Proverbs

CHAPTER 30

The pronouncement of mortal man: “I am weary, O God;

I am weary, O God, and I am exhausted.

without even human intelligence;

nor have I the knowledge of the Holy One.

who has cupped the wind in the hollow of the hand?

Who has bound up the waters in a cloak—

who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is that person’s name, or the name of his son?”^*

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

lest he reprimand you, and you be proved a liar.

do not deny them to me before I die:

give me neither poverty nor riches;

provide me only with the food I need;

saying, “Who is the LORD?”

Or, being in want, I steal,

and profane the name of my God.

lest they curse you, and you have to pay the penalty.

and do not bless their mothers.^c

yet not cleansed of their filth.

how overbearing their glance!

their teeth are knives,

Devouring the needy from the earth,

and the poor from the human race.

“Give,” and “Give.”

Three things never get their fill,

four never say, “Enough!”

land that never gets its fill of water,

and fire, which never says, “Enough!”

or scorns the homage due a mother,

Will be plucked out by brook ravens;

devoured by a brood of vultures.

yes, four I cannot understand:

the way of a serpent upon a rock,

The way of a ship on the high seas,

and the way of a man with a woman.

she eats, wipes her mouth,

and says, “I have done no wrong.”^*

yes, under four it cannot bear up:

and a fool who is glutted with food;^e

and a maidservant who displaces her mistress.

and yet are exceedingly wise:

yet they store up their food in the summer;

yet they make their home in the crags;

yet they march forth in formation;

yet they find their way into kings’ palaces.

yes, four are stately in their carriage:

retreats before nothing;

and the king at the head of his people.

or presumptuous—put your hand on your mouth;

and the pressing of the nose produces blood,

the churning of anger produces strife.

* [30:1–6] Scholars are divided on the original literary unit. Is it vv. 1–3, 1–4, 1–5, or 1–6? The unit is probably vv. 1–6, for a single contrast dominates: human fragility (and ignorance) and divine power (and knowledge). A similar contrast is found in Jb 28; Ps 73; Is 49:1–4. The language of self-abasement is hyperbolic; cf. 2 Sm 9:8; Ps 73:21–22; Jb 25:4–6. Agur: an unknown person. Massaite: from Massa in northern Arabia, elsewhere referred to as an encampment of the Ishmaelites (Gn 25:14). But Heb. massa may not be intended as a place name; it might signify “an oracle,” “a prophecy,” as in Is 15:1; 17:1; etc.

* [30:3–4] Agur denies he has secret heavenly knowledge. The purpose of the denial is to underline that God directly gives wisdom to those whose conduct pleases him.

* [30:4] The Hebrew text has the phrase “do you know?” at the end of v. 4, which is supported by the versions. The phrase, however, does not appear in the important Greek manuscripts Vaticanus and Sinaiticus and spoils the sense, for Agur, not God, is the questioner. The phrase seems to be an addition to the Hebrew text, borrowed from Job 38:5, where it also follows a cosmic question.

* [30:5–6] Verse 5, like the confession of the king in Ps 18:31 (and its parallel, 2 Sm 22:31), expresses total confidence in the one who rescues from death. Agur has refused a word from any other except God and makes an act of trust in God.

* [30:7–9] A prayer against lying words and for sufficiency of goods, lest reaction to riches or destitution lead to offenses against God.

* [30:11–14] Perverted people are here classified as unfilial (v. 11), self-righteous (v. 12), proud (v. 13) and rapacious (v. 14).

* [30:15–16] Here begins a series of numerical sayings; the pattern is n, n + 1. The slight variation in number (two and three, three and four) is an example of parallelism applied to numbers. The poetic technique is attested even outside the Bible. Two daughters: “Give,” and “Give”: the text is obscure; as the leech (a bloodsucking worm) is insatiable in its desire for blood (v. 15), so are the nether world for victims, the barren womb for offspring, the earth for water, and fire for fuel (v. 16). Sheol: here not so much the place of the dead as a force (death) that eventually draws all the living into it; cf. 27:20; Is 5:14; Hb 2:5. Land…fire: land (especially the dry land of Palestine) always absorbs more water; fire always requires more fuel.

* [30:18–19] The soaring flight of the eagle, the mysterious movement upon a rock of the serpent which has no feet, the path of the ship through the trackless deep, and the marvelous attraction between the sexes; there is a mysterious way common to them all.

* [30:20] This verse portrays the indifference of an adulterous woman who casually dismisses her guilt because it cannot be traced.

* [30:21–23] Shaking heavens are part of general cosmic upheaval in Is 14:16; Jl 2:10; Am 8:8; Jb 9:6. Disturbances in nature mirror the disturbance of unworthy people attaining what they do not deserve. Glutted with food: someone unworthy ends up with the fulfillment that befits a wise person. Unloved woman: an older woman who, contrary to expectation, finds a husband.

* [30:24–28] The creatures may be small, but they are wise in knowing how to govern themselves—the definition of wisdom. Badgers: the rock badger is able to live on rocky heights that provide security from its enemies. Locusts: though vulnerable individually their huge swarms are impossible to deflect.

* [30:29–31] Four beings with an imperiousness visible in their walk. Only the lion is described in detail; the reader is expected to transpose its qualities to the others.

* [30:32–33] The same Hebrew verb, “to churn, shake,” is applied to milk, the nose (sometimes a symbol of anger), and wrath. In each case something is eventually produced by the constant agitation. The wise make peace and avoid strife, for strife eventually harms those who provoke it.

a. [30:5] Ps 12:7; 18:31.

b. [30:6] Dt 4:2; 13:1.

c. [30:11] Prv 20:20.

d. [30:16] Prv 27:20.

e. [30:22] Prv 19:10; Eccl 10:6–7.

VIII. SAYINGS OF KING LEMUEL^*