Proverbs 30:21-33

TEXT Proverbs 30:21-33

21.

For three things the earth doth tremble,

And for four, which it cannot bear:

22.

For a servant when he is king;

And a fool when he is filled with food;

23.

For an odious woman when she is married;

And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

24.

There are four things which are little upon the earth,

But they are exceeding wise:

25.

The ants are a people not strong,

Yet they provide their food 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 lizard taketh hold with her hands,

Yet is she in kings-' palaces.

29.

There are three things which are stately in their march,

Yea, four which are stately in going:

30.

The lion, which is the mightiest among beasts,

And turneth not away for any;

31.

The greyhound; the he-goat also;

And the 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 thy hand upon thy mouth.

33.

For the churning of milk bringeth forth butter,

And the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood;
So the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 30:21-33

1.

Why should the things mentioned in Proverbs 30:21-22 cause the earth to tremble?

2.

Comment upon the two things mentioned in Proverbs 30:22.

3.

What does odious mean (Proverbs 30:23)?

4.

By contrast, what are some things that are large but not wise (Proverbs 30:24)?

5.

Comment on the ant as used in Proverbs 30:25.

6.

What are conies (Proverbs 30:26)?

7.

Comment on the locust as used in Proverbs 30:27.

8.

Comment on the lizard as used in Proverbs 30:28.

9.

What does stately mean (Proverbs 30:29)?

10.

In what passage are the righteous compared to a lion (Proverbs 30:30)?

11.

Comment on each thing mentioned in Proverbs 30:31.

12.

When did ancients lay their hands upon their mouths (Proverbs 30:32)?

13.

Comment upon Proverbs 30:33.

PARAPHRASE OF 30:21-33

21-23.

There are three things that make the earth trembleno, four it cannot stand: A slave who becomes a king. A rebel who prospers. A bitter woman when she finally marries. A servant girl who marries her mistress-' husband.

24-28.

There are four things that are small but continually wise: Ants: they aren-'t strong, but they store up food for the winter. Cliff badgers: delicate little animals who protect themselves by living among the rocks. The locusts: though they have no leader, they stay together in swarms. The spiders: they are easy to catch and kill, yet are found even in king's palaces!

29-31.

There are three stately monarchs in the earthno, four: The lion, king of the animals. He won-'t turn aside for anyone. The peacock. The he-goat. A king as he leads his army.

32.

If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil, don-'t brag about itcover your mouth with your hand in shame.

33.

As the churning of cream yields butter, and a blow to the nose causes bleeding, so anger causes quarrels.

COMMENTS ON 30:21-33

Proverbs 30:21. This verse begins another group, a group of four, four things that bring sorrow, trouble and anguish. Earth here concerns those who live upon it.

Proverbs 30:22-23. What four things? (1) A servant when he is kingsometimes a servant is elevated to a ruling status, and sometimes he grabbed the reins of power. Proverbs 19:10 speaks of a servant having rule over princes, and Ecclesiastes 10:7 speaks of servants upon horses instead of their usual place (walking). Former servants now ruling or being in charge can become drunk with their newly found position of authorityeach will show everybody who is boss! (2) A fool when he is filled with foodanother case of promotion that doesn-'t work anymore, so in allows much evil to result. (3) An odious woman when she is marrieda hateful woman, a woman with a bad disposition, who finally gets married. Watch out! She will cause her husband trouble, his people trouble, etc. She is a woman who has passed much of her life without love, having nothing about her attractive either in looks, attainments, or manner, and is consequently soured and ill-tempered. If such a ones does at last win a husband, she uses her new position to vex those who formerly depreciated her, and to make them as miserable as he can (Pulpit Commentary). One person like that in a previously quiet set of people can be like a bombshell. (4) A handmaid that is heir to her mistress-another elevation that backfires. It was agreeable to Abraham and Sarah for him to father a child by the handmaid Hagar (Genesis 16:1-2). The result: When she [Hagar] saw that she was conceived, her mistress wad despised in her eyes (Genesis 16:4).

