Original Meaning
THE FINAL TWO chapters of the book of Proverbs present “the sayings of Agur” (30:1) and “the sayings of King Lemuel” (31:1), two figures whose non-Israelite names appear nowhere else in Scripture. These superscriptions mark the sixth and seventh sections of the book (see the outline in the introduction), yet certain similarities of theme and vocabulary suggest that the two chapters are meant to be read alongside each other.
(1) Each chapter begins with discourse marked as an “oracle” (30:1–14; 31:1–9) and ends with an artful reflection on human experience, taking the form of numerical sayings (30:15–33) and an acrostic poem (31:10–31). The “oracles” are also introduced as “sayings” (lit., “words”) of a foreign figure, either spoken by or to a “son” (30:1; 31:1). The content of each first section urges temperance (30:6–10; 31:3–4), presenting prohibitions (marked by ʾal, “do not”) followed by a negative outcome (marked by pen, “lest”). The links at the beginning and end of this two-chapter unit put the emphasis on human response to God (30:1–9; 31:30).
(2) The end of chapter 30 and beginning of chapter 31 are connected. The word “king” is used four times at the end of chapter 30 (30:22, 27, 28, 31) and four times at the beginning of chapter 31 (31:1, 3, 4). A charge to keep silent (“clap your hand over your mouth,” 30:32) is followed by a charge to “speak up” (lit., “open your mouth,” 31:8–9). The outcome of ignoring the first charge is evil and strife (30:32–33) and the outcome of heeding the second is fair judgment (31:8–9).
(3) We also notice similarities of image and theme, such as the adulteress who eats (with its overtones of ruin and devouring, 30:20) and women who consume strength and ruin kings (31:2–3). The contrast develops as the negative images of women in chapter 30 are answered by the positive images of chapter 31. While Agur laments that he has not learned wisdom (30:3), the woman of 31:26 opens her mouth to teach wisdom.
Therefore, it appears that chapters 30 and 31 are to be read together as a four-part conclusion to the book of Proverbs, just as chapters 1–9 served as its introduction. In fact, many of the figures of those chapters appear again in chapter 30: the bloodthirsty men (30:11–14; cf. 1:10–19; 2:12–15), the adulteress (30:20; cf. 2:16–19; 7:1–27), and the numerical sayings of chapter 6.1 The number four also recurs throughout the chapter; while most interpreters divide it into two parts (30:1–14, 15–33),2 the repetition of “four” suggests a different outline.
The Oracle of Agur (30:1–14)
Knowledge of wisdom and the Holy One (four questions and answers; 30:1–5)
Prohibitions and prayers (four “do not—lest” in series; 30:6–10)
A generation of evildoers (four “a generation” in series; 30:11–14)
Numerical Sayings (30:15–31)
Four that never say “Enough” (30:15–17)
Four amazing ways (30:18–20)
Four earth-shattering outcomes (30:21–23)
Four small but wise creatures (30:24–28)
Four stately in stride (30:29–31)
Epilogue on Pride and Strife (30:32–33)
The Oracle of Agur (30:1–14)
THE INTRODUCTION TO the “sayings of Agur” asks a series of four rhetorical questions, followed by one person’s despair at finding wisdom and God. In a sense, the “oracle” is actually a prayer in two parts, first for knowledge of God and second for a life lived before him in wisdom. The importance of proper speaking runs throughout this section.
30:1–5. A number of surprises await us in chapter 30. There is a new superscription that names a person previously unknown, “Agur son of Jakeh.” The Hebrew words of this verse can either be translated or left to designate proper names.3 The NIV text notes show that “oracle” can be read as “Massa,” one of the sons of Ishmael (Gen. 25:14; 1 Chron. 1:30),4 and “to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal,” can be read as “I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and faint.”5
Scholars have written much and agreed little concerning this translation, but since 1:6 promised that we would learn of (lit.) “the words of the wise and their riddles,” we look for those riddles every time we see a section introduced by “words of” (cf. 22:17; 24:23; 31:1). So, for example, “to Ithiel” is a palindrome in Hebrew, a word that reads the same forward and backward (lʾytyʾl); the brainteaser gives a preview of what is to come and may hint that we are to look for the double meaning.
