The following tetrastich is connected with what has preceded in this way: As the light of nature and metaphysical speculation are of no avail in obtaining the perfect knowledge of God which the seeker craves, he must be all the more thankful for the revealed Word of God, which teaches him as much as he is capable of learning. read more
The purity of God's words I. THE REFUGE FROM VAIN SPECULATION IS PRACTICAL REVELATION . The search for God in thought and nature has ended in weariness. But Agur does not subside into agnosticism, much less does he renounce all higher thinking as "vanity of vanities," and plunge into Sadducean worldliness and Epicurean materialism. On the contrary, though he gives up his ambitious quest with a sigh of disappointment, he learns to take a humbler path, on which he finds that... read more
Proverbs 30:4 . Who hath ascended, &c. What mere man hath ascended into heaven to learn the mind of God, who dwells there? None have. And descended To teach men below what he had learned above. No man can fully know and teach us these things unless he hath been in heaven, and sent down from thence to the earth for that end. Who hath gathered the wind in his fists To hold them in, or let them out at his pleasure? And none but he who made and governs all creatures, can know and teach... read more
Proverbs 30:5. Every word of God is pure You 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 for your faith and practice, because every part of it is holy, and true, and good, and there is not the least mixture of falsehood or folly in it, as there is in all the words and writings of men. He is a shield unto them that trust in him Which supposes their knowledge of him by his word, Psalms 9:10, and... read more
30:1-31:31 OTHER COLLECTIONS OF WISE SAYINGSThe personal testimony of Agur (30:1-9)Agur, some of whose sayings are collected here, was apparently a well known wisdom teacher in the Palestine region. He begins his instruction with a confession that though he longs to know God he cannot, because he is merely a man. No human being can do the great works God has done. Agur challenges his hearers to tell him the name of any person (or the name of that person’s son, if they prefer) who has been to... read more
Who . . . ? Can it mean that the speaker here is the speaker of Proverbs 8:0 ? viz. the "son" of the last clause of this verse? the wind. Hebrew. ruach. App-9 . read more
word = saying or utterance. Hebrew. imrah. App-73 . The only occurrence of this word in Proverbs. GOD. Hebrew Eloah. App-4 . The only occurrence of this title in Proverbs. Occurs forty-one times in Job, four times in Psalms, twelve times in the other books. pure = tried [in a furnace]. Compare Psalms 12:6 . unto them. Some codices read "unto all them". put their trust = flee for refuge. Hebrew. hasah. App-69 . read more
AN EXHORTATION TO TRUST GOD"Every Word of God is tried:He is a shield to them that take refuge in him.Add thou not unto his words,Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.""All of the revelation of God is free from error. As originally given, the Bible was free of any error. The alleged mistakes, errors, etc. in ancient manuscripts are insignificant. They do not affect even one percent of the text";[11] and they are of no more consequence than a flyspeck on the Washington Monument!"Add... read more
5. (Compare Psalms 12:6; Psalms 119:140). read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God is pure. "Word" is here imrah , which does not occur elsewhere in our book, which is the case also with Eloah , the term used for "God." Every declaration of God in the inspired record, the Torah, is pure, as if refined in the fire ( Psalms 18:30 ). Vulgate, Omnis sermo Dei est ignitus ; Septuagint, "All the words of God are tried in the fire ( πεπυρωμένοι )." God's words are true, sincere, with no mixture of error, certain of accomplishment (comp. ... read more