Proverbs 30:21

For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:
– Proverbs 30:21

Verses 21-23 give another numerical saying where all the items are parallel to illustrate the wisdom point, which in this case is given at the beginning in verse 21. The list gives four unbearable circumstances. Where these occur, the earth is disquieted. The word literally means to tremble, quake, or shake. When used of people it can refer to fear, panic, or anger. When used with the earth, as here, it can refer to the literal quaking of the earth. Here the term is used in a common idiomatic way of referring to the upsetting of the usual order of the world. We experience the upsetting of the social order like the chaotic upheaval caused in a city by an earthquake. This saying fits well with the book of Ecclesiastes.

Proverbs 30:20

Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
– Proverbs 30:20

Verse 20 is the conclusion the sage was driving at with the list of incomprehensible things. There’s no need to puzzle long over the list and seek mysterious meanings. Each operates in a natural, ordered, and designed way—the eagle in the air, the serpent on a rock, the ship in the sea, and the man and woman in marriage. The wonder is the hardness of the “adulterous woman.” Descriptions and warnings about her have abounded in the wisdom sayings (Proverbs 2:16-19; 5:1-14, 20-23; 7:1-27; 9:17; 22:14; 23:27-28). The point of the wisdom sayings is not that women are the main ones guilty of sexual sins, or are worse than men. We must remember that wisdom sayings are given in the form of fatherly or motherly instructions to a young man and a part of wisdom is understanding the application of wisdom to various people and situations.

Just as the eagle and the serpent move naturally in their habitat, the adulteress is at home in her adulteries. Sexual sin is just as normal and natural as eating and drinking. She sees no spiritual or moral value at stake, “I have done no wickedness.” God designed and ordered one man, one woman marriage and all sexual activity outside that order is sin of various descriptions in Scripture.

Proverbs 30:18

There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
– Proverbs 30:18

Verses 18-20 give another numerical list saying where the list items are related in some way. This list is in the common form of three and four. It is unique in that verse 20 seems to give a fifth item, but it isn’t a fifth item. Verse 20 is a conclusion that explains the reason and function of the list in verse 19.

The word for wonderful means causing wonder and the sense is being too difficult to understand, which is further highlighted by the indication of not knowing at the end of the verse. The point of the list is the observance of things beyond the comprehension of the ponderer.

Proverbs 30:16

The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.
– Proverbs 30:16

Verse 16 lists the four mentioned in the previous verse that are never satisfied. The common link is insatiability, or persistent hunger that is never satisfied. The grave refers to the place of the dead, which never turns a corpse away because it is full (Proverbs 27:20; Isaiah 5:14; Habakkuk 2:5). The barren womb cannot be satisfied apart from bearing children, which it cannot do (Genesis 30:1). In a dry land, the rain is never enough, and fire will burn as long as it has any fuel at all.

The saying forms a warning against uncontrolled appetites, echoing the many wisdom warnings in the book (Proverbs 11:28; 15:27; 20:21; 28:22, 25). The connection with verse 15 and the previous generation sayings also gives the warning to reject the greed of the previous generation. This sort of warning is echoed in the prophets in their warnings to Israel and Judah (Ezekiel 16:44-45).

Proverbs 30:15

The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:
– Proverbs 30:15

Verses 15-16 return to the numerical sayings of this collection, with five of the six sayings contained in verses 15-31. These sayings present mostly in the form of three, then three plus one, or four. This numerical device is a compositional structure that gives a representative rather than exhaustive list. The listed items may seem to be unrelated, but they share some important connection.

The saying opens with a figure of the leech, or particularly the horseleach, that has two daughters. The precise meaning of this figure has been debated for centuries. Why two daughters? Does two indicate twins? Is Give, give the names of the daughters or what they say, since there is no word for crying in the underlying Hebrew Masoretic text? Sometimes, wisdom sayings work by ambiguities and trying to button up every detail could miss the point.

The second part of the saying makes the point of the figure clear. The point is to illustrate never being satisfied, never having enough. The leech is a parasite that consumes insatiably and does not produce. We also see a subtle connection to the generation sayings previous to this one, because the figure is not just a leech, but the daughters of a leech. The sayings prior to this have condemned pride and greed within generations, and here the warning goes both ways. We can be quick to point out the faults of the younger generations to us, but wisdom bids us remember that the older generations produced the younger, and so they are a reflection. To the younger generation, the warning is to be aware and careful not to repeat the follies of the older generations.

Proverbs 30:4

Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?
– Proverbs 30:4

Agur asks six questions and most commentators have asked a lot more. The questions echo passages like Job 38, where the loftiness of God above humans is highlighted. The questions ask of might works, like Proverbs 8:24-29, which are creative acts of divine power and so, separate from men. Opinions vary about the “son” mentioned in the last line. Ultimately, Agur writes that wisdom belongs to God alone and comes down to earth in his Son.

Proverbs 30:3

I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
– Proverbs 30:3

Learning wisdom means gaining knowledge of God (Proverbs 9:10). Agur’s confession points to the human deficit of wisdom and the need for humble, reverent submission to acquire wisdom.

Proverbs 30:2

Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.
– Proverbs 30:2

The word for brutish means stupid and can refer to animals as opposed to humans. Agur begins confessing he is more like a dumb beast than a human being in terms of wisdom. Beasts are without spiritual insight or concern, and are rather driven by animal needs such as safety and food (Psalm 73:21-22). The wisdom of Proverbs generally tends to humility (Proverbs 3:5-7; 26:12; 28:26). It could be said that wisdom is unattainable without it.

Proverbs 29:3

Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance.
– Proverbs 29:3

This saying echoes a long line of wisdom sayings pertaining to sons who acquire wisdom blessing their fathers (Proverbs 10:1; 15:20; 23:15, 24-25; 27:11). The second line gives the contrasting parallel for the foolish sons (Proverbs 5:8-10; 6:26; 21:17, 20; 28:7, 19). The contrast is between loving and pursuing wisdom or loving and pursuing folly. Wisdom and folly are personified as women in Proverbs (Proverbs 9:1-18), and so loving wisdom is pictured through finding a virtuous wife (Proverbs 31:10-31) and folly through chasing prostitutes (Proverbs 5:1-23; 7:1-27). Jesus told of such a foolish son, who went on to forsake folly for wisdom (Luke 15:11-32).

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