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Texts -- Proverbs 30:24-33 (NET)

Context
30:24 There are four things on earth that are small , but they are exceedingly wise : 30:25 ants are creatures with little strength , but they prepare their food in the summer ; 30:26 rock badgers are creatures with little power , but they make their homes in the crags ; 30:27 locusts have no king , but they all go forward by ranks ; 30:28 a lizard you can catch with the hand , but it gets into the palaces of the king . 30:29 There are three things that are magnificent in their step , four things that move about magnificently : 30:30 a lion , mightiest of the beasts , who does not retreat from anything ; 30:31 a strutting rooster , a male goat , and a king with his army around him. 30:32 If you have done foolishly by exalting yourself or if you have planned evil , put your hand over your mouth ! 30:33 For as the churning of milk produces butter and as punching the nose produces blood , so stirring up anger produces strife .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • AGUR

    [ebd] gatherer; the collector, mentioned as author of the sayings in Prov. 30. Nothing is known of him beyond what is there recorded.
    [isbe] AGUR - a'-gur ('aghur, seeming, from comparison with Arabic roots, to mean either "hireling," or "collector," "gatherer"): One of the contributors to Proverbs; his words being included in Prov 30. He takes an agnostic attitu...

  • MASSA

    [isbe] MASSA - mas'-a (massa', "burden"): Descendant of Abraham through Ishmael (Gen 25:14; 1 Ch 1:30). His people may be the Masani of Ptolemy, having Eastern Arabia near Babylon as their habitat. The marginal reading of the headi...

  • Riddle

    [nave] RIDDLE Used as a test of wit at Samson's feast, Judg. 14:12-18. By Agur, Prov. 30:15, 16, 18-31. See: Parable; Proverbs.

  • Coney

    [ebd] (Heb. shaphan; i.e., "the hider"), an animal which inhabits the mountain gorges and the rocky districts of Arabia Petraea and the Holy Land. "The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks" (Prov. ...
    [isbe] CONEY - ko'-ni (shaphan (Lev 11:5; Dt 14:7; Ps 104:18; Prov 30:26)): The word "coney" (formerly pronounced cooney) means "rabbit" (from Latin cuniculus). Shaphan is rendered in all four passages in the Septuagint choirogrull...
    [smith] (shaphan), a gregarious animal of the class Pachydermata, which is found in Palestine, living in the caves and clefts of the rocks, and has been erroneously identified with the rabbit or coney. Its scientific name as Hyrax sy...
    [nave] CONEY, Lev. 11:5; Deut. 14:7; Psa. 104:18; Prov. 30:26.

  • Industry

    [nave] INDUSTRY. Gen. 2:15; Ex. 23:12 Deut. 5:13. Ex. 35:2; Prov. 10:4, 5; Prov. 12:11, 24, 27; Prov. 13:4, 11, 23; Prov. 14:4, 23; Prov. 16:26; Prov. 20:13; Prov. 21:5; Prov. 22:29; Prov. 27:23 vs. 23-27.; Prov. 28:19; Prov. 30:2...

  • Animals

    [nave] ANIMALS Creation of, Gen. 1:24, 25; 2:19; Jer. 27:5. Food of, Gen. 1:30. Named, Gen. 2:20. Ordained as food for mankind, Gen. 9:2, 3; Lev. 11:3, 9, 21, 22; Deut. 14:4-6, 9, 11, 20. God's care of, Gen. 9:9, 10; Deut. 25:4...

  • Spider

    [ebd] The trust of the hypocrite is compared to the spider's web or house (Job 8:14). It is said of the wicked by Isaiah that they "weave the spider's web" (59:5), i.e., their works and designs are, like the spider's web, vain and...
    [isbe] SPIDER - spi'-der ((1) `akkabhish; compare Arabic `ankabut, English Versions of the Bible "spider"; Septuagint arachne (Job 8:14; Isa 59:5); (2) semamith, "lizard," the King James Version "spider"; Septuagint kalabotes (Prov...
    [smith] The Hebrew word ?accabish in (Job 8:24; Isaiah 59:5) is correctly rendered "spider." Put semamith is wrongly translated "spider" in (Proverbs 30:28) it refers probably to some kind of lizard. (But "there are many species of s...
    [nave] SPIDER Mentioned in one of Agur's riddles, Prov. 30:28. Web of, figurative of the hope of the hypocrite, Job 8:14; Isa. 59:5.

