Thy Strong Word — Proverbs 30:1-33: Wisdom from Agur

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Proverbs 30 is attributed to Agur son of Jakeh and consists of his observations and reflections on wisdom, humility, and the natural world. Agur begins with an acknowledgment of his own limitations and a reverence for God’s wisdom. The chapter includes a series of numerical proverbs, which list various things that are remarkable or puzzling, such as things that are never satisfied and things that are too wonderful to understand. Agur emphasizes the importance of humility, contentment, and reverence for God.

The Rev. Ryan Kleimola, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Toledo, OH, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Proverbs 30:1-33.

Step into the spiritually rich landscape of the Book of Proverbs, a text divinely inspired and attributed to Solomon, the sage king endowed by God with unsurpassed wisdom. This ancient scripture begins with heartfelt lessons from a father to a son, laying a foundation of moral and ethical guidance before unfolding into a collection of timeless proverbs. It uniquely personifies wisdom and folly as two paths that stand before humanity, offering a choice between a life filled with virtue, fear of the Lord, and understanding, and one marred by shortsighted pleasures and foolishness. Proverbs serves as a compass for those seeking to walk in righteousness, offering insights that resonate deeply with the human experience, guiding us toward a life of purpose and discernment according to God’s will.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations.

Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.

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Proverbs 30:1-33

The Words of Agur

30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.^[a]

The man declares, I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and worn out.^[b]
2 Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
³ I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.
⁴ Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is his son’s name?
Surely you know!

⁵ Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
⁶ Do not add to his words,
lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

⁷ Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me before I die:
⁸ Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
⁹ lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.

¹⁰ Do not slander a servant to his master,
lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

¹¹ There are those^[c] who curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers.
¹² There are those who are clean in their own eyes
but are not washed of their filth.
¹³ There are those—how lofty are their eyes,
how high their eyelids lift!
¹⁴ There are those whose teeth are swords,
whose fangs are knives,
to devour the poor from off the earth,
the needy from among mankind.

¹⁵ The leech has two daughters:
Give and Give.^[d]
Three things are never satisfied;
four never say, “Enough”:
¹⁶ Sheol, the barren womb,
the land never satisfied with water,
and the fire that never says, “Enough.”

¹⁷ The eye that mocks a father
and scorns to obey a mother
will be picked out by the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.

¹⁸ Three things are too wonderful for me;
four I do not understand:
¹⁹ the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a serpent on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a virgin.

²⁰ This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done no wrong.”

²¹ Under three things the earth trembles;
under four it cannot bear up:
²² a slave when he becomes king,
and a fool when he is filled with food;
²³ an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.

²⁴ Four things on earth are small,
but they are exceedingly wise:
²⁵ the ants are a people not strong,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
²⁶ the rock badgers are a people not mighty,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
²⁷ the locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in rank;
²⁸ the lizard you can take in your hands,
yet it is in kings’ palaces.

²⁹ Three things are stately in their tread;
four are stately in their stride:
³⁰ the lion, which is mightiest among beasts
and does not turn back before any;
³¹ the strutting rooster,^[e] the he-goat,
and a king whose army is with him.^[f]

³² If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
put your hand on your mouth.
³³ For pressing milk produces curds,
pressing the nose produces blood,
and pressing anger produces strife.

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Footnotes

1. Proverbs 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa
2. Proverbs 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal
3. Proverbs 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14
4. Proverbs 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry
5. Proverbs 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins
6. Proverbs 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. esv.org