Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Proverbs 30:1
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, etc.] Here begins, according to Aben Ezra, the fourth part of this book; though, according to others, it is the fifth; (see Gill on “<202217>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 writersf825, take him to be Solomon himself, who calls himself Agur, which is said to signify “a gatherer”; and so the Vulgate Latin version renders it, “the words of the gatherer, the son of the vomiter”; just as he calls himself Koheleth, or “the caller”, or “preacher”, (<210101>Ecclesiastes 1:1,12). The reason given of this name is, because he gathered wisdom and the lawf826; or, as Jarchi, he gathered wisdom, and vomited it; that is, delivered it out to others; so he did, he sought after and attained to more wisdom than any before him, for he was wiser than all men; and it may be added, that he “gathered” silver and gold, and the treasure of kings, and increased in riches more than any before him, (<210113>Ecclesiastes 1:13,16 2:8). But then all this does not agree with the person whose words these are; for he speaks of himself as being very ignorant, and as not having learned wisdom, (<203002>Proverbs 30:2,3); and desires neither poverty nor riches, (<203008>Proverbs 30:8); besides, the word “Agur” signifies not “a gatherer”, but “gathered”, as Hillerusf827 renders it; and so Cocceius, who thinks also that Solomon is meant, yet not for the above reasons, but translates the clause thus, “the words of the recollected son of the obedient”; as if it described Solomon the son of David, the obedient one, the man after God’s own heart, when he was restored by repentance; but it seems better, with Aben Ezra, to understand this of some very good, knowing, and worthy man, who lived in those times, either before the times of Solomon, or in the same, whose pithy sayings and sentences he had a great regard for, and joined them to his own; or who lived in the times of Hezekiah, or before, whose proverbs were collected by his men, and added to those of Solomon’s they had copied in the preceding chapters; (see <202501>Proverbs 25:1); [even] the prophecy; or “burden”f828, as many of the prophecies are called; it designs something received from the Lord, taken up and carried to others; so Balaam is said to “take up his parable”, (<042307>Numbers 23:7). Here it does not design a prediction of future events, unless it can be thought that there is in the following words a prophecy of the Messiah; but an instruction, a declaration of things useful and profitable; so preaching in the New Testament is called prophesying often, (<461401>1 Corinthians 14:1,3,4). This is a part of the word of God, of the prophecy which came not by the will of man, but by the inspiration of God, (<610119>2 Peter 1:19-21); which prophecy the man spake, this excellent good man Agur, who was divinely inspired; (see <042403>Numbers 24:3 <102301>2 Samuel 23:1); unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal; who were either the children of Agur, whom he instructed in the knowledge of divine things; or they were, as Aben Ezra, either his companions with whom he conversed about sacred things, or his disciples who inquired of him about these things, and learned them of him. Some thinkf829 these are titles of God himself, to whom Agur directs his speech, and acknowledges his ignorance of the divine Being, whom he might justly call Ithiel and Ucal, that is, “God with me”, and “the mi…
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