We should also note that reading the Hebrew as both words and names yields meanings that fit the context. “Oracle” makes sense if we think of wisdom as something revealed, a gift of God (31:1; cf. 2:1–6; Isa. 13:1; 14:28; Ezek. 12:10; Nah. 1:1; Hab. 1:1; Mal. 1:1), yet “weary” can describe one worn out from searching (cf. Prov. 2:1–6).6 Perhaps this weariness comes from searching for wisdom apart from that given by God, or perhaps this is the cry of someone ready to receive God’s gift of wisdom.
Agur’s message begins with confession of ignorance: (lit.) “For more beast than man am I” (30:2). The beast was a sign of subhuman intelligence, a symbol used with the assumption that it is a capacity of human nature to perceive spiritual matters and to be in relationship with its Creator. To lack such perception is to be like an animal that is only concerned for its food and safety (cf. Ps. 73:21–22). It is not clear whether the speaker confesses that he has tried and failed or not tried at all, but this question motivates the reader to continue.
The couplet in verse 3 heads where we expect, the confessor declaring that he has not learned wisdom or gained knowledge of “the Holy One.” Parallelism in this verse implies that to learn wisdom is to gain knowledge of God (cf. Prov. 9:10; Job 28:28). Some interpreters take Agur’s words as skepticism that is then answered by the more positive view of verses 5–14,7 but the entire oracle can be read as that of a sincere seeker. The terms “wisdom” and “knowledge” join with “understanding” in verse 2 to set out the sages’ hope and goal for humankind (cf. Prov. 1:1–7).
Four questions in verse 4 initiate a series of “fours” that runs throughout the chapter; here four questions beginning with “Who” are followed by two that begin with “What.” Certainly the “who?” questions are meant to be answered, “the Holy One” (30:3), but to what purpose?8 “Knowledge of the Holy One” appears only here and in 9:10, a verse that names “the fear of the LORD” as its beginning. The repetition may direct the reader to learn of wisdom there, where it is preceded by a cosmic vision of wisdom at creation (8:22–31) and a picture of a wise woman, her house, and her maids (9:1–3; cf. 31:10–31). The deeds of the “Who” questions are those Yahweh accomplished by the agency of wisdom (3:19; 8:27). Most likely, “Who has gone up to heaven and come down” should also be answered with “the LORD,” although the question implies that mortals have tried and failed (cf. Deut. 30:12; Bar. 3:29).
Many commentators find here a motif of ancient Near Eastern literature; common to many human attempts to ascend to heaven is the great gulf that separates the human and divine realms. Only the gods may possess power, wisdom, and immortality, and therefore no human has ascended to heaven and descended without bringing about disaster.9 Others agree that these questions are Agur’s humble confession of his limitations, but they place the emphasis on divine power, not on human efforts to attain it.10 Still others take the “gone up and come down” as a cross-reference to Genesis 28:12–13 and the angels ascending and descending on the stairway from heaven in Jacob’s dream.11 The second and third questions express wonder at the extent of a mighty grip (cf. Isa. 40:12).12 The fourth shows that all of creation, heavens and earth, sky and sea, are under Yahweh’s rule (cf. Ps. 2:8; 22:27; 67:7; 72:8; Isa. 52:10). Similar questions are posed by Amos, who answers, “The LORD is his name” (Amos 4:13; 5:8; 9:6).
It is the last question that gives us trouble, and even the Hebrew marks it as different, using not mi (“Who”) but mah (“What”): “What is his name, and the name of his son?” Again, the answer to “his name” is clearly God, “the LORD,” for it is repeated in the verses that follow (30:5–9; cf. 18:10). The identification of “his son” is trickier; interpreters have suggested that it may be Israel13 or the king,14 but the strongest implication from context is that it is any person who learns wisdom. In the book of Proverbs many lectures are addressed to “my son” while 3:11 reminds us that Yahweh teaches discipline like a father (cf. 31:2, 28).15 The riddle-like form of the question leaves the matter open, but the emphasis on learning wisdom sounds clearly.