Proverbs 30:24. With this verse Agur begins another series of things, this time four things that are little but exceedingly wise. Pulpit Commentary: In contrast with the intolerable pretensions of the last group.

Proverbs 30:25-28. What four? (1) Ants. An ant may not be strong, but an ant is wise enough to prepare his food in the summertime for the winter when it would be hard to find. Ever notice how busy ants are as they work? In countries where ants do not hibernate, they do make granaries for themselves in the summer, and use these supplies as food in the winter months (Pulpit Commentary). (2) Coniesthe rock-badger (Hart in Animals of the Bible). Geike: The coney abounds in the gorge of the Kedrom and along the foot of the mountains west of the Dead Sea. Because they are small (about the size of a rabbit) they live in the rocks. (The rocks are a refuge for the conies(Psalms 104:18). Their wisdom is displayed in their other protective measures: It is very hard to capture one...They have sentries regularly placed on the lookout while the rest are feeding; a squeak from the watchman sufficing to send the flock scudding to their holes (Pulpit Commentary). (3) The locusts. They have no leader, yet they all seem to know what to do. Joel 2:7-8 says of them, They run like mighty men; they climb the wall like men of war; and they march every one on his ways, and they break not their ranks. Neither doth one thrust another; they march every one in his path; and they burst through their weapons, and break not off their course. (4) The lizardthe small kind with special suction-cup toes that enable it to run up walls and cling to ceilings. This would be the taketh hold with her hands. Small as it is, and easy to catch and crush, it is agile and clever enough to make its way into the very palace of the king, and to dwell there (Pulpit Commentary). The unstated conclusion of this list would be that we should be wise, and we will succeed in spite of various limitations.

Proverbs 30:29. This verse introduces another set of four, this time things that are stately in their going or whose movements are remarkable.

Proverbs 30:30-31. What four? (1) The lion who fearlessly walks wherever he chooses and is fearlessly unafraid. (2) The greyhound who can run like the wind. (3) The he-goat. Clarke says this is referring to How he walks, and what state he assumes, in the presence of his part of the flock. (4) A king who has things under control so that there is no danger of rebelling against him. This is the way every king wishes it to be.

Proverbs 30:32-33. Butter results from churning, nosebleed results from twisting the nose, and strife results from stirring up wrath. What will stir up this wrath? Foolishly lifting oneself up (like James and John were doing in their request for the chief seats in Christ's then-coming kingdom: When the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation concerning the two brethrenMatthew 20:24) or sometimes even just thinking evil about another (like Ecclesiastes 10:20 pictures: Revile not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter). Putting the hand over the mouth is also mentioned in Job 21:5, Job 40:4; Micah 7:16. This was done when one recognized he had said the wrong thing or to keep from saying more.

NOTE: Noticeable Groupings within a chapter are found only in those Chapter s made up of 1-verse sayings (Chapter s 10-29).

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 30:21-33

1.

What does earth mean in Proverbs 30:21?

2.

What 2 ways might a servant rise to power (Proverbs 30:22)?

3.

Name 3 other promotions in Proverbs 30:22-23 that don-'t usually succeed.

4.

How did Pulpit Commentary contrast the group-of-four things in Proverbs 30:24-25 with those in Proverbs 30:22-23?

5.

What are ants known for (Proverbs 30:25)?

6.

How large is a conie (Proverbs 30:26)?

7.

What other Old Testament book described the ways of the locust (Proverbs 30:27)?

8.

What is meant by the lizard taking hold with her hands (Proverbs 30:28)?

9.

What is the unstated conclusion of Proverbs 30:27-28?

10.

What is the group-of-four set forth in Proverbs 30:29-31 known for?

11.

What would you say was the purpose of Proverbs 30:29-31?

12.

What is the lesson of Proverbs 30:32-33?