PROV 30:1 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=minor/spelling Clarity of original=unclear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: .
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

30:1 See chapter 24 for the content of chapter 30.

ULT The words of Agur son of Jakeh, the burden:
⇔ The declaration of the strong man to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:

UST These are the sayings of Agur son of Jakeh, which Yahweh told him to say;
⇔ these are what Agur declared to both Ithiel and Ucal:

30:1 Or declared to Ithiel: “I am weary, O God, but I can prevail. (revocalizations); Hebrew declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation:
⇔ the man says to Ithiel,
⇔ to Ithiel and Ucal:

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh; an oracle:
⇔ This man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ukal:

LSV Words of Agur, son of Jakeh, the burden, a declaration of the man to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal: I have wearied myself [for] God,
I have wearied myself [for] God, and am consumed.

FBV These are the words of Agur, son of Jakeh. An oracle. This is what the man says, God, I'm really tired, I'm worn out.[fn]

30:1 This verse is variously translated, mainly depending on whether it refers to named people or what the words actually mean. Since both the Septuagint and the Vulgate do not assume the words to be names, this approach is followed here.

T4T These are sayings/messages that God gave to Agur, the son of Jakeh.
⇔ Agur wrote them for Ithiel and Ucal.

LEB No LEB PROV 30:1 verse available

BBE The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh, from Massa. The man says: I am full of weariness, O God, I am full of weariness; O God, I have come to an end:

Moff Sayings of Agur the son of Yakeh, from Massa
⇔ The cry of a man weary with the quest for God:
⇔ “I am weary, O God, weary and worn in vain

JPS The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the burden. The man saith unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal:

ASV The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the oracle.
⇔ The man saith unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal:

DRA The words of Gatherer the son of Vomiter. The vision which the man spoke with whom God is, and who being strengthened by God, abiding with him, said:

YLT Words of a Gatherer, son of an obedient one, the declaration, an affirmation of the man: — I have wearied myself [for] God, I have wearied myself [for] God, and am consumed.

Drby The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the prophecy uttered by the man unto Ithiel, [even] unto Ithiel and Ucal:

RV The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the oracle. The man saith unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal:
(The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the oracle. The man saith/says unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal: )

SLT The words of Agur, son of Jakeh: the lifting up: the declaration of the man to Ithiel; to Ithiel and Ucal:

Wbstr The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spoke to Ithiel, even to Ithiel and Ucal,

KJB-1769 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

KJB-1611 ¶ The words of Agur the sonne of Iakeh, euen the prophecy: The man spake vnto Ithiel, euen vnto Ithiel and Ucal.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps And the prophecie that the same man spake vnto Ithiel, euen vnto Ithiel and Uchal.
(And the prophesy that the same man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Uchal.)

Gnva THE WORDS OF AGUR THE SONNE OF JAKEH. The prophecie which ye man spake vnto Ithiel, euen to Ithiel, and Vcal.
(THE WORDS OF AGUR THE SON OF YAKEH. The prophesy which ye/you_all man spake unto Ithiel, even to Ithiel, and Vcal. )

Cvdl The wordes of Agur the sonne of Iake. The prophecie of a true faithfull man, who God hath helped, whom God hath coforted & norished.
(The words of Agur the son of Yake. The prophesy of a true faithful man, who God hath/has helped, whom God hath/has comforted and nourished.)

Wycl The wordis of hym that gaderith, of the sone spuynge. The prophesie which a man spak, with whom God was, and which man was coumfortid bi God dwellyng with hym,
(The words of him that gathereth/gathers, of the son spuing. The prophesy which a man spoke, with whom God was, and which man was comforted by God dwelling with him,)

Luth Dies sind die Worte Agurs, des Sohns Jakes, Lehre und Rede des Mannes Leithiel, Leithiel und Uchal.
(This/These are the words Agurs, the son Yakes, teaching and speech the man's Leithiel, Leithiel and Uchal.)

ClVg Verba Congregantis, filii Vomentis. Visio quam locutus est vir cum quo est Deus, et qui Deo secum morante confortatus, ait:[fn]
(Words Congregantis, children Vomentis. Vision how spoke it_is man when/with where it_is God, and who/which to_God with_him morante confortatus, he_said: )

30.1 Verba congregantis. Huc usque parabolæ Salomonis, quas transtulerunt viri Ezechiæ regis Juda. Hinc rursus verba Salomonis, quod perpenditur ab ipso nomine quo Græce, latine congregans; Ecclesia enim convocatio. Visio quam. Visio quam locutus est, quia quod vidit apud Deum secretiora contemplando patefecit hominibus. Quisquis enim Spiritu Dei confortatus est, quæ sequuntur humili corde dicit, stultissimus sum virorum, etc.

