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Text -- Proverbs 30:1-19 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
The Words of Agur
30:1 The words of Agur , the son of Jakeh ; an oracle : This man says to Ithiel , to Ithiel and to Ukal :
30:2 Surely I am more brutish than any other human being , and I do not have human understanding ;
30:3 I have not learned wisdom , nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One .
30:4 Who has ascended into heaven , and then descended ? Who has gathered up the winds in his fists ? 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 his son’s name ?– if you know !
30:5 Every word of God is purified ; he is like a shield for those who take refuge in him .
30:6 Do not add to his words , lest he reprove you, and prove you to be a liar .
30:7 Two things I ask from you; do not refuse me before I die :
30:8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; do not give me poverty or riches , feed me with my allotted portion of bread ,
30:9 lest I become satisfied and act deceptively and say , “Who is the Lord ?” Or lest I become poor and steal and demean the name of my God .
30:10 Do not slander a servant to his master , lest he curse you, and you are found guilty .
30:11 There is a generation who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers .
30:12 There is a generation who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not washed from their filthiness .
30:13 There is a generation whose eyes are so lofty , and whose eyelids are lifted up disdainfully.
30:14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords and whose molars are like knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among the human race.
30:15 The leech has two daughters : “Give ! Give !” There are three things that are never satisfied , four that never say , “Enough ”–
30:16 the grave , the barren womb , land that is not satisfied with water , and fire that never says , “Enough !”
30:17 The eye that mocks at a father and despises obeying a mother – the ravens of the valley will peck it out and the young vultures will eat it.
30:18 There are three things that are too wonderful for me, four that I do not understand :
30:19 the way of an eagle in the sky , the way of a snake on a rock , the way of a ship in the sea , and the way of a man with a woman .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Pro 30:1; Pro 30:1; Pro 30:1; Pro 30:1; Pro 30:1; Pro 30:2; Pro 30:2; Pro 30:2; Pro 30:2; Pro 30:3; Pro 30:3; Pro 30:4; Pro 30:4; Pro 30:4; Pro 30:4; Pro 30:4; Pro 30:5; Pro 30:5; Pro 30:5; Pro 30:6; Pro 30:7; Pro 30:7; Pro 30:8; Pro 30:8; Pro 30:8; Pro 30:9; Pro 30:9; Pro 30:10; Pro 30:10; Pro 30:11; Pro 30:11; Pro 30:12; Pro 30:12; Pro 30:12; Pro 30:13; Pro 30:13; Pro 30:13; Pro 30:14; Pro 30:14; Pro 30:14; Pro 30:14; Pro 30:15; Pro 30:15; Pro 30:15; Pro 30:15; Pro 30:15; Pro 30:16; Pro 30:16; Pro 30:16; Pro 30:17; Pro 30:17; Pro 30:17; Pro 30:18; Pro 30:19; Pro 30:19
NET Notes: Pro 30:1 There have been numerous attempts to reinterpret the first two verses of the chapter. The Greek version translated the names “Ithiel” and ...
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NET Notes: Pro 30:3 The epithet “the Holy One” is the adjective “holy” put in the masculine plural (as in 9:10). This will harmonize with the plur...
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NET Notes: Pro 30:4 The reference to “son” in this passage has prompted many suggestions down through the years: It was identified as Israel in the Jewish Mid...
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NET Notes: Pro 30:5 The line uses two more figures of speech to declare that God can be trusted for security and salvation. “Shield” is a simple metaphor R...
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NET Notes: Pro 30:6 The form of the verb is a Niphal perfect tense with a vav consecutive from the root כָּזַב (kazav, “to lie...
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NET Notes: Pro 30:7 Assuming that the contents of vv. 7-9 are a prayer, several English versions have supplied a vocative phrase: “O Lord” (NIV); “O God...
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NET Notes: Pro 30:8 Agur requested an honest life (not deceitful) and a balanced life (not self-sufficient). The second request about his provision is clarified in v. 9.
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NET Notes: Pro 30:9 The Hebrew verb literally means “to take hold of; to seize”; this produces the idea of doing violence to the reputation of God.
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NET Notes: Pro 30:10 If what was said were true, then there would be no culpability. But the implication here is that it was slander. And the effect of that will be a curs...
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NET Notes: Pro 30:11 The first observation is that there is a segment in society that lacks respect for parents. This uses the antonyms “curse” and [not] ̶...
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NET Notes: Pro 30:12 Filthiness often refers to physical uncleanness, but here it refers to moral defilement. Zech 3:3-4 uses it metaphorically as well for the sin of the ...
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NET Notes: Pro 30:13 The verbs “to be high” (translated “are…lofty”) and “to be lifted up” depict arrogance and disdain for other...
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NET Notes: Pro 30:14 The Hebrew form לֶאֱכֹל (le’ekhol) is the Qal infinitive construct; it indicates the purpose of this g...
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NET Notes: Pro 30:15 Throughout the book of Proverbs הוֹן (hon) means “wealth”; but here it has the nuance of “sufficiency”...
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NET Notes: Pro 30:16 There is no clear lesson made from these observations. But one point that could be made is that greed, symbolized by the leech, is as insatiable as al...
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NET Notes: Pro 30:17 The sternest punishment is for the evil eye. The punishment is talionic – eye for eye. The reference to “the valley” may indicate a ...
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