30:23 He should have imitated the ant, he should have heard the Word of God, he should have gathered. together grains, and he should have stored them within. There had come the trial of tribulation, there had come upon him a winter of numbness, tempest of fear, the cold of sorrow, whether it were loss, or any danger to his safety, or any bereavement of his family; or any dishonor and humiliation; it was winter; the ant falleth back upon that which in summer she hath gathered together; and within in her secret store, where no man seeth, she is recruited by her summer toils. When for herself she was gathering together these stores in summer, all men saw her: when on these she feedeth in winter, no one seeth. What is this? See the ant of God, he riseth day by day, he haveeneth to the Church of God, he prayeth, he heareth lection, he chanteth hymn, he digesteth that which he hath heard, with himself he thinketh thereon, he storeth within grains gathered from the threshing-floor. They that providently hear those very things which even now are being spoken of, do thus, and by all men are seen to go forth to the Church, go back from Church, to hear sermon, to hear lection, to choose a book, open and read it: all these things are seen, when they are done. That ant is treading his path, carrying and storing up in the sight of men seeing him. There cometh winter sometime, for to whom cometh it not? There chanceth loss, there chanceth bereavement: other men pity him perchance as being miserable, who know not what the ant hath within to eat, and they say, miserable he whom this hath befallen, or what spirits, dost You think, hath he whom this hath befallen? how afflicted is he? He measureth by himself, hath compassion according to his own strength; and thus he is deceived: because the measure wherewith he measureth himself, he would apply to him whom he knoweth not... O sluggard, gather in summer while You art able; winter will not suffer thee to gather, but to eat that which You shall have gathered. For how many men so suffer tribulation, that there is no opportunity either to read anything, or to hear anything, and they obtain no admittance, perchance, to those that would comfort them. The ant hath remained in her nest, let her see if she hath gathered anything in summer, whereby she may recruit herself in winter. St. Augustine: On the Psalms, 67:3. CHAPTER 30 God’s Word is sure and pure, and venturing our souls upon it, we shall find it a shield against temptations, a safe protection in the midst of greatest dangers. God will certainly reckon with any who presume to add to His word, or advance anything with competition with it. It is God who has gathered the winds in His fists and His name is “I am that I am” (Ex. 3:14), a name to be adored, not to be understood. Ha has a Son, Jesus Christ, whose name was to be called “Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, Prince of peace.” By Him, God made all that was made, and by Him He controls all things. Agur’s confession of faith, 1-6. His prayer, 7-9. Of wicked generations, 10-14. Things that are never satisfied, 15, 16. Of him who despises his parents, 17. Three wonderful things, 18-20. Three things that disquiet the land, 21-23. Four little but very intelligent animals, 24-28. Four things that go well, 29-31. A man should cease from doing foolishly, and from strife, 32, 33. 30:1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, Verse 1. The words of Agur the son of Jakeh — The words Agur, Jakeh, Ithiel, and Ucal, have been considered by some as proper names: by others, as descriptive characters. With some, Agur is Solomon; and Jakeh, David; and Ithiel and Ural are epithets of Christ. The Vulgate translates, Verba congregantis filii vomentis: visio, quam locutus est sir, cum quo est Deus, et qui Deo secum morante confortatus, ait. “The words of the collector, the son of the vomiter: the vision of the man who has God with him, and who is fortified by God dwelling with him, saith.” COVERDALE makes the following words a title to the chapter: “The wordes of Agur the sonne of Jake. “The prophecie of a true faithfull man, whom God hath helped; whom God hath comforted and nourished.” https://coptic-treasures.com/ Proverbs 30 2 The whole might be thus translated, keeping near to the letter: — “The words of the epistle of the obedient son.” Or, “The words of the collector, the son of Jakeh. The parable which rbgh haggeber, the strong man, the hero, spake unto him who is God with me; to him who is God with me, even the strong God.” 1837 “The visioun that a man spake with whiche is God, and that God with him, wonyng confortid”. — Old MS. Bible. From this introduction, from the names here used, and from the style of the book, it appears evident that Solomon was not the author of this chapter; and that it was designed to be distinguished from his work by this very preface, which specifically distinguishes it from the preceding work. Nor can the words in ver. 2, 3, 8, 9, be at all applied to Solomon: they suit no part of Solomon’s life, nor of his circumstances. We must, therefore, consider it an appendix or supplement to the preceding collection; something in the manner of that part which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, had collected. As to mysteries here, many have been found by them who sought for nothing else; but they are all, in my view of the subject, hazarded and precarious. I believe Agur, Jakeh, Ithiel, and Ural, to be the names of persons who did exist, but of whom we know nothing but what is here mentioned. Agur seems to have been a public teacher, and Ithiel and Ucal to have been his scholars; and what he delivers to them was done by prophesy. It was what the prophets generally term am massa, an ORACLE, something immediately delivered by the Holy Spirit for the benefit of man. 30:2 Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. Verse 2. Surely I am more brutish — These words can in no sense, nor by any mode of speech, be true of Solomon: for while he was the wisest of men, he could not have said that he was more brutish than any man, and had not the understanding of a man. It is saying nothing to the purpose, to say he was so independently of the Divine teaching. Had he put this in, even by innuendo, it might be legitimate: but he does not; nor is it by fair implication to be understood. Solomon is not supposed to have written the Proverbs after he fell from God. Then indeed he might have said he had been more brutish than any man. But Agur might have used these words with strict propriety, for aught we know; for it is very probable that he was a rustic, wiyout education, and wiyout any human help, as was the prophet Amos; and that all that he knew now was by the inspiration of the Almighty, independently of which he was rustic and uneducated. 