= Proverbs 30 * Please see [[nsv:license|License]] for Copyright notice and Licensing information. * [ [[Proverbs_29|Previous]] | [[Proverbs_31|Next]] ] == Proverbs 30 1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, 2 Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. 3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. 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? 5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. 7 Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: 8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. 10 Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty. 11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. 14 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. 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: 16 The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough. 17 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. 18 There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: 19 The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid. 20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. 21 For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: 22 For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat; 23 For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress. 24 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: 25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; 26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; 27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; 28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces. 29 There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: 30 A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; 31 A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up. 32 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth. 33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife. == Notes == Cross Reference == Concordance == Commentary == Rashi ==== Verse 1 The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh אגור בן יקה, the words of Solomon, who gathered (אגר) understanding (בינה) and vomited it (והקיאה). The Sages interpreted it in this manner. the prophecy He said this prophecy on that matter. the words of the man concerning, “God is with me; said the man that is Solomon this prophecy concerning himself because of איתיאל because he relied on his wisdom to increase gold, horses and wives, which he was forbidden to increase, and so he said, “God is with me, and I will be able. I will increase wives, and they will not turn my heart away; I will increase gold, and I will not turn away; I will increase horses, and I will not take the people back to Egypt.” yea, God is with me, and I will be able” Since he said, “God is with me, and I will be able to do it, and I will not stumble.” לאיתיאל, because of “God is with me,” as in (Ex. 14:3): “For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel (לבני),” meaning of the children of Israel. ==== Verse 2 For I am more boorish Because I relied on my wisdom in a matter that the Holy One, blessed be He, is concerned lest one come to sin. ==== Verse 3 Neither have I learned wisdom nor do I know the knowledge of the holy ones, for I subtracted or added to the words of Moses. ==== Verse 4 Who ascended to heaven like Moses? Who gathered wind The soot of the furnace. Who wrapped the waters (Ex. 15:8): “The depths were congealed”; (ad loc.): “The floods stood upright like a heap,” through Moses’s prayer. Who established the Tabernacle, through whose establishment all the ends of the earth were firmly established. In this way, it is expounded in the Pesikta. What is his name and what is the name of his son If you say that there already was one like him, tell me what his son’s name is; i.e., what family is descended from him, and we will know who he is. if you know if you know who he is. Now how did you not fear to transgress His words? ==== Verse 5 Every word of God is refined Heb. צרופה, refined, and He did not write anything unnecessary. [Therefore,] I should have been careful. ==== Verse 6 lest He prove to you, and you be found a liar He will prove to your face that through your addition you have come to sin, and certainly if you subtract. ==== Verse 7 I ask two [things] of You Now he addresses the Holy One, blessed be He. ==== Verse 8 poverty Heb. ראש, poverty. provide me Heb. הטריפני, an expression of food, and similarly (Ps. 111: 5): “He has given food (טרף) to those who fear Him.” ==== Verse 9 lest I become sated from wealth. and deny the existence of the Holy One, blessed be He, out of my extreme haughtiness. Now what is the denial? And I say, “Who is the Lord?” Meaning, there is no God. and take hold of the name of my God to become accustomed to swearing by it falsely. ==== Verse 10 Do not inform Do not deliver your case against a person to complain about him to the Holy One, blessed be He, even if he is wicked, who curses his father and possesses all the abominations mentioned here, and the proof of the matter is from Hosea son of Beeri, as is stated in Pesachim (87b) in the chapter entitled “The Woman,” that he informed on lsrael and said, “Exchange them for another nation.” Replied the Holy One, blessed be He, “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry” (Hos. 1:2). ==== Verse 13 A generation—how lofty etc. This refers to haughtiness. ==== Verse 14 A generation whose teeth are [like] swords [These are] the outer [teeth]. and its molars Its inner teeth. ==== Verse 15 The leech has Menachem (Machbereth p. 134) interprets עלוקה according to its apparent meaning. We learn that it is Arabic, but the commentators say that it is an expression of the grave and the descent. Indeed, we learn this in Midrash Psalms (31:9), which interprets the “two daughters” as Paradise and Gehinnom. This one says, “Give me righteous people!” and this one says, “Give me wicked people!” four that do not say, “Enough!” Heb. הון, lit. wealth. We have much [wealth]. ==== Verse 16 the confined womb Sexual intercourse. ==== Verse 17 the mother’s wrinkles Heb. ליקהת, the wrinkles that gather (נקהין) in his mother’s face, from the expression of (Gen. 49:10): “a gathering (יקהת) of peoples.” The “yud” is a radical, like יפעת, splendor; (יעלת חן) (Prov. 5:19), a graceful mountain goat. pick it out Heb. יקרוה, an expression of (Num. 16: 14): “will you pick (תנקר)” (Ex. 33:22) “In the cleft (בנקרת) of the rock.” Forer in French, to bore through. Let the raven, which is cruel to its young, come and pick it and not eat it and not derive benefit