  • Ant

    [ebd] (Heb. nemalah, from a word meaning to creep, cut off, destroy), referred to in Prov. 6:6; 30:25, as distinguished for its prudent habits. Many ants in Palestine feed on animal substances, but others draw their nourishment pa...
    [smith] (Heb. nemalah). This insect is mentioned twice in the Old Testament: in (Proverbs 6:6; 30:25) In the former of these passages the diligence of this insect is instanced by the wise man as an example worthy of imitation; in the...
    [nave] ANT, Prov. 6:6-8; 30:25.

  • Greyhound

    [ebd] (Prov. 30:31), the rendering of the Hebrew zarzir mothnayim, meaning literally "girded as to the lions." Some (Gesen.; R.V. marg.) render it "war-horse." The LXX. and Vulgate versions render it "cock." It has been by some in...
    [smith] the translation in the text of the Authorized Version, (Proverbs 30:31) of the Hebrew word zarzir mothnayin ; i.e. "one girt about the loins." Various are the opinions as to what animal "comely in going" is here intended Some...
    [nave] GREYHOUND, Prov. 30:31.

  • Lion

    [isbe] LION - li'-un: (1) Occurring most often in the Old Testament is 'aryeh, plural 'ardyoth. Another form, 'ari, plural 'arayim, is found less often. 1. Names: Compare 'ari'el, "Ariel" (Ezr 8:16; Isa 29:1,2,7); char'el, "upper a...
    [nave] LION King of beasts, Mic. 5:8. Fierceness of, Job 4:10; 28:8; Psa. 7:2; Prov. 22:13; Jer. 2:15; 49:19; 50:44; Hos. 13:8. The roaring of, Psa. 22:13; Prov. 20:2. Strength of, Prov. 30:30; Isa. 38:13; Joel 1:6. Instincts o...

  • Lizard

    [isbe] LIZARD - liz'-ard: The list of unclean "creeping things" in Lev 11:29,30 contains eight names, as follows: 1. Names: (1) choledh, English Versions of the Bible "weasel" (which see); (2) `akhbar, English Versions of the Bible...
    [nave] LIZARD, Lev. 11:30; Prov. 30:28.

  • NUMBER

    [isbe] NUMBER - num'-ber: I. NUMBER AND ARITHMETIC II. NOTATION OF NUMBERS 1. By Words 2. By Signs 3. By Letters III. NUMBERS IN OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY IV. ROUND NUMBERS V. SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS 1. Seven and Its Multiples (1) Ritual U...

  • Locust

    [isbe] LOCUST - lo'-kust: The translation of a large number of Hebrew and Greek words: 1. Names: (1) 'arbeh from the root rabhah, "to increase" (compare Arabic raba', "to increase"). (2) sal`am, from obsolete [?] cal`am, "to swallo...
    [nave] LOCUST Authorized as food, Lev. 11:22; used as, Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6. Plague of, Ex. 10:1-19; Psa. 105:34, 35. Devastation by, Deut. 28:38; 1 Kin. 8:37; 2 Chr. 7:13; Isa. 33:4; Joel 1:4-7; Rev. 9:7-10. Sun obscured by, Joe...

  • Milk

    [isbe] MILK - milk (chalabh; gala; Latin lac (2 Esdras 2:19; 8:10)): The fluid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals for the nourishment of their young. The word is used in the Bible of that of human beings (Isa 28:9) as...
    [nave] MILK Used for food, Gen. 18:8; Judg. 4:19; Song 5:1; Ezek. 25:4; 1 Cor. 9:7. Of goats, Prov. 27:27; sheep, Deut. 32:14; Isa. 7:21, 22; camels, Gen. 32:15; cows, Deut. 32:14; 1 Sam. 6:7, 10. Churned, Prov. 30:33. Kid not t...

  • FOUR

    [isbe] FOUR - for ('arba`; tessares): "Four" (cardinal number) was a sacred and complete number with the Hebrews, as well as with several other peoples. It occurs very frequently in the Old Testament and the New Testament. (1) It i...