30:2 Wherefore also Moses says, “ Show Thyself to me,” — intimating most clearly that God is not capable of being taught by man, or expressed in speech, but to be known only by His own power. For inquiry was obscure and dim; but the grace of knowledge is from Him by the Son. Most clearly Solomon shall testify to us, speaking thus: “The prudence of man is not in me: but God giveth me wisdom, and I know holy things.” Now Moses, describing allegorically the divine prudence, called it the tree of life planted in Paradise; which Paradise may be the world in which all things proceeding from creation grow. In it also the Word blossomed and bore fruit, being “made flesh,” and gave life to those “who had tasted of His graciousness;” since it was not without the wood of the tree that He came to our knowledge. For our life was hung on it, in order that we might believe. And Solomon again says: “She is a tree of immortality to those who take hold of her.” “Behold, I set before thy face life and death, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk in His ways, and hear His voice, and trust in life. But if ye transgress the statutes and the judgments which I have given you, ye shall be destroyed with destruction. For this is life, and the length of thy days, to love the LORD thy God” (Deut. 30:15,16). St. Clement of Alexandria: Stromata 5:11. 30:3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. ver. 3. 1839 The Arabic has, What is his names [A] and what is the name of his father? him who begat him. But the Chaldee, the Syriac, and the Vulgate, read as the Hebrew. Many are of opinion that Agur refers here to the first and second persons of the everblessed TRINITY. It may be so; but who would venture to rest the proof of that most glorious doctrine upon such a text, to say nothing of the obscure author? The doctrine is true, sublimely true; but many doctrines have suffered in controversy, by improper texts being urged in their favor. Every lover of God and truth should be very choice in his selections, when he comes forward in behalf of the more mysterious doctrines of the Bible. Quote nothing that is not clear: advance nothing that does not tell. When we are obliged to spend a world of critical labor, in order to establish the sense of a https://coptic-treasures.com/ Proverbs 30 3 text which we intend to allege in favor of the doctrine we wish to support, we may rest assured that we are going the wrong way to work. Those who indiscriminately amass every text of Scripture they think bears upon the subject they defend, give their adversaries great advantage against them. I see many a sacred doctrine suffering through the bad judgment of its friends every day. The Godhead of Christ, salvation by faith, the great atoning sacrifice, and other essential doctrines of this class, are all suffering in this way. My heart says, with deep concern, Non tali auxilio, nec defensoribus istis, Tempus eget. When truth is assailed by all kinds of weapons, handled by the most powerful foes, injudicious defenders may be ranked among its enemies. To such we may innocently say, “Keep your cabins; you do assist the storm.” Verse 3. I neither learned wisdom — I have never been a scholar in any of those schools of the wise men, nor have the knowledge of the holy, kedoshim, of the saints or holy persons. 1838 The Septuagint give this a different turn: yeov dedidace me sofian, kai gnwsin agiwn egnwka; “God hath taught me wisdom, and the knowledge of the saints I have known.” This may refer to the patriarchs, prophets, or holy men, that lived before the days of Solomon. That is, the translators might have had these in view. 30:4 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 you canst tell? Verse 4. Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? — Calmet paraphrases this passage thus: “Who hath descended, etc. In order to show the truth of what he was about to say, he observes: I have not the science of the saints; for how could I have acquired it? Who is he who could attain to that? Who has ascended to heaven to learn that science, and who has descended in order to publish it? Is the science of salvation one of those things that can be apprehended only by study? Is it not a pure gift of the goodness of God? Moses, after having shown to the people the will of God, said to them: ‘This commandment which I command you this day is not hidden from you; neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?’ Deuteronomy 30:11, 12. The person whose words we are here examining speaks a knowledge more sublime than that contained in the simple laws of the Lord, common to all the people of Israel. He speaks of the sublime science of the designs of God, of his ways, and of his secrets; and in this sense he affirms he has no knowledge.” Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? — It is as difficult for a mortal man to acquire this Divine science by his own reason and strength, as to collect the winds in his fists. And who can command the spirit of prophecy, so that he can have it whensoever he pleases? What is his name? — Show me the nature of this Supreme Being. Point out his eternity, omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence; comprehend and describe him, if you canst. What is his son’s name — Some copies of the Septuagint have h ti onoma toiv tiknoio autou; “Or the name of his sons;” meaning, I suppose, the holy angels, called his saints or holy ones, vs. 4: there is a prophetic notice of Him who came down from heaven to be our Instructor and Savior, and then ascended into heaven to be our Advocate. The Messiah is here spoken of as a Person distinct from the Father, but his name as yet secret. The great Redeemer, in the glories of his providence and grace, cannot be found out to perfection. Had it not been for Christ, the foundations of the earth had sunk under the load of the curse upon the ground, for man’s sin. Who, and what is the mighty One that doeth all this? There is not the least ground to suspect anything wanting in the word of God; adding to his words opens the way to errors and corruptions. Verse 4. Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? — Calmet paraphrases this passage thus: “Who hath descended, etc. In order to show the truth of what he was about to say, he observes: I have not the science of the saints; for how could I have acquired it? Who is he who could attain to that? Who has ascended to heaven to learn that science, and who has descended in order to publish it? Is the science of salvation one of those things that can be apprehended only by study? Is it not a pure gift of the goodness of God? Moses, after having shown to the people the will of God, said to them: ‘This commandment which I command you this day is not hidden from you; neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?’ Deuteronomy 30:11, 12. The person whose words we are here examining speaks https://coptic-treasures.com/ Proverbs 30 4 a knowledge more sublime than that contained in the simple laws of the Lord, common to all the people of Israel. He speaks of the sublime science of the designs of God, of his ways, and of his secrets; and in this sense he affirms he has no knowledge.” Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? — It is as difficult for a mortal man to acquire this Divine science by his own reason and strength, as to collect the winds in his fists. And who can command the spirit of prophecy, so that he can have it whensoever he pleases? What is his name? — Show me the nature of this Supreme Being. Point out his eternity, omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence; comprehend and describe him, if you canst. What is his son’s name — Some copies of the Septuagint have h ti onoma toiv tiknoio autou; “Or the name of his sons;” meaning, I suppose, the holy angels, called his saints or holy ones, ver. 3. 1839 The Arabic has, What is his names [A] and what is the name of his father? him who begat him. But the Chaldee, the Syriac, and the Vulgate, read as the Hebrew. Many are of opinion that Agur refers here to the first and second persons of the everblessed TRINITY. It may be so; but who would venture to rest the proof of that most glorious doctrine upon such a text, to say nothing of the obscure author? The doctrine is true, sublimely true; but many doctrines have suffered in controversy, by improper texts being urged in their favor. Every lover of God and truth should be very choice in his selections, when he comes forward in behalf of the more mysterious doctrines of the Bible. Quote nothing that is not clear: advance nothing that does not tell. When we are obliged to spend a world of critical labor, in order to establish the sense of a text which we intend to allege in favor of the doctrine we wish to support, we may rest assured that we are going the wrong way to work. Those who indiscriminately amass every text of Scripture they think bears upon the subject they defend, give their adversaries great advantage against them. I see many a sacred doctrine suffering through the bad judgment of its friends every day. The Godhead of Christ, salvation by faith, the great atoning sacrifice, and other essential doctrines of this class, are all suffering in this way. My heart says, with deep concern, Non tali auxilio, nec defensoribus istis, Tempus eget. When truth is assailed by all kinds of weapons, handled by the most powerful foes, injudicious defenders may be ranked among its enemies. To such we may innocently say, “Keep your cabins; you do assist the storm.” Proverbs 30:7 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Verse 5. Every word of God is pure—hpwrx hwla trma lk col imrath eloah tseruphah, “Every oracle of God is purified.” A metaphor taken from the purifying of metals. Every thing that God has pronounced, every inspiration which the prophets have received, is pure, wiyout mixture of error, wiyout dross. Whatever trials it may be exposed to, it is always like gold: it bears the fire, and comes out with the same lustre, the same purity, and the same weight. The Septuagint give this a different turn: yeov dedidace me sofian, kai gnwsin agiwn egnwka; “God hath taught me wisdom, and the knowledge of the saints I have known.” This may refer to the patriarchs, prophets, or holy men, that lived before the days of Solomon. That is, the translators might have had these in view. Verse 5. Every word of God is pure—hpwrx hwla trma lk col imrath eloah tseruphah, “Every oracle of God is purified.” A metaphor taken from the purifying of metals. Every thing that God has pronounced, every inspiration which the prophets have received, is pure, wiyout mixture of error, wiyout dross. Whatever trials it may be exposed to, it is always like gold: it bears the fire, and comes out with the same lustre, the same purity, and the same weight. He is a shield unto them — And this oracle among the rest. “He is the defense of all them that put their trust in him.” lkl lechol, to all, is added here by nineteen of Kennicott’s and De Rossi’s MSS.; for instead of μysjl lachosim, to the trusters, they read μyswjh lkl lechol hachosim, “to EVERY ONE of them that trust.” Where the preposition and adjective are not only added, but the noun is written more full, and more emphatic: but a translation cannot well express it wiyout paraphrase. 30:6 Add you not unto his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Proverbs 30 5 Vs. 1-6: Agur speaks of himself as wanting a righteousness, and having done very foolishly. And it becomes us all to have low youghts of ourselves. He speaks of himself as wanting revelation to guide him in the ways of truth and wisdom. The more enlightened people are, the more they lament their ignorance; the more they pray for clearer, still clearer discoveries of God, and his rich grace in Christ Jesus. In ver. Verse 6. Add not you unto his words — You can no more increase their value by any addition, than you can that of gold by adding any other metal to it. Take care that you do not any thing that this word forbids, nor leave undone any thing that it commands: for this is adding and diminishing in Scripture phrase. Lest he reprove you — Lest he try thy word by fire, as his has been tried; and it appear that, far from abiding the test, the fire shows thine to be reprobate silver; and so you be found a falsifier of God’s word, and a liar. How amply has this been fulfilled in the case of the Romish Church! It has added all the gross stuff in the Apocrypha, besides innumerable legends and traditions, to the word of God! They have been tried by the refiner’s fire. And this Church has been reproved, and found to be a liar, in attempting to filiate on the most holy God spurious writings discreditable to his nature. Verse 7. Two things have I required of you — These two petitions are mentioned in the next verse; and he wishes to have them answered before he should die. That is, he wishes the answer now, that he may live the rest of his life in the state he describes. Verse 8. Remove far from me vanity and lies. — 1. aw چ shav, all false shows, all false appearances of happiness, every vain expectation. Let me not set my heart on any thing that is not solid, true, durable, and eternal. 