from it, and let the eagle, which is compassionate with its young, come and eat it and derive benefit from it. The raven is cruel, as it is stated (Ps. 147:9): “to the young ravens which cry,” and the eagle is compassionate, as it is stated (Deut. 32: 11): “It bears its young on its wing.” ==== Verse 18 are concealed from me They are covered after they passed from my eyes, and I do not know where they went, because they hasten to hide from the eye. ==== Verse 20 and [she] wipes Heb. ומחתה she turns over her lower orifice, as it is written (II Kings 21:13): “as one wipes (ימחה) a dish, he wipes (מחה) and turns it upside down.” she eats Scripture speaks euphemistically. ==== Verse 28 The spider Erinee in Old French. [Araignee in modern French.] grasps with [her] hands With her hands she grasps and clings to the walls. ==== Verse 29 outstanding in their step They walk and succeed with their might. ==== Verse 31 The greyhound Heb. זרזיר מתנים. I do not know what it is, but from the context appears to be an animal with weak loins. and the king against whom no one dares to rise up Heb. ומלך אלקום I do not know what it is according to its simple meaning, but the Aggadic midrashim interpret these five sections of four as corresponding to the four kingdoms. Since their rule over Israel was strengthened because of the iniquity of having transgressed the five Books of the Pentateuch, Scripture mentions them five times. [16] The grave and the barren womb The grave represents the kingdom of Babylon, for it is stated regarding Nebuchadnezzar (Hab. 2:5): “who widened his desire like the nether- world.” And the barren womb, that is Media, in whose time mercy (רחמים) was held back from Israel, as it is said (Esther 3:13): to destroy, kill and cause to perish.” the earth, which is not sated with water This represents Greece, which was not sated with issuing decrees on Israel. and fire, which does not say, “Enough!” Corresponding to Esau, who acted with burning wrath against Israel, for he said to destroy children and women in one day. And likewise... [19] The way of the eagle This is Babylon, the great eagle, with the long wings (Ezek. 17:3). serpent This is Media. the way of a ship in the heart of the sea This represents Greece, who was swift with its decrees. the way of a man with a young woman This represents Edom, who said, “I will be a mistress forever.” [גבר is interpreted as גברת, a mistress, and בעלמה as לעולם, forever.] [20] So is the way of an adulterous woman The people of Israel brought this evil upon themselves because they played the adulteress with idolatry, and they deserved that the retribution should befall them. and she says, “I have no committed no sin.” As it says (Jeremiah 2:35), “Behold, I contend with you concerning because you say, I have not sinned.” (Until this point are the words of Rashi [as they appear] in Mikraoth Gedoloth.) [21] the earth quakes This refers to Eretz Israel. under a slave This refers to Nebuchadnezzar, who was the slave and secretary of Merodach-baladan, as appears in Hullin. [To my knowledge, this does not appear in Hullin, but in Helek, the eleventh chapter of Sanhedrin, 96a.] and a wretch who is sated with food This refers to Ahasuerus, who made a banquet for one hundred and eighty days [23] a hated woman who is married Corresponding to Greece. and a maidservant who inherits her mistress This refers to Esau, who should have served Jacob, but the matter was reversed. [25] The ants are a people not strong This refers to Babylon, as it is stated (Isa. 23:13): “Behold the land of the Chaldees, this people has never been.” yet they prepare their food in the summer [This refers to] Nebuchadnezzar, who performed one [act of] honor to the Holy One, blessed be He, in the days of Merodach-baladan, when he sent letters to Hezekiah, and wrote therein, “Peace to King Hezekiah; peace to city of Jerusalem; peace to the great God.” Nebuchadnezzar was the one who wrote his letters, but he was not there that day, and when he came and they told him what they had done, he responded, “You call Him the great God, yet you address Him last!” He ran after the messenger and brought him back. For that [act of] pursuit, he merited the kingship. This is how he “prepared his bread in the summer,” like the ant. [26] The hyraxes are a people not strong This refers to Media and Persia. yet they make their home in the rock For they built the Temple. [28] The spider grasps with its hands This refers to Esau, as it is stated (Gen. 27:22): “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” in a king’s palaces That he [Esau] entered the Temple of the King and destroyed it. [30] The lion is the mightiest of the beasts This is Nebuchadnezzar, as it is stated (Jer. 4:7): The lion has come up from his thicket.” the one who girds his loins This refers to Media and Persia, who girded their loins and assassinated Belshazzar and seized the kingdom of Babylon. [31] and the he-goat This refers to Greece, as it is stated (Dan. 8:21): “And the rough he-goat is the king of Greece.” and the king against whom no one dares to rise up This is Edom, who says, “I am it, and there is none besides me.” No one opposes him. אלקום, no one stands with him. ==== Verse 32 If you have been put to shame, you will be in your ascendency If you were put to shame through your speech, that you derided yourself, you will ultimately ascend in the matter. and if you thought evil in your heart to quarrel, put your hand onto your mouth and remain silent. ==== Verse 33 For pressing milk For, just as butter will come out by pressing milk and blood by pressing the nose too much, so will strife come out of pressing the nostrils of anger. pressing Heb. מיץ, pressing, preindre in Old French, as in (Jud. 6:38): “and wrung (וימץ) dew, etc.” And our Sages explained (Ber. 63b): If you were put to shame because of the words of Torah, by seeking and asking your doubts of your mentor, even if you appear to him as a fool without intelligence, you will ultimately be exalted; ואם זמות, but if you placed a muzzle on your mouth and muzzled it, and you did not ask him anything, your end will be that when they ask you a matter of halachah, you will put your hand to your mouth and you will be dumb, for you will not know to reply anything about it. Just as pressing milk gives out butter, so will pressing anger that your mentor is wroth with you for not understanding readily and you were put to shame because of it, eventually bring out of your mouth after a time many (רבות) halachoth and instructions.