The questions imply that God acts to create and maintain a world, but God also speaks (30:5). “Every word of God is flawless.” “Flawless” or fire-tested (ṣerupah; cf. 27:1) here does not mean hardened like steel but rather that the quality of the metal has been “proved,” so that all dross is removed. That pure word shows that God is a “shield” to those who take refuge (30:5), the phrase a near verbatim citation of David’s song of praise (2 Sam. 22:31; Ps. 18:30).16
The next verse in David’s song answers the question, “For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?” (2 Sam. 22:32; Ps. 18:31). The theme of that song is deliverance from his enemies. So also in Proverbs 2:1–7, Yahweh, who gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding from his mouth, is also a shield; thus, perhaps here is an encouragement to keep these promises in mind as an answer to Agur’s despair.
30:6–10. The series of “fours” continues with four appearances of the phrase “do not” (ʾal), two as prohibitions to the reader (“do not add . . . do not slander”) and two as prayers to God (“do not refuse me . . . do not give”); each of four descriptions of potential failure begins with Hebrew pen (“lest”) and ends with a name of God.17
Verses 5–6 are linked around the theme of God’s words. Any additions to those true and faultless words will prove false, and for that reason Agur asks God to protect him from the ever-present danger of falsehood and lies (30:8). If those words are “flawless” or pure, to add to them would add impurities or dross, and here that dross is named as falsehood. It is not clear whether the “liar” needs correction for false teaching about God or for believing lies about poverty and riches. Moses warned the people about adding to or subtracting from the commands of Yahweh, adding that if they would hear and obey, they would be considered wise and understanding (Deut. 4:1–8; 5:22; 12:32). To talk when we should be listening is never wise.
God’s words are true, but human words can prove false. So the speaker offers the first prayer recorded in the book, making two requests of God: to keep falsehood and lies at bay and to provide daily bread (Prov. 30:8; cf. Ex. 16:1–36). If there is too much, one can forget God in pride (cf. Deut. 8:10–18); if there is too little, one may forget God’s commands and steal (cf. Prov. 6:30–31). The falsehood expressed in “disown you” can also be read as “deny” or “renounce.” “Name” is repeated from verse 4; to dishonor the name is (lit.) to “seize or take” it, perhaps in vain (cf. Ex. 20:7; Lev. 19:12; Deut. 5:11). We can say, then, that these two requests constitute a prayer for wisdom.
The theme of falsehood continues into verse 10, for slander of a servant is probably to bring a false report, just as Joseph brought a bad report about his brothers (Gen. 37:2; cf. Ps. 101:5). Such bad talk brings a curse in return (qll; cf. Prov. 30:11), and one (lit.) “incurs guilt” that may require payment of restitution.18 In sum, then, four prohibitions against false speaking follow the proclamation that God’s word is fire-tested, true, and flawless. Warnings against evil speaking also occupy the sayings of 30:11–14, beginning with another saying about a “curse,” the catchword that links 30:10–11.
30:11–14. Each of the next four verses begins with the Hebrew word dor (“generation”). Each describes “one of a generation” who rejects the way of wisdom, the opposite of God’s intention for humankind (Ex. 3:15; Deut. 1:35; 32:5, 20; Ps. 95:10; Jer. 7:29). The word “curse” connects verse 11 with the one before; to curse parents is sinful in the Pentateuch (Ex. 20:12; 21:17; Lev. 20:9; Deut. 27:16) as well as the book of Proverbs (Prov. 30:17; 20:20). God’s intention is shown by the sons of the wise woman of worth, who praise her (31:28).
Parallel lines in verse 12 present an ironic description of those “pure in their own eyes,” who do not see that they are covered in filth (cf. 20:9; Isa. 4:4; 28:8). The Hebrew “his eyes” (ʿenaw) closes the first lines of verses 12 and 13 to describe pride; in verse 13 the eyes are (lit.) “lifted up” to look down on others (cf. Prov. 6:17; Ps. 18:27). Verse 14 is twice as long as the others, four lines illustrating arrogance that oppresses. These mouths not only speak evil, they eat unjustly. They devour the poor, a motif used often by the prophets but also by the psalmist, speaking of fools who devour the people like bread (Ps. 14:1–4).