2. Lies, bzk rbd debar cazab, all words of deception, empty pretensions, false promises, uncertain dependences, and words that FAIL; promises which, when they become due, are like bad bills; they are dishonored because they are found to be forged, or the drawer insolvent. From the import of the original, I am satisfied that Agur prays against idolatry, false religion, and false worship of every kind. aw چ shau is used for an idol, a false god. Jeremiah 18:15: “My people have forsaken me; they have burnt incense to VANITY;” aw چl lashshav, “to an IDOL.” Psalm 31:6: “I have hated them that regard lying VANITIES;” aw چ ylbh habley shave, “vain IDOLS.” See also Hosea 12:11; Jonah 2:8. And bzk cazab, a thing that fails or deceives, may well apply to the vain pretensions, false promises, and deceptive religious rites of idolatry. So Jeremiah 15:18: “Wilt you be unto me as a liar,” bzka wmk kemo achzob, like the false, failing promises of the false gods; “and as waters that fail;” wnman al lo neemanu, that are not faithful; not like the true God, whose promises never fail. According to this view of the subject, Agur prays, 1. That he may be preserved from idolatry. 2. That he may put no confidence in any words but those pure words of God that never fail them that trust in him. Give me neither poverty nor riches — Here are three requests: 1. Give me not poverty. The reason is added: Lest, being poor, I shall get into a covetous spirit, and, impelled by want, distrust my Maker, and take my neighbour’s property; and, in order to excuse, hide, or vindicate my conduct, I take the name of my God in vain; yt چpt taphasti, “I catch at the name of God.” Or, by swearing falsely, endeavor to make myself pass for innocent. “Forswere the name of my God”. — Old MS. Bible. Coverdale, “deny or apostatize from him.” 2. Give me not riches. For which petition he gives a reason also: Lest I be full, and addict myself to luxurious living, pamper the flesh and starve the soul, and so deny you, the Fountain of goodness; and, if called on to resort to first principles, I say, Who is Jehovah! Why should I acknowledge, why should I serve him? And thus cast aside all religion, and all moral obligation. 3. The third request is, Feed me with food convenient for me, yqj μjl ynpyrfh hatripheni leechem chukki; the meaning of which is,“give me as prey my statute allowance of bread,” i.e., my daily bread, a sufficient portion for each day. There is an allusion made to hunting: “Direct so by thy good providence, that I may each day find sufficient portion to subsist on, as a hunter in the forest prays that he may have good speed.” It is the province of a preacher to show the importance and utility of such a prayer, and dilate the circumstances, and expand the reasons, after the commentator has shown the literal sense. 30:7 Two things have I required of you; deny me them not before I die: https://coptic-treasures.com/ Proverbs 30 6 30:8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: But, one says, “the wisdom of the poor man is despised.” (Ecclesiastes 9:16) And again another says, “Give me neither riches nor poverty” (Proverbs 30:8), and, “Deliver me from the furnace of poverty.” (See Isaiah 48:10) And again, if riches and poverty are from the Lord, how can either poverty or riches be an evil? Why then were these things said? They were said under the Old [Covenant], where there was much account made of wealth, where there was great contempt of poverty, where the one was a curse and the other a blessing. But now it is no longer so. St. John Chrysostom: Homilies on Hebrews, 18. 30:8, 9 This competent portion he desires without impropriety who desires it and nothing beyond it; for if his desires go beyond it, he is not desiring it, and therefore his desire is improper. This was desired, and was prayed for by him who said: “Give me neither poverty nor riches: feed me with food convenient for me: lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” You see assuredly that this competency is desired not for its own sake, but to secure the health of the body, and such provision of house and clothing as is befitting the man’s circumstances, that he may appear as he ought to do among those amongst whom he has to live, so as to retain their respect and discharge the duties of his position. St. Augustine: Letter 130, ch. 6:12. 30:8 When one says: “Give me, neither poverty nor riches,” what else is this than, Give us this day our daily bread “? St. Augustine: Letter 130, ch. 12:22. On this account a certain wise man said, “Give me neither poverty nor riches.” (Proverbs 30:8.) However it is neither poverty nor riches, but the will that cannot use either of them. “Acknowledge,” he says, “that thou passest through the midst of snares.” (Ecclus. 9:13.). St. John Chrysostom: Homilies on 1 Thessalonians, hom. 3. 0:9 Lest I be full, and deny you, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. Vs. 7-9: Agur wisely prayed for a middle state, that he might be kept at a distance from temptations; he asked daily bread suited to his station, his family, and his real good. There is a remarkable similarity between this prayer and several clauses of the Lord’s prayer. If we are removed from vanity and lies; if we are interested in the pardoning love of Christ, and have him for our portion; if we walk with God, then we shall have all we can ask or think, as to spiritual things. When we consider how those who have abundance are prone to abuse the gift, and what it is to suffer want, Agur’s prayer will ever be found a wise one, yough seldom offered. Food convenient; what is so for one, may not be so for another; but we may be sure that our heavenly Father will supply all our need, and not suffer us to want anything good for us; and why should we wish for more? Proverbs 30:10 30:10 Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse you, and you be found guilty. Vs. 10 Slander not a servant to his master, accuse him not in small matters, to make mischief. Verse 10. Accuse not a servant — Do not bring a false accusation against a servant, lest you be found guilty of the falsehood, and he curse you for having traduced his character, and in his turn traduce thine. In general, do not meddle with other people’s servants. 