proverbs-30

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:10

AN ISOLATED MAXIM"Slander not a servant with his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty."A slander, of course, is an evil, untruthful saying against someone. Clarke noted that, "The proverb warns against bringing a false accusation against a servant, lest thou be found guilty of the falsehood, and the servant curse thee for traducing his character, and in his turn, traduce thine. A general rule also appears here, `Do not meddle with other people's servants.'"[13] read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:11

A SERIES OF TETRADS(A tetrad is a wise saying with four lines or four elements.)1"There is a generation that curse their father, and bless not their mother.There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes,And yet are not washed from their filthiness.There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.There is a generation whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw-teeth as knives,To devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.""In all of... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:15

2"The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give.There are three things that are never satisfied,Yea, four that say not, Enough:Sheol, and the barren womb;The earth that is not satisfied with water;And the fire that saith not, Enough.The eye that mocketh at his father,And despiseth to obey his mother,The ravens of the valley shall pick it out,And the young eagles shall eat it."It is noted that the verses do not follow the patterns of the tetrads; and, now and then, one finds a verse... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:18

3"There are three things which are too wonderful for me,Yea, four which I know not:The way of an eagle in the air;The way of a serpent on a rock;The way of a ship in the midst of the sea;And the way of a man with a maiden.So is the way of an adulterous woman;She eateth, and wipeth her mouth,And saith, I have done no wickedness."In the preceding tetrad, the concurrence of the four things was in their insatiable nature; here the quadruple likeness is that, "They leave no trace behind them."[18]... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:21

4"For three things the earth doth tremble,And for four which it cannot bear.For a servant when he is king;And a fool when he is filled with food;For an odious woman when she is married;And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress."The cases cited here are of people in relatively inferior positions who find themselves suddenly promoted; and the intimation of the passage is that, "They then become excessively pretentious, arrogant and disagreeable."[20] Some have discovered an element of humor in... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:24

5"There are four things which are little upon the earth,But they are exceeding wise:The ants are a people not strong,Yet they provide their food in the summer;The conies are but a feeble folk,Yet make they their houses in the rocks;The locusts have no king,Yet go they forth all of them by bands;The lizard taketh hold with her hands,Yet is she in king's palaces."Other translations give us "badgers"[21] for `conies' in Proverbs 30:26, or "rock-rabbits,"[22] "mormats,"[23] or "the rabbit."[24] Why... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:29

6"There are three things which are stately in their march,Yea, four which are stately in going:The lion, which is mightiest among beastsAnd turneth not away for any;The greyhound; the he-goat also;And the king against whom there is no rising up.""Strutting cock"[28] replaces `greyhound' in many of the ancient versions; and the RSV has followed them. However, "greyhound"[29] and "war-horse"[30] are also legitimate renditions. A significant thing about this whole chapter is that, "There is no... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:32

A SEXTET ON PRIDE AND ANGER"If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself,Or if thou hast thought evil,Lay thy hand upon thy mouth.For the churning of milk bringeth forth butter,And the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood;But the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.""Forcing wrath" is a reference to "harping on a matter," continual complaining, criticizing, or in any other manner prosecuting another with exhibitions of one's displeasure or animosity. To do such a thing brings forth... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Proverbs 30

CHAP. XXX. Agur's confession of his faith. The two points of his prayer. The meanest are not to be wronged. Four wicked generations. Four things insatiable. Parents are not to be despised. Four things hard to be known. Four things intolerable. Four things exceeding wise. Four things stately. Wrath is to be prevented. read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Proverbs 30:1

Proverbs 30:1. The words of Agur, &c.— According to the signification of the original terms, this might be rendered, The words of him who has recollected himself, the son of obedience. The generality of the fathers and ancient commentators will have it that Solomon describes himself under the name of Agur, the son of Jakeh; others conjecture that Agur, as well as Lemuel, in the next chapter, were wise men who lived in the time of Solomon, and were his interlocutors in the book of Proverbs;... read more

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:10

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:11

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:15

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:18

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:21

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:24

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:29

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 30:32

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Proverbs 30

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Proverbs 30:1

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