PROV 30:31 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 30:1–33: Here are the sayings of Agur

This section is a collection of verses that were written or organized by Agur the son of Jakeh.Some scholars think that Agur wrote or collected only verses 1–4, 1–6, 1–9, or 1–14. UBS (page 617), Toy (page 518), and Longman (page 513) are among those who list some of these possibilities. The GNT indicates with quotation marks that Agur’s words end after v.6. No other versions indicate that Agur’s words end before the end of the chapter. Waltke (volume I, page 26) strongly defends the entire chapter as the “oracle” of Agur on the basis of its structural unity. Kidner (page 178) divides the chapter into two sections (1–9) and (10–33), but identifies both as coming from “the sage.” The title of this section (30:1a) is the only place in Scripture that Agur is mentioned. The section is divided into paragraphs that vary from one to five verses. The Notes will suggest a paragraph heading for all paragraphs after 30:1a. It is suggested that you use similar headings in your translation to help the readers follow the changes of topic and audience.

The first nine verses contain Agur’s personal thoughts and prayers. Some are addressed to God, others to his audience. The rest of the chapter contains proverbs on various topics. Some are individual warnings or statements (30:10, 17, 20, 32–33). Others contain several kinds of lists of four items each. The lists in verses 15b–16, 18–19, 21–23, and 29–31 have the same form as the numerical proverb in 6:16–19. (See the paragraph summary for 6:16–19 and the notes on 6:16a–b.) The lists in verses 11–14 and 24–28 have different forms. These will be described in the paragraph summaries where they first occur.

Some other headings for this section are:

The Words of Agur (ESV)

Wise Words from Agur (NCV)

Words that the LORD caused Agur to make known

Paragraph 30:29–31 Four things that walk like leaders

This is a numerical proverb that has the same form as 30:18–19. The author lists three animals and a person that walk in a way that shows their pride and status as leaders.

30:31a

a strutting rooster; a he-goat;

Two others are a strutting/proud rooster and a male goat.
Others are a rooster and a male goat that is guarding his ewes.

a strutting rooster: This phrase refers to a rooster or a cock that raises its head high as it walks around. In languages that do not describe the way a rooster struts, some other ways to translate this phrase are:

Use a different word that describes the appearance of a rooster. For example:
those proud roosters (CEV)
Omit the description. It is implied from 30:29a–b. For example:
a rooster (NCV)

a he-goat: A male goat that is protecting the females in his flock from rival goats walks in an aggressive way.

30:31b

and a king with his army around him.

The fourth/last is a king who leads his army.
Finally, there is a king who is marching/walking with his soldiers.

and a king with his army around him: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as army occurs only once in the OT. Its meaning is uncertain. Scholars have proposed different vowels for the Hebrew consonants and different ways of dividing the Hebrew words.For a summary of some of the issues involved, see the Exegetical Notes and Text Critical Notes in BART for the word ʾalqum. An Arabic cognate of this word means “band of soldiers.” For further discussion, see Waltke (page 462), Cohen (page 208), and Murphy (page 233). As a result, there are three main ways to interpret this line:

In the Masoretic Text (MT), it refers to a king who is leading or accompanied by his army. For example:
and a king whose army is with him (ESV)
a king as he leads his army (NLT) (BSB, ESV, GW, NCV, NET, NASB, NIV, NLT, REB)
In the LXX, it refers to a king in front of his people. For example:
and kings in front of their people (GNT) (NAB, NJB, NRSV, GNT)
In the Latin Vulgate, it refers to a king who faces no revolts or resistance. For example:
the king whom none dares resist (NJPS) (CEV, KJV, NIV11, NJPS)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions. A cognate word in Arabic means “band of soldiers.” With this interpretation, it is not necessary to change the Masoretic Text.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

זַרְזִ֣יר מָתְנַ֣יִם אוֹ־תָ֑יִשׁ וּ֝⁠מֶ֗לֶךְ אַלְק֥וּם עִמּֽ⁠וֹ

one_girded_of loins or he-goat and,a_king army with=him/it

Here, one girded of loins, a male goat, a king, and one refer to animals or people in general, not specific animals or people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “those girded of loins, or any male goat, and any king against whom any person does not rise up”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

זַרְזִ֣יר מָתְנַ֣יִם

one_girded_of loins

Many scholars believe that this is an idiom that refers to a rooster that struts proudly. Roosters are male birds that walk around in a proud manner. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of bird, you could use the name of something similar in your area, or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “strutting roosters” or “a male bird that struts proudly”

Note 3 topic: translate-textvariants

אַלְק֥וּם עִמּֽ⁠וֹ

army with=him/it

Some scholars believe that the phrase translated as against whom one does not rise up could also be translated as “whose army is with him.” If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of the ULT.

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.

OET interlinear PROV 30:31

Hebrew word order

Section 30:1–33: Here are the sayings of Agur

Paragraph 30:29–31 Four things that walk like leaders

30:31a

30:31b

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)