are knives,
  to devour the poor from off the earth,
    the needy from among mankind.
  The leech has two daughters:
    Give and Give.
  Three things are never satisfied;
    four never say, “Enough”:
  Sheol, the barren womb,
    the land never satisfied with water,
    and the fire that never says, “Enough.”
  The eye that mocks a father
    and scorns to obey a mother
  will be picked out by the ravens of the valley
    and eaten by the vultures.
  Three things are too wonderful for me;
    four I do not understand:
  the way of an eagle in the sky,
    the way of a serpent on a rock,
  the way of a ship on the high seas,
    and the way of a man with a virgin.
  This is the way of an adulteress:
    she eats and wipes her mouth
    and says, “I have done no wrong.”
  Under three things the earth trembles;
    under four it cannot bear up:
  a slave when he becomes king,
    and a fool when he is filled with food;
  an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.
  Four things on earth are small,
    but they are exceedingly wise:
  the ants are a people not strong,
    yet they provide their food in the summer;
  the rock badgers are a people not mighty,
    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
  the locusts have no king,
    yet all of them march in rank;
  the lizard you can take in your hands,
    yet it is in kings’ palaces.
  Three things are stately in their tread;
    four are stately in their stride:
  the lion, which is mightiest among beasts
    and does not turn back before any;
  the strutting rooster, the he-goat,
    and a king whose army is with him.
  If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
    or if you have been devising evil,
    put your hand on your mouth.
  For pressing milk produces curds,
    pressing the nose produces blood,
    and pressing anger produces strife.

(ESV)

Proverbs 30 Commentary

by Brad Boyles

Nelson’s Commentary gives us a brief introduction to the mysterious authors of the last two chapters of Proverbs.

“The final two chapters of Proverbs are attributed to men named Agur and Lemuel. Neither of these men are mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. Appearing in both attributions (Pro 30:1; Pro 31:1) is the Hebrew word ‘massa’, which can be translated as “burden” or “utterance,” as it is used by the prophets (Isa 17:1; Isa 19:1). The word might also be the name of a place – Massa (Gen 25:14; 1Ch 1:30). If so, the attributions might associate Agur and Lemuel with a country or a city named Massa. For instance, Pro 31:1 would begin, “The words of Lemuel, king of Massa, which his mother taught him.”

Even if these teachers are not from a place called Massa, they do not appear to be Israelites. There was no King Lemuel in Israel, and the name “Agur” is not formed in a typical Hebrew fashion. Agur’s name does appear in Sabean inscriptions, and in light of that foreign source, it is interesting that the teachings of Agur include some of the most religiously oriented of all the proverbs in the book.”

Nelson’s Commentary

As always, this Chapter of Proverbs provides concise, profound truth applicable to real-life issues. Even though we don’t know much about Agur, we do know that his name means “collector.” Could it be that he was a collector of wisdom?

Agur offers many practical warnings and also writes of future generations.

“There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother.  12  There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filth.  13  There is a generation—how haughty its eyes and pretentious its looks.”

Proverbs 30:11-13 HCSB 

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?