30:11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doth not bless their mother. Verse 11. There is a generation — There are such persons in the world. In this and the three following verses the wise man points out four grand evils that prevailed in his time. The first, Those who not only did not honor, but who evil-treated, their parents. 30:12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. Verse 12. The second, Those who were self-righteous, supposing themselves pure, and were not so. 30:13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. Verse 13. The third, Those who were full of vanity, pride, and insolence. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Proverbs 30 7 30:14 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. Verse 14. The fourth, The greedy, cruel, and oppressive, and, especially, oppressive to the poor. vs. 11-14: In every age there are monsters of ingratitude who ill-treat their parents. Many persuade themselves they are holy persons, whose hearts are full of sin, and who practice secret wickedness. There are others whose lofty pride is manifest. There have also been cruel monsters in every age. 30:15 The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: Verse 15. The horseleech hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. — “This horseleech,” says Calmet, “is COVETOUSNESS, and her two daughters are Avarice and Ambition. They never say, It is enough; they are never satisfied; they are never contented.” Many explanations have been given of this verse; but as all the versions agree in render ing hqwl[ alukah the horseleech or blood-sucker, the general meaning collected has been, “There are persons so excessively covetous and greedy, that they will scarcely let any live but themselves; and when they lay hold of any thing by which they may profit, they never let go their hold till they have extracted the last portion of good from it.” Horace has well expressed this disposition, and by the same emblem, applied to a poor poet, who seizes on and extracts all he can from an author of repute, and obliges all to hear him read his wretched verses. 1843 Quem vero arripuit, tenet, occiditque legendo, Non missura cutem, nisi plena cruoris, HIRUDO. DE ARTE POET., ver. 475. “But if he seize you, then the torture dread; He fastens on you till he reads you dead; And like a LEECH, voracious of his food, Quits not his cruel hold till gorged with blood.” FRANCIS. The word hqwla alukah, which we here translate horseleech, is read in no other part of the Bible. May it not, like Agur, Jakeh, Ithiel, and Ucal, be a proper name, belonging to some wellknown woman of his acquaintance, and well known to the public, who had two daughters notorious for their covetousness and lechery? And at first view the following verse may be yought to confirm this supposition: “There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough.” The grave, the barren womb the earth, the fire. What an astonishing simiiarity there is between this and the following institute, taken from the Code of Hindoo Laws, chap. xx., sec. i., p. 203. “A woman is never satisfied with the copulation of man, no more than a fire is satisfied with burning fuel; or the main ocean is with receiving the rivers; or death, with the dying of men and animals.” You can no more satisfy these two daughters of Alukah than you can the grave, etc. Some of the rabbins have yought that alukah signifies destiny, or the necessity of dying, which they say has two daughters, Eden and Gehenna, paradise and hell. The former has never enough of righteous souls; the latter, of the wicked. Similar to them is the opinion of Bochart, who thinks alukah means destiny, and the two daughters, the grave and hell; into the first of which the body descends after death, and into the second, the soul. The Septuagint gives it a curious turn, by connecting the fifteenth with the sixteenth verse: th bdellh yugaterev hsan agaphsei agapwmenai, kai ai treiv autai ouk enepimplasan authn, kai h tetarth ouk hrkesyh eipeinù ‘ikanon; 1843 Quem vero arripuit, tenet, occiditque legendo, Non missura cutem, nisi plena cruoris, HIRUDO. DE ARTE POET., ver. 475. “But if he seize you, then the torture dread; He fastens on you till he reads you dead; And like a LEECH, voracious of his food, Quits not his cruel hold till gorged with blood.” FRANCIS. The word hqwla alukah, which we here translate horseleech, is read in no other part of the Bible. May it not, like Agur, Jakeh, Ithiel, and Ucal, be a proper name, belonging to some wellknown woman of his acquaintance, and well known to the public, who had two daughters notorious for their covetousness and lechery? And at first view the following verse may be yought to confirm this supposition: “There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough.” The grave, the barren womb the https://coptic-treasures.com/ Proverbs 30 8 earth, the fire. What an astonishing simiiarity there is between this and the following institute, taken from the Code of Hindoo Laws, chap. xx., sec. i., p. 203. “A woman is never satisfied with the copulation of man, no more than a fire is satisfied with burning fuel; or the main ocean is with receiving the rivers; or death, with the dying of men and animals.” You can no more satisfy these two daughters of Alukah than you can the grave, etc. Some of the rabbins have yought that alukah signifies destiny, or the necessity of dying, which they say has two daughters, Eden and Gehenna, paradise and hell. The former has never enough of righteous souls; the latter, of the wicked. Similar to them is the opinion of Bochart, who thinks alukah means destiny, and the two daughters, the grave and hell; into the first of which the body descends after death, and into the second, the soul. The Septuagint gives it a curious turn, by connecting the fifteenth with the sixteenth verse: th bdellh yugaterev hsan agaphsei agapwmenai, kai ai treiv autai ouk enepimplasan authn, kai h tetarth ouk hrkesyh eipeinù ‘ikanon; 1845 adulterous lust, yet artfully endeavors to conceal