30.1 Words congregantis. Huc until parables Salomonis, which transthey_took men Hezekiah king Yuda. Hence again words Salomonis, that perpenditur away himself by_name where Greece, latine gathering; Assembly/Church because convocatio. Vision how. Vision how spoke it_is, because that he_saw at God secretiora contemplando patefecit to_humans. Anyone because By_Spirit of_God confortatus it_is, which they_follow humble heart he_says, for_foolssimus I_am of_men, etc.

SOTN SIL Open Translation 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

30:1–4

English versions divide the paragraphs for these verses in many ways. Some of the options are:

1a / 1b–4 / (ESV)
1a / 1b–c / 2–4 (NIV)
1a / 1b–3 / 4 (GW)

The Notes and Display will follow the paragraph division in the GW.

Paragraph 30:1a

In most versions, verse 30:1a is the title for the whole chapter. See how you formatted the similar title in 25:1.

The BSB divides 30:1a and 30:1b at a different place than the notes and display will here. This is because of the textual and interpretation issues highlighted in the section below dealing with 30:1b–c.

30:1a

These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh—the burden

¶ The message that Yahweh revealed to Agur the son of Jakeh:
¶ These are the words that Yahweh made known to the son of Jakeh. His name was Agur.
¶ These are the words that Yahweh caused Agur the son of Jakeh to write.

These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh: This part of the title indicates that Agur is the source (either author or original collector) of the words in this section. In Hebrew, this is not the same word that is translated as “proverbs” in 10:1 and 25:1.

the burden: There is a textual issue with this phrase:

The Masoretic Text (MT) has the burden. This phrase refers to an oracle or prophetic message. It indicates here that the LORD inspired Agur to write the words that are contained in this message. For example:
The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle. (NRSV) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NLT, NRSV, GNT)
Some scholars think that the original text was the phrase “from Massa” or the phrase “the Massaite.” These phrases refer to a place named Massa. They indicate here that Agur came from Massa. For example:
The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh, of Massa. (NJB) (RSV, REB, NAB, NJB, NJPS)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The Hebrew word massaʾ is normally used to refer to the message of a prophet. It occurs throughout the OT.Soulen (pages 149–150 and 211) points out that Wisdom literature, such as Proverbs, does not contain the same type of prophecy as the OT prophets, and that Agur’s words are thus not prophetic messages in the traditional sense. However, Garrett (page 236) identifies the words used here as “two technical terms for prophetic utterances.” Cohen (page 200) says that “burden” indicates “a divine utterance or a prophetical declaration,” and Toy (page 520) acknowledges that “the word utterance is the technical name for the message of the prophet.” BDB (#5002, page 610) also defines this word for Proverbs 30:1 as “utterance, declaration, revelation, of prophet in ecstatic state.” The meaning “from Massa” or “the Massaite” would require different Hebrew letters. The LXX and other ancient translations do not support these differences.Waltke (page 454, 465), Fox (page 852), Ross (page 1119), and UBS (page 619) all conclude that the normal meaning of massaʾ (prophetic utterance) applies here. Longman (page 518) and others point out that the meaning “from Massa” would require a change from hammassaʾ to mimmassaʾ, and the meaning “the Massaite” would require a change to hammassaʾi.

It is also recommended that you end the sentence here or otherwise clearly mark the division between 1a and 1b here rather than following the BSB’s punctuation.

Some other ways to translate the title are:

The words of Agur, son of Jakeh. Agur’s prophetic revelation. (GW)

The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance. (NIV11)

Most translations supply a separate title for the chapter, such as “The words of Agur.” In some languages, it may be more natural to translate verse 30:1a as a statement and to combine and/or reorder the phrases “the words” and “the oracle.” For example:

These are the words that the LORD told Agur the son of Jakeh to write.

Paragraph 30:1b–3 Agur prayed to God

This is the first paragraph with a paragraph heading. It is suggested that you use a heading with similar wording in your translation.

This paragraph introduces Agur’s inspired words. It is a prayer to God. In this prayer, Agur admits that he feels very discouraged and lacks understanding (1b–3).

Three Hebrew words for God are used in 30:1–9. The word ʾel occurs in 30:1b–c, the word ʾelohim in 30:3b and 30:9d, and the word ʾeloah in 30:5a. All three are common nouns. The personal name of God (the LORD or YHWH) occurs in 30:9b.

30:1b–c

(combined/reordered)

¶ He said: O God, please hear these words that I pray: I am exhausted. My strength is gone.

These two lines introduce the content of the prayer. The ESV has been used as the source line, because it follows the recommended interpretation.

^1bThe man declares, I am weary, O God; (ESV)

^1cI am weary, O God, and worn out. (ESV)

(ESV) The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out: There are many textual and interpretation issues in these two lines. The Notes will first discuss whether these lines are statements or proper names. Textual and interpretation issues will be discussed together.

