Chapter Text
The Sayings of Agur
The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
2Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.
3I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
4Who 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?
5Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
7Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
8Remove far from me vanity and lies : give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9Lest 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.
10Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.
11There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
12There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
13There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.
14There 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.
15The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:
16The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.
17The 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.
18There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
19The 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.
20Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
21For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:
22For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;
23For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
24There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
25The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
26The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
27The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
28The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.
29There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going:
30A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;
31A greyhound ; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.
32If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.
33Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.
Summary
The words of King Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. She warns her son against giving his strength to women or his ways to that which destroys kings. She counsels against excessive wine and urges him to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.
He is to open his mouth for the mute, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. A king's highest duty is justice and advocacy for the vulnerable.
Meaning
The instruction of Lemuel's mother is remarkable as one of the few passages in Scripture attributed to a woman's teaching authority. Her counsel shapes a king's character, demonstrating the profound influence of a godly mother.
Her charge to speak for the voiceless and defend the rights of the poor establishes justice and mercy as the primary duties of those in power. A king exists not for his own pleasure but for the protection of those who cannot protect themselves.
Background
King Lemuel, like Agur, is not conclusively identified. Some traditions equate him with Solomon, suggesting these are the words of Bathsheba, though this remains uncertain.
The mother's role as royal instructor was significant in ancient Near Eastern courts. Queen mothers held positions of considerable influence, as seen in the role of the Gebirah in Judah's monarchy.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-3Agur's humble confession
- vv. 4Who can know the Creator?
- vv. 5-6The purity of God's word
- vv. 7-9Agur's prayer for sufficiency
- vv. 10-14Four corrupt generations
- vv. 15-23Numerical sayings on the insatiable
- vv. 24-31Small but wise, stately in going
- vv. 32-33Closing warning against strife
Key Verses
“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.”— 30:5
A foundational statement on the purity and reliability of Scripture, frequently cited in doctrines of biblical inspiration and inerrancy. It pairs God's perfect word with His personal protection of those who trust Him.
“Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:”— 30:8
Agur's famous prayer for sufficiency, one of the only explicit prayers in Proverbs. It models contentment and dependence on God, anticipating Jesus' teaching to pray for daily bread.
“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?”— 30:4
A striking rhetorical interrogation about the Creator that intriguingly references God's 'son,' read by many Christian interpreters as a veiled foreshadowing of the Messiah.
“Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”— 30:6
A solemn warning against tampering with divine revelation, echoing Deuteronomy 4:2 and anticipating Revelation 22:18-19. It safeguards the sufficiency and integrity of Scripture.
People & Places
People
- Agur the son of Jakeh — The otherwise unknown sage whose oracle comprises this chapter, presented as a humble seeker of wisdom.
- Ithiel — One of the addressees of Agur's discourse, named twice in verse 1; nothing further is known of him.
- Ucal — A second hearer of Agur's words, mentioned only here in Scripture.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Verse 4's question—'what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?'—has long been read by Christian interpreters as a veiled anticipation of the Father and the Son, pointing forward to the incarnation of Christ. The Creator described as ascending and descending also resonates with Jesus' words in John 3:13. Verse 5's affirmation that God is 'a shield unto them that put their trust in him' is taken up in New Testament teaching on faith. Verse 6's prohibition against adding to God's words finds its eschatological echo in Revelation 22:18-19.
Devotional
Agur begins not with confidence but with confession: he feels small, unlearned, hungry for what only God can give. That posture is the doorway to real wisdom. His prayer in verses 7-9 is one every honest heart can pray—keep me from lies, and keep me from the extremes of wealth and want that tempt me to forget you.
Notice how Agur finds God's fingerprints in ants, conies, locusts, and spiders. Wisdom is not reserved for the powerful; it belongs to those who pay attention. Today, ask for daily bread, guard your tongue, and learn from small things.
Literary Style
Wisdom literature in the form of an oracle (massa), blending confession, prayer, proverb, and distinctive numerical sayings ('three things, yea four'). Features rhetorical questions, vivid nature imagery, parallelism, and graded numerical patterns characteristic of Hebrew poetic wisdom.