Numerical Sayings (30:15–31)
THERE ARE FIVE numerical sayings in this section, all list “four” items. Four use a “three plus one” pattern. The numerical sayings are early examples of reflections on nature and society, distinct from the numerical lists in chapter 6 and elsewhere.19 The sayings draw together observations on life and nature to illustrate various aspects of wisdom. The point of the comparison is not always easy to discern, and so each numerical saying works like a riddle. There is an alternating pattern between numerical sayings and seemingly unrelated single sayings (30:15, 17, 20).
30:15–17. Coming on the heels of the “generation” sayings in 30:11–14, the leech’s twin daughters, “Give! Give!” (perhaps inspired by the two mouths, one at each end of the leech), are repulsive and sobering metaphors for a greedy generation. Their “prayer” is the reverse of that in 30:7–9; this insatiable appetite makes a striking contrast with the request for “just enough.”
The first of the following “three–four” sayings brings together four more leech-like consumers that will take all they can. “Enough” (repeated in 30:15 and 16) translates the Hebrew word for “wealth” or sufficiency (hon), but these figures do not know what the word means. “The grave” (šeʾol, Sheol) in verse 16 signifies the ever-present power of death,20 always working to take another living being into its realm; like the closed womb, dry land, and fire, it does not produce, it only consumes (cf. 26:20–21).
Verse 17, while not a numerical saying, comments on the four insatiable consumers as well as the four descriptions of “a generation” that precede (30:11–14). Just as greedy generations devour the poor from the earth, so the one who (presumably from greed) mocks parents instead of caring for them will be eaten in turn (cf. 2 Sam. 21:10; 1 Kings 14:11). The terms “eye” and “father and mother” and the theme of disrespect goes back to Proverbs 30:11–13.21 The eye can be insatiable also (27:20), but here it seems to be an arrogant and mocking eye that brings on the scavenging birds. The vultures are (lit.) “sons of eagles,” using the same word for eagle found in 30:19.
30:18–20. The second of the “three–four” sayings brings together four phenomena about which the speaker says, “I do not understand,” echoing the words of Agur’s lament (lit., “I do not know them”; cf. 30:3–4). The first person “I” echoes the personal voice of the seeker (cf. 30:2–3). The riddle repeats the word “way” (derek; cf. 23:19, 26; 2:8–20), linking this riddle with the additional saying in 30:20.
But how are the four “ways” of verses 18–19 to be related, and what is the key to the puzzle?22 Each of the first three relates its motion to its environment (an eagle in the sky, a snake on the rock, a ship on the sea), but the last one, a man (geber; cf. 30:1) with a woman, has more to do with relationship, a common topic of Proverbs (3:13–18; 8:17–21). The first three name the elements of creation: sea, earth, and “heavens” (šamayim; cf. 3:19–20; 8:22–29; 30:4).
If all four creatures move in ways both wonderful and mysterious through God’s created order (30:18), we also see that wisdom is needed to make one’s way rightly, as the picture of the unrepentant adulteress in 30:20 makes clear.23 Each of these wise travelers knows how to make its way in its part of the created order: Eagles don’t try to swim, snakes don’t try to fly, and ships that go on rocks are destroyed. Therefore men or women who despise the mystery of love and sex and move outside of its boundaries are like those who step out of their place in created order and cause the earth to tremble (30:21–23; cf. derek, “strength,” in 31:3).24 Here with the adulteress, just as in 30:14–17, eating is associated with behavior that is out of bounds, this time depicting a sexual appetite that knows no restraint (cf. 7:14–18; 9:16). Finishing one’s improper eating by wiping the mouth characterizes someone who is both casual and proud in her ignorance.25 The contrast between the wonder of 30:18–19 and the contempt of 30:20 is striking.
30:21–23. The numerical form of this third of the “three–four” sayings is reinforced as the word “under” (taḥat) is repeated four times. Just as the “way of an adulteress” (30:20) is out of step with the created order of wisdom, so the four items listed threaten to overturn that order. In ancient Near Eastern thinking, the earth shakes when the natural order is disturbed.26 The “trembling” (30:21) of the earth is like the raging of the fool that disturbs peace in every sense of the word (cf. 29:9). Two male examples (the servant who comes to rule and the sated fool) have occurred before (19:10; cf. Eccl. 10:5–7), but not the unloved woman or supplanting maidservant. The four have an ABBA pattern that links rise in power and satisfied hunger, perhaps to show that each turn of good fortune is not accompanied by the character to match.