  • Dog

    [isbe] DOG - kelebh; (compare Arabic kelb, "dog"); kuon; and diminutive kunarion): References to the dog, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, are usually of a contemptuous character. A dog, and especially a dead dog...
    [nave] DOG Price of, not to be brought into the sanctuary, Deut. 23:18. Shepherd dogs, Job 30:1. Habits of: Licking blood, 1 Kin. 21:19; 22:38; licking sores, Luke 16:21; returns to his vomit, Prov. 26:11; 2 Pet. 2:22; lapping of...

  • Butter

    [ebd] (Heb. hemah), curdled milk (Gen. 18:8; Judg. 5:25; 2 Sam. 17:29), or butter in the form of the skim of hot milk or cream, called by the Arabs kaimak, a semi-fluid (Job 20:17; 29:6; Deut. 32:14). The words of Prov. 30:33 have...
    [nave] BUTTER, Gen. 18:8; Deut. 32:14; Judg. 5:25; 2 Sam. 17:29; Job 20:17; Isa. 7:15, 22. Made by churning, Prov. 30:33.

  • Strife

    [nave] STRIFE. Gen. 13:8; Gen. 45:24; Deut. 1:12; Psa. 31:20; Psa. 55:9; Psa. 80:6; Prov. 3:30; Prov. 6:12-14, 16-19; Prov. 10:12; Prov. 13:10; Prov. 15:18; Prov. 16:28; Prov. 17:1, 14, 19; Prov. 18:6, 19; Prov. 19:13; Prov. 20:3;...

  • Summer

    [nave] SUMMER Season of, promised while the earth remains, Gen. 8:22. Cool rooms for, Judg. 3:20, 24; Amos 3:15. Fruits of, 2 Sam. 16:1, 2; Isa. 16:9; 28:4; Jer. 40:10, 12; 48:32; Amos 8:1, 2; Mic. 7:1. Drought of, Psa. 32:4. G...

  • ROCK-BADGER

    [isbe] ROCK-BADGER - r.-baj'-er: This term is found in the Revised Version margin for "coney," shaphan (Lev 11:5; compare Dt 14:7; Ps 104:18; Prov 30:26). It is a translation of klip das, the name given. by the Boers to the Cape hy...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Proverbs claims to be a compendium of the wise sayings of several different individuals.4Solomon originated some of them (10:1-22:16 and chs. 25-29 definitely, and probably chs. 1-9 as well).5Unnamed wise men (sages) wrote ot...
  • The Book of Proverbs contains no history. It is purely didactic. It is a book of explicit instruction. Like the other Old Testament wisdom books, Job and Ecclesiastes, it does not contain references to Israel's laws, rituals,...
  • I. Discourses on wisdom chs. 1-9A. Introduction to the book 1:1-71. The title of the book 1:12. The purpose of the book 1:2-63. The thesis of the book 1:7B. Instruction for young people 1:8-7:271. Warning against consorting w...
  • Verse one introduces both the book as a whole and chapters 1-9 in particular. The Book of Proverbs is a collection of at least five separate groups of proverbs. There are those that Solomon spoke and or wrote (possibly chs. 1...
  • Chapters 30 and 31 form a distinct section in Proverbs because neither Solomon (1:1-22:16; chs. 25-29) nor the unnamed sages (22:17-24:34) wrote them. Two other wise men whose names the text records did. Some expositors specu...
  • The most distinctive features of Agur's proverbs are his numerical style of grouping similar items, his picturesque speech, and a unique phrase he used. This phrase, "There are three things . . . even four,"occurs with minor ...
  • Though his view of and awareness of God are very much behind what Agur said in the rest of this chapter, his counsel deals primarily with practical prudence from this point on.30:10 It is unwise to meddle in the domestic affa...
  • The quality of wisdom that Proverbs presents is much more than the ability to apply knowledge to various situations in life effectively. It also involves submission to the way of God that is the order of life God has revealed...
  • 1:3 The expression "for three transgressions [Heb. pesha'im, rebellions, i.e., against the universal Sovereign; cf. Gen. 9:5-17] and for four"is one of Amos' trademarks (cf. vv. 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6). It means for numerous...
  • 9:1 Again John saw a "star"(cf. 6:13; 8:10), but this time the "star"was an intelligent being. If "fallen"(Gr. peptokota) has theological connotations, the "star"may refer to Satan (vv. 2, 11; cf. 1:20; Job. 38:7; Luke 10:18)...
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