Proverbs 30 · WEB

The Words of Agur

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The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle. The man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:

²"Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding.

³I have not learned wisdom, neither have I found the knowledge of the Holy.

⁴Who has gone up into heaven, and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garments? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know?"

⁵Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

⁶Don't add to his words, lest he rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

⁷Two things I have asked of you; don't deny me before I die:

⁸remove far from me falsehood and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me,

⁹lest I be full, deny you, and say, "Who is Yahweh?" or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

¹⁰Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

¹¹There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother.

¹²There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet is not washed from their filth.

¹³There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up.

¹⁴There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose jaws are like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men.

¹⁵The leech has two daughters: "Give, give." There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say "Enough!":

¹⁶Sheol, the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, "Enough."

¹⁷The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother: the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it.

¹⁸There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand:

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 young woman.

²⁰This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth, and says, "I have done nothing wrong."

²¹For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up:

²²for a servant when he reigns, for a fool when he is filled with food,

²³for an unloved woman when she is married, and for a servant girl who displaces her mistress.

²⁴There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise:

²⁵the ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer.

²⁶The hyraxes are not a mighty people, yet they make their homes in the rocks.

²⁷The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks.

²⁸The lizard can be caught with the hands, yet it is in kings' palaces.

²⁹There are three stately ones in their march, four who are stately when they walk:

³⁰the lion, which is the mightiest of animals, and doesn't turn away for any;

³¹the greyhound, the male goat also, and the king against whom there is no rising up.

³²If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth.

³³For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the striking of the nose produces blood, so the stirring up of anger produces strife.

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Summary

Proverbs 30 is the "words of Agur" — a non-Israelite wisdom teacher who opens with radical humility ("surely I am the most ignorant man") and a series of rhetorical questions about God that anticipate Job 38-39 and John 1. The chapter is known for its numerical proverbs: four things never satisfied, three things too amazing, four things that shake the earth, four small but wise creatures, and three things stately in their walk. Agur's single prayer — for neither poverty nor riches, just enough — is one of the most balanced petitions in Scripture.

Themes

Radical humility about human knowledge of God
The sufficiency and finality of God's word
The prayer for "enough" — not poverty, not wealth
Small creatures as teachers of wisdom
Insatiable desire as the mark of both the wicked and the void

Key verses

Prov 30:4 — “Who has gone up into heaven, and come down?... What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know?”
Prov 30:5 — “Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”
Prov 30:8-9 — “Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me.”

Context & background

Agur ben Jakeh is unknown outside this text — possibly from a non-Israelite tribe, possibly a pseudonym. His opening confession of ignorance (vv. 2-3) is unique in Proverbs — a wisdom teacher who begins by admitting how little he knows. The questions in verse 4 ("who has gone up and come down?... what is his son's name?") are remarkably suggestive from a NT perspective — Jesus is the one who came down from heaven (John 3:13), the Son whose name is known. The four small creatures (vv. 24-28) are a masterclass in wisdom-through-observation: ants, hyraxes (rock badgers), locusts, and lizards each demonstrate a virtue — preparation, security, order, persistence — despite lacking what we assume is necessary.

Cross-references

1 Timothy 6:6-8 — "godliness with contentment is great gain... if we have food and clothing, we will be content" — vv. 8-9
2 Timothy 3:16-17 — "all Scripture is God-breathed and useful" — v. 5's flawless word
Job 38-39 — God's speeches about creation — v. 4's rhetorical questions
John 3:13 — "no one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven" — v. 4's anticipated answer
Matthew 6:11 — "give us today our daily bread" — vv. 8-9's prayer for enough

The Words of Agur

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