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Proverbs 30 KJV

The Words of Agur

Wisdom Literature 4 min 33 verses 640 words Solomon four ร—5 lest ร—4 generation ร—4 forth ร—4 bringeth ร—3

Proverbs Chapter 30: The Words of Agur

Agur's self-deprecation as 'more brutish than any man' (v. 2) functions rhetorically to invert typical wisdom-teacher authority, positioning divine revelation as the sole source of knowledge rather than human intellect.

T1๐Ÿ”—he words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

2๐Ÿ”— Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.

3๐Ÿ”— I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.

4๐Ÿ”— 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 sonโ€™s name, if thou canst tell?

5๐Ÿ”— Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

6๐Ÿ”— Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

7๐Ÿ”— Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:

8๐Ÿ”— Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

9๐Ÿ”— 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.

10๐Ÿ”— Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.

11๐Ÿ”— There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.

12๐Ÿ”— There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

13๐Ÿ”— There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.

14๐Ÿ”— 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.

15๐Ÿ”— The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:

16๐Ÿ”— The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.

17๐Ÿ”— 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.

18๐Ÿ”— There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:

19๐Ÿ”— 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.

20๐Ÿ”— Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.

21๐Ÿ”— For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:

22๐Ÿ”— For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;

23๐Ÿ”— For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

24๐Ÿ”— There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:

25๐Ÿ”— The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

26๐Ÿ”— The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;

27๐Ÿ”— The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

28๐Ÿ”— The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kingsโ€™ palaces.

29๐Ÿ”— There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going:

30๐Ÿ”— A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;

31๐Ÿ”— A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.

32๐Ÿ”— If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.

33๐Ÿ”— 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.

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Chapter Context

Did You Know?

1

Agur's self-deprecation as 'more brutish than any man' (v. 2) functions rhetorically to invert typical wisdom-teacher authority, positioning divine revelation as the sole source of knowledge rather than human intellect.

2

The four insatiable entities listed in vv. 15-16 (grave, barren womb, earth, fire) encode an ancient Israelite cosmology linking mortality, fertility, and natural forces as forces beyond human control or satiation.

3

Verse 4's sequence of rhetorical questions about ascending/descending heaven and gathering the wind parallels Ugaritic Baal-cycle motifs while prefiguring later Jewish and Christian interpretations linking it to divine incarnation or ascension texts.

4

The numerical sayings (three/four pattern) throughout the chapter adapt a broader ancient Near Eastern mnemonic device seen in texts like the Egyptian Instruction of Amenemope, but uniquely apply it to expose human ethical blind spots rather than royal virtues.

5

Agur's petition in vv. 7-9 for 'neither poverty nor riches' introduces a rare biblical economic theology that treats both extremes as spiritual dangers, contrasting the Deuteronomic blessings of material abundance with a wisdom emphasis on dependence and integrity.