it, and with unblushing countenance asserts her innocence, exclaiming, I have done no wickedness.” CHAUCER’S January and May is an excellent comment on such wiles and protestations. The way of a man with a maid. — hml[b bealmah with or in a maid; but one of De Rossi’s MSS. has wyml[b bealmaiv, in his youth; and with this the SEPTUAGINT, ev neothti, the VULGATE, in adolescentia, the SYRIAC and the ARABIC agree; and so also my own MS. Bible: — “The weie of a man in his waxing youthe”. Dr. Kennicott, in a sermon preached at Onsford, 1765, p. 46, has defended the reading of the versions, corroborating it by two MSS., one in the Harleian, and the other in the Bodleian library, besides that mentioned by De Rossi. See De Rossi’s Var. Lect. Certainly the way of a man in his youth contains too many intricacies for human wisdom to explore. He only who searches the heart knows fully its various corrupt principles, and their productions. The common reading may refer to the formation of a child in the womb. But some have understood it of the immaculate conception. See my note on Matthew 1:23, where the subject is largely considered. If we take the four things which Agur says were too wonderful for him, in their obvious sense, there is little difficulty in them. 1. The passage which a bird makes through the air; 2. That which is made by a serpent on a rock; and, 3. That made by a ship through the sea, are such as cannot be ascertained: for who can possibly show the track in which either of them has passed? And as to the fourth, if it refer to the suspected incontinence of one reputed a virgin, the signs are so equivocal, as to be absolutely unascertainable. The existence of the hymen has been denied by the ablest anatomists; and the signs of continence or incontinence, except in the most recent cases, are such as neither man nor woman can swear to, even to the present day; and they were certainly not less difficult to Agur and his contemporaries. I shall carry this matter no farther. 30:15 As to the horse-leech. There were three daughters fondly loved by sin — fornication, murder, and idolatry. These three did not satisfy her, for she is not to be satisfied. In destroying man by these actions, sin never varies, but only grows continually. For the fourth, he continues, is never content to say “enough,” meaning that it is universal lust. In naming the “fourth,” he intends lust in the universal. For as the body is one, and yet has many members; so also sin, being one, contains within it many various lusts by which it lays its snares for men. Wherefore, in order to teach us this, he uses the examples of Sheol (Hades), and the love of women, and hell (Tartarus), and the earth that is not filled with water. And water and fire, indeed, will never say, “It is enough.” And the grave (Hades) in no wise ceases to receive the souls of unrighteous men; nor does the love of sin, in the instance of the love of women, cease to be given to fornication, and it becomes the betrayer of the soul. And as Tartarus, which is situated in a doleful and dark locality, is not touched by a ray of light, so is every one who is the slave of sin in all the passions of the flesh Like the earth not filled with water he is never able to come to confession, and to the laver of regeneration, and like water and fire, never says, “It is enough.” From the Commentary of St. Hippolytus on Proverbs 30:16 The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough. 30:17 The eye that mocks at his father, and despises to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Proverbs 30 9 vs. 15-17: Cruelty and covetousness are two daughters of the horseleech, that still cry, “Give, give,” and they are continually uneasy to themselves. Four things never are satisfied, to which these devours are compared. Those are never rich that are always coveting. And many who have come to a bad end, have owned that their wicked courses began by despising their parents’ authority. 30:17 “The eye that mocketh at his father, and dishonors the old age of his mother.” That is to say, one that blasphemes God and despises the mother of Christ, the wisdom of God, — his eyes may ravens from the caves tear out, i.e., him may unclean and wicked spirits deprive of the clear eye of gladness; and may the young eagles devour him: and such shall be trodden under the feet of the saints. From the Commentary of St. Hippolytus on Proverbs 30:18 There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: 30:18 “There be three things which I cannot understand, and the fourth I know not: the tracks of an eagle flying,” i.e., Christ’s ascension; “and the ways of a serpent upon a rock,” i.e., that the devil did not find a trace of sin in the body of Christ; “and the ways of a ship crossing the sea,” i.e., the ways of the Church, which is in this life as in a sea, and which is directed by her hope in Christ through the cross; “and the ways of a man in youth,” — the ways of Him, namely, who is born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin. For behold, says the Scripture, a man whose name is the Rising. From the Commentary of St. Hippolytus on Proverbs 30:19 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. 30:19 For as a serpent cannot mark its track upon a rock, so the devil could not find sin in the body of Christ. For the Lord says, “Behold, the prince of this world cometh, and will find nothing in me.” — For as a ship, sailing in the sea, leaves no traces of her way behind her, so neither does the Church, which is situate in the world as in a sea, leave her hope upon the earth, because she has her life reserved in heaven; and as she holds her way here only for a short time, it is not possible to trace out her course. — As the Church does not leave her hope behind in the world, her hope in the incarnation of Christ which bears us all good, she did not leave the track of death in Hades. — Of whom but of Him who is born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin? — who, in renewing the perfect man in the world, works miracles, beginning from the baptism of John, as the Evangelist also testifies: And Jesus was then beginning to be about thirty years of age. This, then, was the youthful and blooming period of the age of Him who, in journeying among the cities and districts, healed the diseases and infirmities of men. From the Commentary of St. Hippolytus on Proverbs 30:20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eats, and wipes her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. vs. 18-20: Four things cannot be fully known. The kingdom of nature is full of marvels. The fourth is a mystery of iniquity; the cursed arts by which a vile seducer gains the affection of a female; and the arts which a vile woman uses to conceal her wickedness. 