Old Testament · Wisdom

Proverbs 30

The Words of Agur

A different voice — Agur, who says: I am too stupid to be a man. Then he writes some of the most brilliant observations in the entire book.

Berean Standard Bible BSB KJV
Read the commentary What this chapter means, the background behind it, and why it still matters

Every verse here opens — tap a number for what that one means.

1These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh—the burden that this man declared to Ithiel: “I am weary, O God, and worn out.

2Surely I am the most ignorant of men, and I lack the understanding of a man.

3I have not learned wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.

4Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son— surely you know!

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

6Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.

7Two things I ask of You— do not refuse me before I die:

8Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion.

9Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God.

10Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will bear the guilt.

11There is a generation of those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.

12There is a generation of those who are pure in their own eyes and yet unwashed of their filth.

13There is a generation—how haughty are their eyes and pretentious are their glances—

14there is a generation whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are knives, devouring the oppressed from the earth and the needy from among men.

15The leech has two daughters: Give and Give.

17As for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it.

18There are three things too wonderful for me, four that I cannot understand:

20This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I have done nothing wrong.’

21Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:

24Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise:

29There are three things that are stately in their stride, and four that are impressive in their walk:

32If you have foolishly exalted yourself or if you have plotted evil, put your hand over your mouth.

33For as the churning of milk yields butter, and the twisting of the nose draws blood, so the stirring of anger brings forth strife.”

Commentary

Proverbs 30, explained

What Proverbs 30 is saying

The oracle of Agur son of Jakeh opens with a confession of intellectual humility: 'I am too stupid to be a man.' He then poses theological questions about God's transcendence, affirms the sufficiency of God's word, and uses numerical proverbs to catalog observations about the natural world—four things that are never satisfied, four that are small but wise.

The background behind it

Agur is otherwise unknown, and his non-Israelite patronymic suggests possible origins outside Israel, broadening the sources of biblical wisdom. The numerical proverb form (x, x+1) is a well-attested ancient Near Eastern literary convention.

Themes running underneath

The chapter represents wisdom's self-critical edge: the wisest posture begins with admitting how little one knows. Agur's prayer for 'neither poverty nor riches' (vv. 8–9) is one of Scripture's most balanced statements about wealth. The nature observations reveal a wisdom tradition that learns from creation.

Why it still matters

Agur's prayer challenges both prosperity theology and romantic poverty. Contentment with sufficiency—neither wealth that breeds arrogance nor poverty that breeds desperation—remains a radical counter-cultural petition.

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