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Song Page for
Proverbs 30 |
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Lyrics
1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
2 Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.
3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?
5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
7 Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
10 Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.
11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.
15 The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:
16 The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.
17 The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.
18 There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
19 The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.
20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
21 For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:
22 For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;
23 For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
24 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.
29 There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going:
30 A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;
31 A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.
32 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.
33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.1
References and notes
1. King James Authorized Version
2. Clarke's
Commentary - Proverbs 30 - http://www.godrules.net/library/clarke/clarkepro30.htm
3. Notes - The
Book of Proverbs -
http://www.calvarychapel.com/spokane/library/ortize-ken/studies-books/20-PRO/proverbs_30_notes.html
4. Exploring Proverbs - http://www.wcg.org/lit/bible/poet/wisdom2.htm
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About Proverbs 30 |
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Who was Agur? |
The words Agur, Jakeh, Ithiel,
and Ucal, have been considered by some as proper names: by
others, as descriptive characters. With some, Agur is
Solomon; and Jakeh, David; and Ithiel and Ural are epithets
of Christ. The Vulgate translates, "The words of the
collector, the son of the vomiter: the vision of the man who
has God with him, and who is fortified by God dwelling with
him, saith." COVERDALE makes the following words a title to
the chapter: "The wordes of Agur the sonne of Jake. "The
prophecie of a true faithfull man, whom God hath helped;
whom God hath comforted and nourished." 2
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Solomon not the
author |
From this introduction, from
the names here used, and from the style of the book, it
appears evident that Solomon was not the author of this
chapter; and that it was designed to be distinguished from
his work by this very preface, which specifically
distinguishes it from the preceding work. Nor can the words
in ver. 2, 3, 8, 9, be at all applied to Solomon: they suit
no part of Solomon's life, nor of his circumstances. We
must, therefore, consider it an appendix or supplement to
the preceding collection; something in the manner of that
part which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, had
collected. I believe Agur, Jakeh, Ithiel, and Ural, to be
the names of persons who did exist, but of whom we know
nothing but what is here mentioned. Agur seems to have been
a public teacher, and Ithiel and Ucal to have been his
scholars; and what he delivers to them was done by prophesy.
It was what the prophets generally term a¨m massa, an
ORACLE, something immediately delivered by the Holy Spirit
for the benefit of man.2
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Word Meanings |
Agur = {aw-goor'}. "the gatherer or collector."
son of Jakeh {yaw-keh'} = the "blameless or pious" one.
an oracle = or a "Massa", which literally refers to someone
who "carries a burden." Gill: it implies something received
from the Lord, taken up and carried to others. Here it does
not design a prediction of future events but an instruction,
a declaration of things useful and profitable.
Ithiel {eeth-ee-ale'} = "God is with me"
Ucal: 'Ukkal {ook-kawl'} = "devoured3
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Sets of 4
observations |
A number of Agur’s
proverbs are organized into sets of four observations. He
notes that four things are never satisfied: "the grave, the
barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and
fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’" (verse 16). He also
identifies four things that the earth cannot bear: "a
servant who becomes king, a fool who is full of food, an
unloved woman who is married, and a maidservant who
displaces her mistress" (verses 22-23). Four things Agur
mentions as too amazing for him to understand: "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" (verse 19). And four things Agur observed as moving
with stately bearing: "a lion, mighty among beasts, who
retreats before nothing; a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and
a king with his army around him" (verses 30-31). These
sayings have a "there are three, no there are four" type
structure, which puts the emphasis on the last item. For
example, Agur’s real fascination is in regard to "the way of
a man with a maiden"; and his real admiration is for a king
at the head of his army.4
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