The unloved (lit., “hated”) woman is variously understood as a divorced woman (Deut. 24:1–4), an older woman who finally finds a husband and gloats, or the wife who is second in line for her husband’s affections, perhaps an allusion to the situation of Leah (Gen. 29:31, 33) or Hannah and Peninnah (1 Sam. 1:1–7; cf. Deut 21:15). In the view of the sages, there is an order to life, and as long as it is just and fair, it should not be disturbed.
30:24–28. As in other “three–four” sayings, the statement of the number also offers the key to the puzzle that follows. Readers are to ask: How are these things small and yet “wiser than the wisest?” It is not strength for ants, but rather foresight and preparation of provisions (cf. 6:6–8). It is not power for coneys (or badgers; cf. Ps. 104:18), but rather their ability to make a home where no one can touch them. It is not leadership for locusts, but rather their capacity to organize in great numbers and devour crops (Ex. 10:13–15; Joel 1:4–7). The lizard is also small and powerless; it can be caught in the hand yet it lives in the house of the powerful king.
The repetition of “creatures” (ʿam; lit., “people,” 30:25–26) and “king” (30:27–28) signals that these small creatures teach great lessons about being a people, asking ancient readers: “What kind of people do you want to be—strong, led by a king? (cf. 30:29–31). You don’t need that as much as you need wisdom.” The power of the weak and the weaknesses of those in power are noted in comparison.
30:29–31. The final “three–four” saying names things “stately [lit., good, ṭob; cf. Ex. 22:4; 1 Sam. 15:9, 15] in their stride”; in slang, they are “walking good.” Unlike the creatures of verses 24–28, the lion is mighty among the beasts, for he stands down to nothing. So also the rooster in the chicken yard and the he-goat in his pen, but perhaps readers are meant to see the irony that these are like big fish in a small pond. Each would run from a lion! Kings often took the lion as their emblem, so we are interested to see that the last of the four is a king; but looking more closely, we see it is a king with an army (lit., “standing before his people”). Even kings and their armies run when they are outnumbered and overpowered, so readers may ask whether this king is more like a lion or a barnyard animal.
An alternate translation in the NIV text note pictures a “king secure against revolt,” one who does not stand before his people but against his people when they rise against him (cf. 24:21–22). In either case, the pairing of “king” (melek) and “people” (ʿam) brings together words that were used twice in 30:24–28, suggesting that we understand these brave and stately four in light of the small and wise four. Again, power comes not from strength or numbers alone but from wisdom, especially the wisdom that fears God and acts uprightly (cf. 30:1–14). Any other view betrays its arrogance and pride, silly as a strutting rooster or billy goat.
Epilogue on Pride and Strife (30:32–33)
THE LAST OF the sayings is not introduced with numbers, although it lists three “churnings” in verse 33. The fool is one who lifts up oneself (naśaʾ; cf. the “lifted eyes” of 30:13). The word for fool is nabal, from which the name of Abigail’s husband was taken (1 Sam. 25:25). Fools like this either exalt themselves or plan evil, and the two are not that far apart. The remedy in Hebrew is short and direct: “Hand to mouth!” (cf. Prov. 30:6, 10; Job 40:4–5). Speech is for defending others (Prov. 31:8–9), not for plotting and speaking evil (6:16–19).
The three lines of verse 33 are linked by the repeated phrase “churning . . . produces” (miṣ) and a wordplay on “nose” and “anger,” both from the same root (ʾap). The final word is “strife” (rib; cf. 3:30; 15:18; 17:1, 14; 18:6; 20:3; 26:21), the produce of folly and evil. There are three churnings, but we have come to expect a fourth. Perhaps the lack of a fourth signals that the advice can be heeded and that folly can be averted in favor of wisdom.
