Mishle 30

1 0 The devarim of Agur Ben Yakeh, even the massa; the gever (man) spoke unto Itiel, even unto Itiel and Uchal:

2 Surely I am more stupid than any ish, and have not the binat adam.

3 I neither learned chochmah, nor have the da’as of the kadoshim.

4 Who hath ascended into Shomayim, or descended? Who hath gathered ruach in the hollows of His hands? Who hath bound the mayim in a cloak? Who hath established all the afsei aretz (ends of the earth)? What is Shmo (His Name), and what is Shem Bno (the Name of His Son [See Memra, creative Word of G-d in Targumim]), if thou canst tell?

5 Every word of G-d is flawless; He is a mogen unto them that take refuge in Him.

6 Add thou not unto His devarim, lest He rebuke thee, and thou be found a kazav (liar).

7 Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before my mot;

8 Remove far from me shav (vanity, falsehood) and davar kazav (word of a liar); give me neither poverty nor osher; feed me lechem chukki (my daily bread);

9 Lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, Who is Hashem? Or lest I be poor, and become a ganav, and profane the Shem of Elohai.

10 Do not slander an eved unto his adon, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.

11 There is a dor (generation) that curseth its av, and doth not make a bracha on its em.

12 There is a dor (generation) that is tahor (pure) in its own eynayim, and yet is not washed from its filthiness.

13 There is a dor (generation), O how haughty in loftiness are their eynayim! And their eyelids are proudly lifted up.

14 There is a dor (generation), whose teeth are as charavot (swords), and their jaw teeth are as knives, to devour the aniyim (oppressed poor ones) from off ha’aretz, and the evyonim (needy ones) from among adam.

15 The leech hath two banot: Give! Give! There are shalosh (three) that are never satisfied, indeed, four things never say, Enough!

16 Sheol, and the barren womb; eretz that is never satisfied with mayim; and eish that saith not, Enough!

17 The ayin (eye) that mocketh at av, and scorneth to obey em, the ravens of the valley shall peck it out, and the bnei nesher shall eat it.

18 There are shalosh which are too wonderful for me, indeed, four which I understand not;

19 The derech hanesher (way of the eagle) in the sky; the derech nachash upon a tzur (rock); the derech oniyah (way of a sailing vessel) in the midst of the yam (sea); and the derech gever (way of a man) with an almah (unmarried young virgin; see Gn 24:43,16,63-65.

20 Such is the derech isha mena’efet (way of an adulterous woman): she eateth, and wipeth her peh (mouth), and saith, I have done no wrong.

21 For shalosh the eretz is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:

22 For an eved (slave) when he reigneth; and a naval (fool) when he is full with lechem;

23 For an unloved woman when she is married; and a shifchah that displaces her gevirah (lady, mistress).

24 There are four things which are little upon eretz, but they are exceeding chachamim:

25 The nemalim (ants) are an am (people) not strong, yet they store up their lechem in the kayitz (summer);

26 The badgers are but a feeble folk, yet they make their bais in the rocks;

27 The arbeh (locusts) have no melech, yet they go forth all of them in ranks;

28 The lizard can be held in the hands, yet is in heikhelot (palaces) of a melech.

29 There are shloshah which are majestic in stride, indeed, four are stately in walk:

30 A lion which is gibbor among behemah (beasts), and retreateth not from any;

31 The strutting rooster; the he-goat also; and a melech, when his army is with him.

32 If thou hast done foolishly in exalting thyself, or if thou hast devised rah, lay thine yad upon thy peh.

33 Surely the churning of cholov (milk) bringeth forth khemah (butter), and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth dahm; so the stirring up of anger bringeth forth strife.

Mishle 30 Commentary

Chapter 30

Verses 1-6 Agur speaks of himself as wanting a righteousness, and having done very foolishly. And it becomes us all to have low thoughts of ourselves. He speaks of himself as wanting revelation to guide him in the ways of truth and wisdom. The more enlightened people are, the more they lament their ignorance; the more they pray for clearer, still clearer discoveries of God, and his rich grace in Christ Jesus. In ver. Verse 4 , there is a prophetic notice of Him who came down from heaven to be our Instructor and Saviour, and then ascended into heaven to be our Advocate. The Messiah is here spoken of as a Person distinct from the Father, but his name as yet secret. The great Redeemer, in the glories of his providence and grace, cannot be found out to perfection. Had it not been for Christ, the foundations of the earth had sunk under the load of the curse upon the ground, for man's sin. Who, and what is the mighty One that doeth all this? There is not the least ground to suspect anything wanting in the word of God; adding to his words opens the way to errors and corruptions.

Verses 7-9 Agur wisely prayed for a middle state, that he might be kept at a distance from temptations; he asked daily bread suited to his station, his family, and his real good. There is a remarkable similarity between this prayer and several clauses of the Lord's prayer. If we are removed from vanity and lies; if we are interested in the pardoning love of Christ, and have him for our portion; if we walk with God, then we shall have all we can ask or think, as to spiritual things. When we consider how those who have abundance are prone to abuse the gift, and what it is to suffer want, Agur's prayer will ever be found a wise one, though seldom offered. Food convenient; what is so for one, may not be so for another; but we may be sure that our heavenly Father will supply all our need, and not suffer us to want anything good for us; and why should we wish for more?

Verse 10 Slander not a servant to his master, accuse him not in small matters, to make mischief. ( 11-14 ) . In every age there are monsters of ingratitude who ill-treat their parents. Many persuade themselves they are holy persons, whose hearts are full of sin, and who practise secret wickedness. There are others whose lofty pride is manifest. There have also been cruel monsters in every age. ( 15-17 ) . Cruelty and covetousness are two daughters of the horseleech, that still cry, "Give, give," and they are continually uneasy to themselves. Four things never are satisfied, to which these devourers are compared. Those are never rich that are always coveting. And many who have come to a bad end, have owned that their wicked courses began by despising their parents' authority. ( 18-20 ) . Four things cannot be fully known. The kingdom of nature is full of marvels. The fourth is a mystery of iniquity; the cursed arts by which a vile seducer gains the affections of a female; and the arts which a vile woman uses to conceal her wickedness. ( 21-23 ) Four sorts of persons are very troublesome. Men of low origin and base spirit, who, getting authority, become tyrants. Foolish and violent men indulging in excesses. A woman of a contentious spirit and vicious habits. A servant who has obtained undue influence. Let those whom Providence has advanced from low beginnings, carefully watch against that sin which most easily besets them. ( 24-28 ) . Four things that are little, are yet to be admired. There are those who are poor in the world, and of small account, yet wise for their souls and another world. ( 29-33 ) . We may learn from animals to go well; also to keep our temper under all provocations. We must keep the evil thought in our minds from breaking out into evil speeches. We must not stir up the passions of others. Let nothing be said or done with violence, but every thing with softness and calmness. Alas, how often have we done foolishly in rising up against the Lord our King! Let us humble ourselves before him. And having found peace with Him, let us follow peace with all men.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 17

This chapter begins with a prophecy of Elijah, that there should be want of rain for some years to come, and he is directed to go first to the brook Cherith, where he should be fed by ravens, 1Ki 17:1-7, and afterwards he is sent to a widow at Zarephath, where he, she, and her son, were supported for a considerable time with a handful of meal, and a little oil in a cruse miraculously increased, 1Ki 17:8-16, whose son falling sick and dying, he restored to life, 1Ki 17:17-24.