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 changes five times (vv. 15, 18, 21, 24, 29; cf. vv. 11-14).
"The purpose of such a device may be simply to indicate that the list is not exhaustive, though specific (see Amos 1:3, 6). Or the purpose may be to emphasize the fourth item on the list."198
Scripture does not refer to either Agur or his father (or ancestor) Jakeh elsewhere. At least one writer felt he may have been a contemporary of Solomon.199An "oracle"is a weighty message from God (cf. Zech. 9:1), or the Hebrew word, massa, may refer to a place.200Ithiel and Ucal (the only university mentioned in Scripture) may have been Agur's sons.
Agur began with three declarations. The subject of each is God.
30:2-4 Behind this ironical section one can perhaps imagine Agur's sons claiming to be wiser than their father. Agur confessed his own limited understanding while at the same time making it clear that those he addressed knew no more than he did.
If wisdom is essentially a proper orientation to God, how could Agur say he had not learned wisdom but he knew God (v. 3)? In view of the context (vv. 2, 4) he probably meant that he had not reached a high level of wisdom. "Wisdom"in Proverbs means understanding as well as godliness (e.g., 1:1b; 2:2; et al.). Agur humbly regarded his own discernment as limited, but he did not claim to be a fool.
The only Person who meets Agur's qualifications in verse 5 is God (cf. Job 38-41; Prov. 8:24-29). He is the only One with perfect understanding. "What is His name?"implies, "Do you fully understand Him?"In the ancient world knowledge of a god's name implied understanding of his characteristics, power over him, and closeness to him. The question about His Son's name evidently means, "Has He imparted His nature or attributes to any other who may in any sense be called His Son?"201In the fullness of time God sent His Son to reveal His character and nature more completely than anyone had known them previously (Heb. 1:1-2).
30:5-6 Agur treasured the revelation that God had given. "Tested"means "smelted,"purified (cf. Ps. 12:6). It was trustworthy. Agur regarded the aim of revelation to be the promotion of trust in God, not just knowledge (v. 5b). Adding to God's revelation is a serious offense (v. 6; cf. Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18).
30:7-9 Agur asked God not to lead him into temptation (Matt. 6:13). He had more concern for his purity before God than about his place among men. Poverty and wealth both bring with them certain temptations that the middle-class citizen does not face, at least as strongly. Abundance tempts us to feel unrealistically self-sufficient (cf. Deut. 8:11-14; John 15:5). Need tempts us to stop trusting God and resort to acts that harm others.
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 affairs of other people. The case in point in this couplet is falsely accusing a slave to his master. Probably "he"(v. 10b) refers to the master. The slave might never discover that someone had slandered him. It is more likely that the master would investigate the charge and discover it false.
30:11-14 Agur sketched four verbal pictures and simply placed them side by side in these verses to illustrate the folly of arrogance. He had demonstrated humility himself (vv. 2-4, 7-9). Each thing listed begins with dor("generation") meaning a class or group of people (cf. Matt. 11:16).202
30:15-16 Here the warning is against greediness.
"Give! Give!' [v. 15] can be taken as the names--with more pointed wit than as the cries--of these identical twins, who are made of the same stuff as their mother--other people's blood."203
Greediness is not just silly (v. 15), it is dangerous ("Sheol"and "fire,"v. 16) and pathetic (being childless and parched, v. 16).
30:17 Disrespect for one's parents is as bad as arrogance and greed. Agur's graphic descriptions visualize the terrible consequences of this folly. Whereas we should obey our parents as long as we live under their authority, we should honor them all our lives. We should do so simply because they have given us physical life if for no other reason. This proverb warns that severe punishment awaits those who disrespect their parents.
30:18-19 These four "ways"(Heb. derek) have several things in common that make each of them remarkable. All are mysterious (inexplicable), non-traceable, effective in their element, and aggressive. "The way of a man with a maid"refers to the courting process. The point of these four snapshots seems to be that in view of remarkable phenomena such as these arrogance is absurd and humility only reasonable (cf. Job 38-41).
30:20 The mention of the woman in verse 19 seems to have triggered this pigtail comment about another unexplainable phenomenon. That is how some women can commit adultery as easily as and without any more remorse than they can eat a meal. The sage could have said the same of some men.
30:21-23 These are four more pictures of arrogant folly. One writer saw Adolf Hitler as an example of the kind of servant who became a king that the writer envisioned (v. 22a).204
30:24-28 In contrast to the arrogant, here are four examples of humble creatures functioning as God created them to, each remarkably effective and successful. Animals (vv. 24-28) are sometimes wiser than humans (vv. 21-23). The small are often more effective than the large. The basic contrast, however, is between humility and arrogance.
30:29-31 To keep us from concluding that little is always better than big (in view of vv. 24-28) Agur produced four more illustrations of stately noble behavior. He showed the balance between groundless pride (cf. vv. 21-23) and false humility (cf. vv. 24-28). These stately things demonstrate that proper bearing in life comes neither from exalting nor from depreciating oneself. It comes from functioning as God created one to function (i.e., to be oneself, sincere).
30:32-33 These verses call for personal application of this counsel if necessary. Peaceable behavior manifests humility, the key virtue in this chapter.
". . . the intent of this concluding advice is to strive for peace and harmony through humility and righteousness."205