30:20 “Such is the way of an adulterous woman, who, when she has done the deed of sin, wipeth herself, and will say that no wickedness has been done.” Such is the conduct of the Church that believes on Christ, when, after committing fornication with idols, she renounces these and the devil, and is cleansed of her sins and receives forgiveness, and then asserts that she has done no wickedness. From the Commentary of St. Hippolytus on Proverbs 30:21 For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: vs. 21-23 Four sorts of persons are very troublesome. Men of low origin and base spirit, who, getting authority, become tyrants. Foolish and violent men indulging in excesses. A woman of a contentious spirit and vicious habits. A servant who has obtained undue influence. Let those whom Providence has advanced from low beginnings, carefully watch against that sin which most easily besets them. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Proverbs 30 10 Verse 21. For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear — This is another enigma. Four things insupportable to men. 1. A slave, when he becomes ruler. 2. An overfed fool. 3. An ill-tempered woman, when mistress of a family. And, 4. A servant maid, when the rule of the house is committed to her. 1. A slave, when he comes to bear rule, is an unprincipled tyrant. It has been often observed both in America and in the West Indies, when it was judged necessary to arm some of the most confidential slaves, that no regiments were used so cruelly in the drill, etc., as those black regiments that had black officers. 2. The overfed fool. The intellectually weak man, who has every thing at his command, has generally manners which none can bear; and, if a favourite with his master, he is insupportable to all others. 3. An ill-tempered woman, when she gets embarrassed with domestic cares, is beyond bearing. 4. A servant maid, when, either through the death of the mistress, or the sin of the husband, she is in fact exalted to be head over the family, is so insolent and impudent, as to be hateful to every one, and execrated by all. 30:21 The shaking (of the earth) signifies the change of things upon earth. — Sin, then, which in its own nature is a slave, has reigned in the mortal body of men: once, indeed, at the time of the flood; and again in the time of the Sodomites, who, not satisfied with what the land yielded, offered violence to strangers; and a third time in the case of hateful Egypt, which, though it obtained in Joseph a man who distributed food to all, that they might not perish of famine, yet did not take well with his prosperity, but persecuted the children of Israel. “The handmaid casting out her mistress:” i.e., the Church of the Gentiles, which, though itself a slave and a stranger to the promises, cast out the free-born and lordly synagogue, and became the wife and bride of Christ. By Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the whole earth is moved. The “fourth it cannot bear:” for He came first by lawgivers, and secondly by prophets, and thirdly by the Gospel, manifesting Himself openly; and in the fourth instance He shall come as the Judge of the living and the dead, whose glory the whole creation will not be able to endure. From the Commentary of St. Hippolytus on Proverbs 30:21-23 “By three things the earth is moved,” viz., by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. “And the fourth it cannot bear,” viz., the last appearing of Christ. “When a servant reigneth:” Israel was a slave in Egypt, and in the land of promise became a ruler. “And a fool when he is filled with meat:” i.e., getting the land in possession readily, and eating its fruit, and being filled, it (the people) kicked. “And a handmaid when she casts out her mistress:” i.e., the synagogue which took the life of the Lord, and crucified the flesh of Christ. From the Commentary of St. Hippolytus on Proverbs 30:22 For a servant when he reigns; and a fool when he is filled with meat; 30:23 For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress. 30:24 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: Verse 24. There be four things — Of which it is said, they are very little but very wise. 1. The ants. 2. The rabbits. 3. The locusts. 4. The spider. 1. The ants show their wisdom by preparing their meat in the summer, seeking for it and storing it when it may be had; not for winter consumption, for they sleep all that time; but for autumn and spring. See the note on chap. 6:6. The ants are a people; they have their houses, towns, cities, public roads, etc. I have seen several of these, both of the brown and large black ant. 2. The rabbits act curiously enough in the construction of their burrows; but the word p چ shaphan probably does not here mean the animal we call coney or rabbit. It is most likely that this is what Dr. Shaw calls the Daman-Israel; a creature very like a rabbit, but never burrowing in the ground, but dwelling in clefts and holes of rocks. 3. The locusts. These surprising animals we have already met with and described. Yough they have no leader, yet they go forth by troops, some miles in circumference, when they take wing. 4. The spider. This is a singularly curious animal, both in the manner of constructing her house, her nets, and taking her prey. But the habits, etc., of these and such like must be sought in works on natural history. 