Bridging Contexts
IN THIS MOST challenging chapter of Proverbs, Agur’s own words are the best guide to interpretation: “I have not learned wisdom” (30:3). Whereas chapter 31 will offer a mother’s counsel on wise rule and a poem on the wise woman of worth, this collection of sayings presents vivid examples of folly and its fruits. Two exceptions are the certainty of God’s fire-tested words (30:5) and the four small and wise creatures (30:24–28), examples of revealed and experiential wisdom. The sayings come to a climax in the words on leadership, suggesting that kings can either be wise and learn from God’s word and creation or lift themselves up in pride and greed.
In seeking to discern the principles applicable for our day, we must look more closely at the place of these sayings in Proverbs and the larger canon of the Bible. We have seen that the four parts of chapters 30 and 31 work together to form a conclusion to the book. The words of these non-Israelite figures request and recommend the life of wisdom (30:1–14; 31:1–9), while the poetic forms of numerical sayings and acrostic illustrate it (30:15–31; 31:10–31).
Messages through biblical allusions. We have seen that Agur’s questions in verse 4 praise Yahweh, but at the same time they also set limits on human aspirations and achievements. The answer to the question on his name (30:4) directs readers to the words of David, who affirms that Yahweh is God, a shield and refuge (30:5). The allusion points to David as the model of kingship, to whom all other kings were compared, the anointed one whom Yahweh promised to show unfailing kindness (2 Sam. 7:1–11). In this light, Agur laments his ignorance but does so as a seeker, one who asks questions that can be answered, particularly by Israel’s tradition of royal covenant. The allusion to David’s song turns our attention to the covenant God made with David and his descendants, and we note that the king was called God’s son (2 Sam. 7:11–17). The word in which David trusted was a word of covenant, of promise, and therefore of shield and refuge.
We do well to trust in that word also, setting limits on our own sense of wisdom, accomplishment, and significance.27 Here also is a call to know Yahweh, a call that comes when human efforts have reached their end. The biblical wisdom traditions set divine knowledge and strength against all human ingenuity to encourage humility and worship. So also we can make sure that our preaching, teaching, and witness all proclaim the One whose knowledge and power show ours to be small and limited. Agur’s lament and its allusion to the royal tradition move us to humility.
The section marked by four “do not” sayings (30:6–10) also present questions, this time in the form of requests for integrity and daily bread, keeping falsehood and lies, as well as the extremes of poverty and riches, far away (30:8). “Do not add to his words,” recalls Moses’ charge (Deut. 4:2), and the possibility of having too much and denying Yahweh stands at the center of Moses’ last words (32:13–18). In this case, the “son” is Israel, the son who ate and grew fat, became prideful and greedy, and forgot God. Israel, the son whom God meant to be wise (4:5–6), became like the son who is a fool (nabal, 32:5–6; Prov. 30:32).28
All through Proverbs, the sages warn us of the dangers of excess, particularly those of greed and apostasy. Now we see the dangers of falsehood that denies the existence of God; it comes in word with the question, “Who is the LORD?” (cf. Ex. 5:2), or in such deeds as stealing and dishonoring God (cf. Hos. 4:1–2). If God’s words are flawless, promises that are always kept, we too can look to see that our words have integrity, that promises to follow his way are kept.
Following the apostasy and stealing of Proverbs 30:7–10 are the marks of a generation that curses parents, denies any sin, looks on others in pride, and devours the poor (30:11–14). These examples of willful arrogance also direct readers to the “perverse generation” of unfaithful children, “foolish and unwise” (Deut. 32:5–6, 20, 28). Although Moses worried about the worship of other gods, here the problem is practical atheism, the sure signs of a turn from knowledge and wisdom.29 The curses Moses pronounced from Mount Ebal began with condemnation of idolatry, followed by curses for dishonoring father and mother, moving a boundary stone, and withholding justice (27:15–26). The extreme behavior of these “generations” in Proverbs warn us about these errors in their more subtle forms. Better to acknowledge “I am more beast than man” (Prov. 30:2, “most ignorant of men”) than to be a beast who does not recognize it and thus brings great harm.
