Prov. 30 Agur’s prophecy, Prov. 30:1; wherein he acknowledgeth his own ignorance, Prov. 30:2–3. The purity of God’s word, with the happiness of them that trust in him, Prov. 30:5. He dehorts from adding to the Scriptures, by the danger of it, Prov. 30:6.

Agur the son of Jakeh; a person so called, as appears from the designation of his own and his father’s name, who lived either in Solomon’s time, or rather afterwards, and was famous in his generation for wisdom, and piety, and prophecy; and therefore his proverbs were thought fit to be added to…

You come to me with a great opinion of my wisdom, and you expect that I should inform and instruct you in all things, yea, even in the greatest mysteries: but you are much mistaken in me; I am as ignorant and foolish as other men generally are, yea, more than many others; which he utters either, 1.

I neither learned wisdom; I have not been taught in the schools of wisdom, as the sons of prophets were, but must own myself to be an unlearned man, as the prophet Amos was, Amos 7:14–15. Or, I have not learned it, neither by my own understanding and study, nor by the help of other men.

Who? what mere man? None at all; and therefore I may truly say, that I have not that which no mortal man ever yet had. Hath ascended up into heaven; there to learn the mind of God who dwells there, and that wisdom which is from above.

Every word of God is pure; and therefore you, Ithiel and Ucal, must not expect the full knowledge of Divine mysteries from me, nor from any man, but from the word of God, which is a certain rule, both of your belief and practice, because every part and parcel of it is holy, and true, and good, and…

And as the word of God is pure, do not thou corrupt or abuse it, by adding to it thine own or other men’s inventions and opinions, and delivering or receiving of them in the name and as the words of God.

Have I required; I do earnestly and especially desire Deny me them not before I die, Heb. withhold them not from me before I die, i.e. whilst I live, as things of great and continual necessity for thy honour and service, and my own good.

Remove far from me; from my heart, and from the course of my life. This is the first of Agur’s petitions. Vanity; either, 1. All vain and false opinions concerning God, or the things of God; all unbelief, idolatry, or misbelief. Or, 2.

Deny thee, by trusting to riches, which is a denial of God, Job 31:24–28, by unthankfulness for and abuse of his mercies, and by rebellion against him, and divers other courses and common practices of rich men, whereby God is denied in truth and in works, even when he is owned in words and in show.

Accuse not a servant, to wit, maliciously, rashly, or without just and sufficient cause; for otherwise, in some cases, this may be not only lawful, but a duty, as when a servant lives wickedly, or robs his master, or the like, A servant; whose condition is in itself mean and miserable, and…

A generation; a sort of men, abominable both to God and men; which is implied concerning these and the following kinds of sinners, Prov. 30:12–14. Their father, and mother too, as it follows; ungrateful and unnatural monsters.

Who not only pretend to others, but conceit within themselves, that they are truly religious persons, when they live in the course of wickedness.

Who are proud and insolent, advancing themselves, and despising all others in comparison of themselves, and showing the pride of their hearts in their countenances and carriages.

Extortioners, and cruel oppressors, who grind the faces of the poor.

The horseleech, an insatiable creature, sucking blood till it be ready to burst, hath two daughters; which are either, 1. The two forks into which her tongue is divided, and wherewith she sucks: but those who have more accurately observed and described the frame of that creature tell us that they…

The barren womb; for as the Israelitish women did generally and vehemently desire many children, for divers reasons elsewhere mentioned; so those who were barren amongst them were most eager in those desires, as we see in Rachel, Gen.

The eye that mocketh at his father; he that scorneth or derideth his parents, though it be but with a look or gesture, and much more when he breaks out into opprobrious words and actions.

The way whereof I cannot trace or find out.

The way of an eagle in the air; either, 1. The manner of her flight, which is exceeding high, and swift, and strong. Or rather, 2. The way or part of the air through which she passeth, without leaving any print or sign in it, which though it be true of all birds, yet is here attributed to the…

Such, so secret and undiscernible, is the way of an adulterous woman; of her who, though she be called and accounted a maid yet in truth is an adulteress: not a common strumpet, for of such the following words are not true, but one that secretly lives in the sin of adultery or fornication.

The earth is disquieted; either, 1. The earth itself trembleth and is moved; so it is an hyperbole. Or rather, 2. The inhabitants of the earth. They do by their insolence and impudence cause great and dreadful disturbances in the places where they live.

When he reigneth; when he is advanced to great power and dignity; for such a one is ignorant and unfit for his place, and therefore commits many errors; he is poor, and therefore an insatiable oppressor, according to Prov.

Odious; proud, and perverse, and full of hateful and offensive qualities. When she is married; for then she displayeth and exerciseth all those ill humours, which before for her own ends she concealed; then she is puffed up, and imperious, and becomes intolerable to her own family, and to her…

Comparatively to other brute creatures. They act very wisely and providently, not from any reason which they have, but by the direction of Divine Providence, which secretly guides them to do those things for their own preservation which are most agreeable to the rules of wisdom.

People; which title is oft given to the unreasonable creatures, both in Scripture, as Joel 1:6, Joel 2:2, and in Homer, and Virgil, and divers other authors. They prepare their meat in the summer; of which See Poole “Prov. 30:6”, See Poole “Prov. 30:7”, See Poole “Prov. 30:8”.

In rocky ground, or in the holes of rocks, for their safety against their too potent enemies.

Have no king to rule and order them. By bands; in great numbers, and in several companies, and in exact order, as is observed in Scripture, as Judg. 6:5, Judg. 7:12, Joel 1:6, Joel 2:7, and by other writers.

The spider taketh hold of the thread which she spins out of her own bowels with her hands; with her legs, which he calls hands, because they serve her for the same purpose, to do her work, to weave her web, and to catch gnats or flies, &c.

That walk decently, and with great alacrity and courage; which are here commended to us to imitate in the management of our affairs.

He doth not flee from his pursuers, whether men or beasts, but walketh away with a slow and majestic pace, as is observed by Aristotle, and many others.

A greyhound, called in Hebrew, girt in the lions; either because its loins are slender, and as it were girt up into a little compass, and tight or well trussed up: or because of its great agility and swiftness; for the girding of the loins was used for expedition in going or working.

In lifting up thyself; either, 1. By rebellion or sedition against the king last mentioned. Or, 2. By anger or wrath, of which he speaks in the next verse. But this verse hath no necessary dependence either upon the foregoing or following verse. Or, 3.

The forcing of wrath; the stirring up of wrath, either, 1. In a man’s self towards others, by giving way to passion, or by fixing his thoughts upon those things which may inflame it. Or, 2. In others by reproaches, injuries, or any other provocations.