30:24-28 “There be four things which are least upon the earth, and these are wiser than the wise: The ants have no strength, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.” And in like manner, the Gentiles by faith in Christ prepare for https://coptic-treasures.com/ Proverbs 30 11 themselves eternal life through good works. “And the conies, a feeble folk, have made their houses in the rocks.” The Gentiles, that is to say, are built upon Christ, the spiritual rock, which is become the head of the corner. “The spider, that supports itself upon its hands, and is easily caught, dwells in the strongholds of kings.” That is, the thief with his hands extended (on the cross), rests on the cross of Christ and dwells n Paradise, the stronghold of the three Kings — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. “The locust has no king, and yet marches out in array as by one command.” The Gentiles had no king, for they were ruled by sin; but now, believing God, they engage in the heavenly warfare. “From the Commentary of St. Hippolytus on Proverbs 30:25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; 30:26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; 30:26 LXX And of these spiritual hedgehogs we read in Proverbs as follows: “And the hedgehogs are a feeble folk, who have made their homes in the rocks.” And indeed what is feebler than a Christian, what is weaker than a monk, who is not only not permitted any vengeance for wrongs done to him but is actually not allowed to suffer even a slight and silent feeling of irritation to spring up within? St. John Cassian: Conference 10:11. 30:27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; 30:28 The spider takes hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces. vs. 24-28: Four things that are little, are yet to be admired. There are those who are poor in the world, and of small account, yet wise for their souls and another world. 30:29 There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: vs. 29-33: We may learn from animals to go well; also to keep our temper under all provocations. We must keep the evil yought in our minds from breaking out into evil speeches. We must not stir up the passions of others. Let nothing be said or done with violence, but every thing with softness and calmness. Alas, how often have we done foolishly in rising up against the Lord our King! Let us humble ourselves before him. And having found peace with Him, let us follow peace with all men. Verse 29. There be three things which go well — Here is another set of emblems; four things which walk beautifully and with majesty. 1. The lion. 2. The greyhound. 3. The he-goat. And, 4. A king. 1. Nothing can be more majestic than the walk of the lion. It is deliberate, equal, firm, and in every respect becoming the king of the forest. 2. The greyhound. μyntm ryzrz zarzir mothnayim, the girt in the loins; but what this beast is we do not distinctly know. It is most likely that this was the greyhound, which in the East are remarkably fine, and very fleet. Scarcely any thing can be conceived to go with greater fleetness, in full chase, than a greyhound with its prey in view: it seems to swim over the earth. 3. The goat, چyt tayish. This is generally allowed to be the he-goat; and how he walks, and what state he assumes, in the presence of his part of the flock, every one knows, who has at all noticed this animal. The ram also, which some suppose to be intended, is both fierce and majestic at the head of the sheep. 4. And a king, against whom there is no risi,nv up. That is, a king whose court, counsels, and troops, are so firmly united to him, as to render all hopes of successful conspiracy against him utterly vain. He walks boldly and majestically about, being safe in the affections of his people. But the Hebrew is singular; it makes but two words; and these are they, μwqla ûlmw umelech Alkum, “and King Alkum.” It is a doubt whether this may not be a proper name, as Agur abounds in them; see Ithiel, Ucal, and probably Alukah, ver. 15. But it is said, “We know nothing of a king named Alkum.” True; nor do we know any thing of Agur, Ithiel, Ucal, to say nothing of Alukah. And this might have been some remarkable chieftain, who carried his victories wherever he went, and was remarkably fortunate. If, however, we separate the word into la al, “not,” and μwq kum, “he arose,” we may make the interpretation above given. 30:29 There are in the Book of Proverbs three things which go well, a lion, a goat, and a cock; and to these is added a fourth; — a King making a speech before the people, to pass over the other sets of four which are there counted up, although things of various natures. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Proverbs 30 12 St. Gregory Nazianzen: On the Holy Spirit, 18. 30:29 There be three things which go well, and the fourth which is comely in going;” that is, the angels in heaven, the saints upon earth, and the souls of the righteous under the earth. And the fourth, viz. God, the Word Incarnate, passed in honor through the Virgin’s womb; and creating our Adam anew, he passed through the gates of heaven, and became the first-fruits of the resurrection and of the ascension for all. “The whelp of the lion is stronger than the beasts:” i.e., Christ as prophesied of by Jacob in the person of Judah. “A cock walking with high spirit among his dames:” such was Paul, when preaching boldly among the churches the word of the Christ of God. “A goat heading the herd:” such is He who was offered for the sins of the world. “And a king speaking among the people:” so Christ reigns over the nations, and speaks by prophets and apostles the word of truth. “From the Commentary of St. Hippolytus on Proverbs 30:30 A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turns not away for any; 30:31 A grayhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up. 30:32 If you hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if you hast yought evil, lay your hand upon your mouth. Verse 32. If you hast done foolishly— And who has not, at one time or other of his life? Lay thine hand upon thy mouth. — Like the leper; and cry to God, Unclean! unclean! and keep silence to all besides. God will blot out thy offense, and neither the world nor the Church ever know it, for he is merciful; and man is rarely able to pass by a sin committed by his fellows, especially if it be one to which himself is by nature not liable or inclined. 30:33 Surely the churning of milk brings forth butter, and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood: so the forcing of wrath brings forth strife. Verse 33. And the wringing — “Who hugeli snytith drawith out blood”. — Old MS. Bible. This is well expressed in homely phrase. The Septuagint have, “draw the milk, and you may have butter; if you press the nostrils you may bring out blood; and if you draw out your discourse to a great length, you may have strife and contention.” Avoid, therefore, all strong excitements and irritations. Coverdale’s translation of this verse is very simple: “Whoso chyrneth mylck maketh butter; he that rubbeth his nose maketh it blede; and he that causeth wrath bryngeth forth strife.”
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