Proverbs 30-31

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 30

This and the following chapter are an appendix to Solomon's proverbs; but they are both expressly called prophecies in the Prov. 30:1; 31:1; by which it appears that the penmen of them, whoever they were, were divinely inspired. This chapter was penned by one that bears the name of ?Agur Ben Jakeh.? What tribe he was of, or when he lived, we are not told; what he wrote, being indited by the Holy Ghost, is here kept upon record. We have here, I. His confession of faith, Prov. 30:1-6. II. His... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 30:1-6

Some make Agur to be not the name of this author, but his character; he was a collector (so it signifies), a gatherer, one that did not compose things himself, but collected the wise sayings and observations of others, made abstracts of the writings of others, which some think is the reason why he says (Prov. 30:3), ?I have not learned wisdom myself, but have been a scribe, or amanuensis, to other wise and learned men.? Note, We must not bury our talent, though it be but one, but, as we have... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 30:7-9

After Agur's confession and creed, here follows his litany, where we may observe, I. The preface to his prayer: Two things have I required (that is, requested) of thee, O God! Before we go to pray it is good to consider what we need, and what the things are which we have to ask of God.?What does our case require? What do our hearts desire? What would we that God should do for us?--that we may not have to seek for our petition and request when we should be presenting it. He begs, Deny me not... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 30:10-14

Here is, I. A caution not to abuse other people's servants any more than our own, nor to make mischief between them and their masters, for it is an ill office, invidious, and what will make a man odious, Prov. 30:10. Consider, 1. It is an injury to the servant, whose poor condition makes him an object of pity, and therefore it is barbarous to add affliction to him that is afflicted: Hurt not a servant with thy tongue (so the margin reads it); for it argues a sordid disposition to smite any... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 30:15-17

He had spoken before of those that devoured the poor (Prov. 30:14), and had spoken of them last, as the worst of all the four generations there mentioned; now here he speaks of their insatiableness in doing this. The temper that puts them upon it is made up of cruelty and covetousness. Now those are two daughters of the horse-leech, its genuine offspring, that still cry, ?Give, give, give more blood, give more money;? for the bloody are still blood-thirsty; being drunk with blood, they add... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 30:18-23

Here is, I. An account of four things that are unsearchable, too wonderful to be fully known. And here, 1. The first three are natural things, and are only designed as comparisons for the illustration of the last. We cannot trace, (1.) An eagle in the air. Which way she has flown cannot be discovered either by the footstep or by the scent, as the way of a beast may upon ground; nor can we account for the wonderful swiftness of her flight, how soon she has gone beyond our ken. (2.) A serpent... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 30:24-28

I. Agur, having specified four things that seem great and yet are really contemptible, here specifies four things that are little and yet are very admirable, great in miniature, in which, as bishop Patrick observes, he teaches us several good lessons; as, 1. Not to admire bodily bulk, or beauty, or strength, nor to value persons or think the better of them for such advantages, but to judge of men by their wisdom and conduct, their industry and application to business, which are characters that... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 30:29-33

Here is, I. An enumeration of four things which are majestic and stately in their going, which look great:?1. A lion, the king of beasts, because strongest among beasts. Among beasts it is strength that gives the pre-eminence, but it is a pity that it should do so among men, whose wisdom is their honour, not their strength and force. The lion turns not away, nor alters his pace, for fear of any pursuers, since he knows he is too hard for them. Herein the righteous are bold as a lion, that they... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Proverbs 30:1

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh ,.... Here begins, according to Aben Ezra, the fourth part of this book; though, according to others, it is the fifth; See Gill on Proverbs 22:17 ; Who this Agur was is a matter of doubt; some of the Jewish writers, as Jarchi and Gersom, and likewise some Christian writers F6 De Dieu, Cocceius, Teelman. Specimen. Explicat. Parabot. p. 378. , take him to be Solomon himself, who calls himself Agur, which is said to signify "a gatherer"; and so the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Proverbs 30:2

Surely I am more brutish than any man ,.... "Every man is become brutish in his knowledge"; man in his original state was a knowing creature but sinning lost his knowledge, and "became like the beasts that perish"; hence we read of the "brutish among the people": but Agur thought himself not only brutish among the rest, but more brutish than any. So Plato F15 De Leg. l. 10. p, 959. says of some souls living on earth, that they are θηριωδεις , of a brutish nature; see Jeremiah... read more

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