To bring the principle of this teaching into our day, we acknowledge the goodness of honoring parents, caring for the poor, and confessing pride, and we acknowledge that we exist as members of “generations” that can easily be led astray. As our popular culture becomes more “sassy” (its word for selfish), I see the need to join hands with people who consciously swim against the stream, those who practice care instead of indulgence.
In sum, the biblical allusions of 30:1–14 use the words of Moses and David to draw a contrast between an Agur’s humility and a generation’s harmful pride. By means of citation and allusion, the seeker Agur uncovers both the best and worst of Israel’s history, and in this way becomes one of Israel’s teachers. Sometimes an outsider can see matters more clearly than the children of God can.
Having enough. The second part of the chapter’s teaching comes in the numerical sayings, starting with two, three, and four things that either cry “give” or never know when to say “enough.” More striking are the related sayings that do not take the numerical form, sayings about the eye that mocks parents and the mouth of the adulteress (30:17, 20). These examples of folly stand out from their context as stark reminders that sin is both deadly and deceitful. The mocking eye and the disdainful mouth are examples of pride that cares little for the effects of its actions.
We have seen throughout Proverbs that to neglect care of one’s parents is to hurt and dishonor them and that it is deadly for a young man to fall into the trap of the adulteress. In the same way, the hungers of the leech, Sheol, dry earth, and blazing fire also show the dangers of unrestrained appetite. If they have never learned to say enough, we who claim to serve a God who provides certainly can. As I write, nightly news reports question the high salaries paid to CEOs as they expose those executives who have been caught using inside information to line their own pockets.
As a contrast to that prideful mocking and casual consumption, a riddle asks how an eagle flies, a snake moves, a ship sails, and a man and woman court and commit (30:18–19). In place of pride comes humility, the sense that the world and the One who made it are greater than we can ever fathom, thus making all self-satisfied mocking and boasting ludicrous. We too can take care to watch for the connection of pride and insatiability, remembering that haughtiness and unrestrained hunger often travel together (30:20). Some will think me cranky, but when I see a mountainous SUV with a vanity plate that says, “I Want Gaz,” and then hear a news report that we are using up earth’s resources of ozone and forests faster than it can replenish them, I see another manifestation of our particular brand of American pride and appetite.
The last two numerical sayings seem to be of a kind, the first depicting the topsy-turvy world out of order, a world in which the servants are set above their masters, the second depicting the small and lowly who exhibit wisdom and power. If the first appears to uphold social order by bemoaning its disruption, the second seems to satirize it. A lizard is small and easily caught, but it shares the palace with the king! There is the folly of the small pretending to be great, but there is also the wisdom of the small who use their ingenuity to do great things. So the ants make up for their size with foresight that stores up food, the coneys make use of the strength of the rocks to find a safe haven, the locusts organize themselves into a devastating power, and the lizard finds a home wherever it wants.
So also the picture of four beings that strut carries a note of satire. A king with an army may be great, but there may be one even greater. If there were a “better-than” saying at the end of all this, it might be, “Better to be humble and wise than a fool who pretends to greatness.” Humility is a virtue of which the church and the watching world never says, “Enough!”
Finally, the last of the sayings warns against two related expressions of prideful folly: exalting self and plotting evil (30:32–33). The cure for such evil speaking is to put hand to mouth and stop it. The series of three churnings shows such speech for what it is, a punch in the nose and a source of strife. The last of Agur’s sayings commends humble quiet over words that puff up pride and stir up trouble, reminding the reader of the “six things the LORD hates” (6:16–19).
In sum, the numerical sayings link appetite with self-exaltation and contrast them with the wisdom that shows foresight, humility, and respect. The riddles and puzzles may confuse readers, but there is a certain pleasure in mulling over these sayings and unlocking their metaphors and allusions. Preachers and teachers may wish to take the chapter as a whole, pointing out the interrelated themes of pride and appetite, or they may wish to treat Agur’s prayer and the numerical sayings separately, speaking first to revealed wisdom and second of godly wisdom born of experience and observation.
