1The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the burden. The man spoke to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2Surely I am more stupid than any man, and do not have the understanding of a man. 3I have not learned wisdom, nor the knowledge of the Holy One. 4Who has gone up into Heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound 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. 5Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. 6Do not add to His Words, that He not judge you and you be found a liar. 7Two things I have asked of You (Do not withhold them before I die): 8Remove far from me vanity and lying words; give me neither poverty or riches, provide for me my prescribed portion of food; 9lest I be full and deny You and say, Who is Jehovah? Or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. 10Do not accuse a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be found guilty. 11There is a generation that curses their father, and does not bless their mother. 12There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, and yet is not washed from its excrement. 13There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. 14There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaw teeth like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. 15The leech has two daughters, crying, Give, give! Three things are never satisfied, yea, four things never say, Enough! 16Sheol, and the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire; these have not said, Enough! 17The eye that mocks his father and despises to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. 18Three things are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I do not know: 19The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a virgin. 20This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats, and wipes her mouth, and says, I have done no wickedness. 21Under three things the earth quakes, and under four it is not able to bear up: 22For a servant when he reigns, a fool when he is filled with food, 23a hateful woman when she is married, and a maidservant that is heir to her mistress. 24Four things are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer; 26the hyrax are not a mighty people, yet they make their dwellings in the crags; 27the locusts have no king, yet all of them go forth in swarms; 28you can catch a lizard with the hands, yet it is in king's palaces. 29There are three things that are beautiful in their stride, yea, four that go right along: 30The lion is mighty among beasts and does not turn back from the face of anything; 31one girded in the loins; and a he goat; and a king with his army. 32If you have done foolishly in exalting yourself, or if you have devised evil, lay your hand over your mouth. 33Surely the churning of milk yields butter, and the squeezing of the nose brings forth blood; so the wringing of wrath brings forth strife.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 (Pro. 30:1-33)
This is the title of this chapter (see Introduction).
the prophecy--literally, "the burden" (compare
Isa 13:1;
Zech 9:1), used for any divine instruction; not necessarily a prediction, which was only a kind of prophecy (
1Chr 15:27, "a song"). Prophets were inspired men, who spoke for God to man, or for man to God (
Gen 20:7;
Exod 7:14-
Exod 7:16). Such, also, were the New Testament prophets. In a general sense, Gad, Nathan, and others were such, who were divine teachers, though we do not learn that they ever predicted.
the man spake--literally, "the saying of the man"; an expression used to denote any solemn and important announcement (compare
2Sam 23:1;
Ps 36:1;
Ps 110:1;
Isa 1:24, &c.). Ithiel and Ucal were perhaps pupils.
2 brutish--stupid, a strong term to denote his lowly self-estimation; or he may speak of such as his natural condition, as contrasted with God's all-seeing comprehensive knowledge and almighty power. The questions of this clause emphatically deny the attributes mentioned to be those of any creature, thus impressively strengthening the implied reference of the former to God (compare
Deut 30:12-
Deut 30:14;
Isa 40:12;
Eph 4:8).
5 (Compare
Ps 12:6;
Ps 119:140).
6 Add . . . words--implying that his sole reliance was on God's all-sufficient teaching.
reprove thee--or, "convict thee"--and so the falsehood will appear.
7 A prayer for exemption from wickedness, and the extremes of poverty and riches, the two things mentioned. Contentment is implied as desired.
8 vanity--all sorts of sinful acts (
Job 11:11;
Isa 5:18).
9 be full . . . deny--that is, puffed up by the pride of prosperity.
take the name . . . vain--This is not (Hebrew) the form (compare
Exod 20:7), but "take" rather denotes laying violent hold on any thing; that is, lest I assail God's name or attributes, as justice, mercy, &c., which the poor are tempted to do.
10 Accuse not--Slander not (
Ps 10:7).
curse . . . guilty--lest, however lowly, he be exasperated to turn on thee, and your guilt be made to appear.
11 Four kinds of hateful persons--(1) graceless children, (2) hypocrites, (3) the proud, (4) cruel oppressors (compare on
Pro 30:14;
Ps 14:4;
Ps 52:2) --are now illustrated; (1)
Pro 30:15-
Pro 30:16, the insatiability of prodigal children and their fate; (2)
Pro 30:17, hypocrisy, or the concealment of real character; (3 and 4)
Pro 30:18-
Pro 30:20, various examples of pride and oppression.
15 horse leech--supposed by some to be the vampire (a fabulous creature), as being literally insatiable; but the other subjects mentioned must be taken as this, comparatively insatiable. The use of a fabulous creature agreeably to popular notions is not inconsistent with inspiration.
There are three . . . yea, four--(Compare
Pro 6:16).
17 The eye--for the person, with reference to the use of the organ to express mockery and contempt, and also as that by which punishment is received.
the ravens . . . eagles . . . eat--either as dying unnaturally, or being left unburied, or both.
18 Hypocrisy is illustrated by four examples of the concealment of all methods or traces of action, and a pertinent example of double dealing in actual vice is added, that is, the adulterous woman.
20 she eateth . . . mouth--that is, she hides the evidences of her shame and professes innocence.
21 Pride and cruelty, the undue exaltation of those unfit to hold power, produce those vices which disquiet society (compare
Pro 19:10;
Pro 28:3).
23 heir . . . mistress--that is, takes her place as a wife (
Gen 16:4).
24 These verses provide two classes of apt illustrations of various aspects of the moral world, which the reader is left to apply. By the first (
Pro 30:25-
Pro 30:28), diligence and providence are commended; the success of these insignificant animals being due to their instinctive sagacity and activity, rather than strength. The other class (
Pro 30:30-
Pro 30:31) provides similes for whatever is majestic or comely, uniting efficiency with gracefulness.
26 conies--mountain mice, or rabbits.
28 spider--tolerated, even in palaces, to destroy flies.
taketh . . . hands--or, uses with activity the limbs provided for taking prey.
32 As none can hope, successfully, to resist such a king, suppress even the thought of an attempt.
lay . . . hand upon thy mouth--"lay" is well supplied (
Judg 18:19;
Job 29:9;
Job 40:4).
33 That is, strife--or other ills, as surely arise from devising evil as natural effects from natural causes.