Proverbs 30
Sayings of Agur
1 The sayings of Agur son of Jakehan oracle a]">[a]: This man declared to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal: b]">[b]
2 "I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man's understanding.
3 I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!
5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD ?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
10 "Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will pay for it.
11 "There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers;
12 those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth;
13 those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful;
14 those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth, the needy from among mankind.
15 "The leech has two daughters. 'Give! Give!' they cry. "There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, 'Enough!':
16 the grave, c]">[c] the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, 'Enough!'
17 "The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.
18 "There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a maiden.
20 "This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, 'I've done nothing wrong.'
21 "Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:
22 a servant who becomes king, a fool who is full of food,
23 an unloved woman who is married, and a maidservant who displaces her mistress.
24 "Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise:
25 Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;
26 coneys d]">[d] are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags;
27 locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks;
28 a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings' palaces.
29 "There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing:
30 a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing;
31 a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king with his army around him. e]">[e]
32 "If you have played the fool and exalted yourself, or if you have planned evil, clap your hand over your mouth!
33 For as churning the milk produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife."
- Proverbs 30:1 Or Jakeh of Massa
- Proverbs 30:1 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew declared, "I am weary, O God; / I am weary, O God, and faint.
- Proverbs 30:16 Hebrew Sheol
- Proverbs 30:26 That is, the hyrax or rock badger
- Proverbs 30:31 Or king secure against revolt
10 Facts About God:
1. He can ascend to heaven (v 4; Genesis 18:33, Genesis 28:12; John 3:13; Deuteronomy 30:11-12; Romans 10:6-7)
2. He can descend from heaven (v 4; Zechariah 14:5; Titus 2:13; Jude 14; Revelation 21:2,10)
3. He controls the wind (v 4; Ecclesiastes 1:6; Psalm 19:6; Matthew 8:27)
4. He controls the waters (v. 4; Job 26:8; Psalm 104:6-9; Proverbs 8:28)
5. He established the land out of the waters (v 4; Genesis 1:9-10; Jeremiah 5:22; Job 38:4-11; Psalm 102:25)
6. He has a name (v 4; Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:13-15; 6:3; 34:14; Psalm 68:4; Isaiah 57:15)
7. He has a Son (Psalm 2:7; John 3:18; Matthew 1:21; Isaiah 9:6-7; etc.)
8. His every word is pure (v 5; Psalm 19:7; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
9. He is a protector of all who put their trust in them (v 5; Psalm 91)
10.He will not tolerate additions to His Word (v 6; Deuteronomy 4:2; 12;32; Revelation 22:18)
6 Requests in 2 Petitions:
1. Deny not my petitions before I die
2. Remove vanity far from me
3. Remove lies far from me
4. Give me not poverty
5. Give me not riches
6. Feed me only my necessary food
6 Reasons for His Requests (v 9):
1. Let I be full, and
2. Deny the LORD.
3. Lest I say, Who is the LORD?
4. Lest I be poor, and
5. Steal, and
6. Take the name of God in vain
4 Classes of People:
1. Those who do not honor parents ( v 11; 20:20; Exodus 21:17; Mark 10:10-13).
2. Those who are self-righteous (v 12; Isaiah 64:4; Luke 18:9-14; Matthew 23)
3. Those who are full of vanity, pride, and insolence (v 13; Psalm 10:4; 73:6; Proverbs 8:13; 16:18; Daniel 4:37; 1 John 2:16)
4. Those who are cruel, greedy, and oppressive to the poor (v 14; 14:31; 22:16; 28:3; James 2:6)
5 Examples of Being Brought Low:
1. Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:11-17; Ephesians 2; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10)
2. Angels (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6-7)
3. Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:5-6)
4. Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4)
5. Belshazzar (Daniel 5)
4 Examples-Honor Upholds the Humble:
1. Solomon (1 King 3:7-14)
2. John (John 1:26-27; 3:29-31)
3. Mary (Luke 1:38)
4. Angels (Isaiah 6:7)
6 Quartets (11-31):
1. 4 classes of men (v 11-14)
2. 4 insatiable things (v 15-16)
3. 4 inscrutable things (v 18-20)
4. 4 disquieting things (v 21-23)
5. 4 little wise things (v 24-28)
6. 4 graceful things (v 29-31)
4 Insatiable Things (v 15-16):
1. Hell , Hebrew: sheol, not the grave, but the place of departed spirits. Hell is never full, but constantly opening its mouth to swallow men)
2. The barren womb. It always craves a child (Genesis 16:2 (Genesis 16;2; 29:31; 30:1-2; 1 Samuel 1:6-20).
3. The dry earth. It longs for water to quench its parched surface (Deuteronomy 28:23-24; 1 Kings 18:1-6; James 5:13)
4. The fire. It is greedy for everything that burns (Mattthew :12; Mark 9:43-49; James 3:5; Jude 7)
4 Inscrutable Things (v 18-19):
1. The way of an eagle in the air
2. The way of a serpent upon a rock
3. The way of the ship in the sea
4. The way of a man with a maid
4 Disquieting Things (v 21-23):
1. An insolent slave when made king
2. An ill-mannered overfed fool
3. An ill-tempered woman
4. A servant maid married to her master becomes dominating and haughty
4 Little Wise Things (v 24-28)
1. The ants. They are diligent in preparing for the future. They have houses, towns, public roads, etc. They have some amazing habits
2. The conies. They are shrewd in protecting themselves from larger animals. Those referred to here were brown and larger than the ordinary rabbit, and lived in holes and clefts of the rocks.(v 26; Psalm 104:18). They were unclean for food (Leviticus 11:5; Deuteronomy 14:7). Their feet had sharp hoofs which enabled them to leap from rock to rock with great rapidity like a squirrel. They were so wary they were seldom caught by the hunter and it was almost impossible to trap one.
3. The locusts. They are harmonious creatures, having no king yet they band together as one and are very destructive (v 27; Judge 6:5; 1 Kings 8:37; Joel 1:4; 2:25). They always travel with the wind (Exodus 10:12-13, 18-19)
4. The spider. They are noted for their great flexibility and are curious creatures in the matter of building their houses and taking their prey. Some spiders spin webs, some dig holes in the ground making trap doors to them, while others having no webs, chase their prey upon the ground. The Bible deals only with those that spin webs.
4 Graceful Things (v 29-31):
1. The lion who is more majestic than any other beast
2. The greyhound who is exceedingly graceful and fleet
3. The he-goat who is both fierce and majestic as the head of the sheep
4. A king who walks boldly and gracefully among his loyal subjects and against whom there is no hope of rebellion.