These two lines are statements. For example:
This man’s declaration: I’m weary, O God. I’m weary and worn out, O God. (GW) (CEV, ESV, GW, NLT, NRSV, REB, GNT)
These two lines contain proper names. For example:
This man declared to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal: (NIV) (KJV, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, RSV)
The first line contains a name. The second line has two statements. For example:
This man’s utterance to Ithiel: I am weary, God, but I can prevail. (NIV11) (BSB, NIV11)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This interpretation follows a proposed Hebrew text that is different from the Masoretic Text (MT). However, almost all scholars support it.Waltke (pages 454–468) supports the NIV11. Cohen (page 200) supports the interpretation that Ithiel and Ucal are the names of real people. All other scholars used in TN support interpretation (1). The LXX and Latin Vulgate also use statements rather than names. No other prophecies in the OT are addressed to an individual with a name.Fox (page 854), Garrett (page 236), and Kidner (page 178) all mention this as a reason for statements rather than names. Waltke (page 467) says that Ucal does not occur as a name in any Semitic language. This interpretation also fits well with the theme of 30:2–3.

However, many versions prefer interpretation (2). This interpretation follows the Masoretic Text (MT). It also avoids the change from a prayer addressed to God (verses 1b-3) to a series of rhetorical questions (verse 4) that must be answered by a person. So it is recommended that you add a footnote that gives interpretation (2). A suggested footnote is:

There are many ways to interpret/translate this part of the verse. Most scholars follow the interpretation that is written here. Another way to interpret/translate it is: “This man said to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:…

(ESV) The man declares: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “The statement of the man.” The word “statement” is used consistently of the words that a prophet speaks. Its meaning is similar to “oracle.”Waltke (pages 454–455), Fox (page 852). Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Thus says the man (NRSV)

This is what he said

This clause does not identify The man, but in the context of 30:1a, it clearly refers to Agur. It is also clear that the words in the rest of the chapter are part of Agur’s inspired message.

The Notes will now discuss the meaning of the statements in these two lines. The main ways to interpret the meaning are:

I am weary, O God; I am weary and worn out, O God. (NLT) (ESV, GW, NLT, REB)
I am weary, O God, I am weary, O God. How can I prevail? (NRSV) (CEV, NRSV)
God is not with me, God is not with me, and I am helpless. (GNT) (GNT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).Fox (page 853), Garrett (page 236), Whybray (pages 407–408), and Longman (page 519) all prefer this interpretation because it best fits the context. According to Longman, another reason is that it requires fewer changes to the MT.

General Comment on 30:1b–c

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine these lines. See 30:1b–c (combined/reordered) in the Display.

30:1b

that this man declared to Ithiel:

¶ He said: O God, I am tired.
¶ This is what he prayed to God: I am tired.

30:1c

“I am weary, O God, and worn out.

I admit that I am exhausted. I have no strength that remains.
Yes, my fatigue is extreme/great.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

דִּבְרֵ֤י

words_of

See how you translated the same use of words in [1:6](../01/06.md).

Note 2 topic: translate-names

אָג֥וּר & יָקֶ֗ה & לְ⁠אִֽיתִיאֵ֑ל לְ⁠אִ֖יתִיאֵ֣ל וְ⁠אֻכָֽל

ʼĀgūr & Yāqeh/(Jakeh) & to,Ithiel to,Ithiel and,Ukal

Agur, Jakeh, Ithiel, and Ucal are names of men.

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

הַ⁠מַּ֫שָּׂ֥א

the,oracle

Here, burden refers to a warning message that Yahweh reveals to prophets so that they can tell the warning to other people. Because this message contained a warning or threat, it was considered to be a burden to the person who heard it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “the warning from Yahweh”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

הַ֭⁠גֶּבֶר

of,the_man

Here, the strong man refers to Agur. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “Agur, the strong man,”

Note 5 topic: translate-textvariants

לְ⁠אִֽיתִיאֵ֑ל לְ⁠אִ֖יתִיאֵ֣ל וְ⁠אֻכָֽל

to,Ithiel to,Ithiel and,Ukal

All Hebrew manuscripts read to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal. The ULT follows that reading. Other ancient translations of this text read “I am weary, O God. I am worn out and weary, O God,” which is based on a possible meaning for the Hebrew words. 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.

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

לְ⁠אִֽיתִיאֵ֑ל לְ⁠אִ֖יתִיאֵ֣ל

to,Ithiel to,Ithiel

Here the writer repeats the name Ithiel to emphasize to whom this declaration was first given. If your language does not use repetition to do this, you could use one phrase and provide emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: “to Ithiel, indeed, to Ithiel”

Parallel PROV 30:1