Contemporary Significance
PRIDE AND HUMILITY. “If you have played the fool and exalted yourself . . .” (30:32). All of the sayings of this chapter, Agur’s musings and the numerical riddles, together illustrate the pervasive show of folly that can be summed up in the word “pride.” The tradition of Christian spirituality named seven deadly sins, most of which appear in this chapter: gluttony, lust, avarice, anger, envy, acedia (often called sloth, the despair of life lived without God), and pride, the aggrandizing of self as though God did not exist.30 Of the seven, pride was viewed as the most basic and the most dangerous, for it rejects God even as it refuses to submit or to receive grace. Pride will not obey, nor will it ever seek help. We miss the mark when we think of pride as only some sort of conceit or inflated self-image. Peter Kreeft reminds us:
Pride is not first of all thinking too highly of yourself, because it isn’t thinking first of all but willing, just as humility isn’t thinking about yourself in a low way but not thinking of yourself at all. It’s thinking less about yourself, not thinking less of yourself. Pride is willful arrogance, arrogating to yourself what is really God’s.31
Agur saw this, lamenting his ignorance of wisdom and admitting that he did not know the Holy One (30:1–4). The sayings that follow warn against adding to God’s holy words and living a life of falsehood (30:5–10). The numerical sayings illustrate the various forms of pride in its images of grasping and strutting. Insatiable hunger is symbolized by men who devour the poor and women who gulp down illicit sexual experience, but this same pride also inspires evil speaking, falsehood, cursing, and boasts. As we read the sayings, we may find our own lives reflected in these images; certainly they reflect much of what we see practiced in our culture.
Both kings and commoners of Israel fell victim to these sins of pride, and so the words of Moses and David echoed in the chapter point to God’s covenant with a people, founded at Mount Sinai and reaffirmed with its leaders at Mount Zion. Both “sons,” the people of Israel and their kings, were meant to be wise and live in faithfulness to that covenant, yet they broke covenant in a show of pride that led them to abandon God. Their lives were much like the negative examples of this chapter.
But in time another Son lived wisely in submission and faithfulness, doing what king and people did not, and that Son offered his life so that God might credit his wisdom and righteousness to us, so that in him we may find the grace to live wisely also. “What is his name and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!” (30:4). Christians who know Christ as the wise Son recognize that in him our follies of pride find forgiveness and healing. He teaches and empowers us to say “Enough!” to our illicit hungers and to put our hands to our mouths to stop violent speaking. Instead, recognizing that we are small and weak, we can seek the wisdom that the lowliest of God’s creatures seem to understand. Humility, the antidote to pride, is not merely a confession of weakness. It is a source of great strength.
A wonderful illustration of wisdom that empowers the small comes from Jim Wallis, recalling a church service he witnessed during the time of apartheid in Cape Town, South Africa. A political rally had been scheduled at the cathedral, but when the government canceled it, Bishop Desmond Tutu said, “Okay, then, we’re having church.” The police came too, and they lined the walls of the church to intimidate the people in the pews. Tutu preached that day that apartheid would one day fall because it was evil. Then he spoke to the police: “You are powerful, but you are not gods. I serve a God who cannot be mocked.” Then with a smile he said, “So since you’ve already lost, I invite you today to come and join the winning side.”32
Courage like this comes from having a healthy assessment of who we are—limitations, sins, and all—but also in being able to see who God is as well. Pride subverts both, driving us to gobble all we can in insatiable hunger and to speak in ways that churn up anger and violence. Agur’s oracle looks in another direction, at first in despair of having looked for wisdom without finding it, but then turning to the One who inspires wisdom by revealing a vision of himself. The One who gathers the wind in his hands and the waters in his cloak, the One who sets out the ends of the earth he has made, also calls us to see him, recognize him, and bow before him.
Such is humility, seeing clearly enough to recognize our smallness and God’s greatness. As such, it is the hallmark of wisdom, the answer to pride and despair. “Humility is the opponent of both. It keeps us from despair as well as from pride. The greatest virtue keeps us from the greatest vice. It is the greatest virtue in the sense that it is the first and foundational virtue.”33 So Agur’s oracle and these numerical sayings come at the end of the book of Proverbs to remind us how pride keeps us from “the fear of the LORD . . . the beginning of knowledge [and wisdom]” (1:7 with 9:10).