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Selected Verse: Proverbs 30:7 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Pr 30:7	Strong Concordance	Two [08147] things have I required [07592] of thee; deny [04513] me them not before I die [04191]:
	King James	Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
A prayer for exemption from wickedness, and the extremes of poverty and riches, the two things mentioned. Contentment is implied as desired.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

A prayer for exemption from wickedness, and the extremes of poverty and riches, the two things mentioned. Contentment is implied as desired.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
Two things - The limitation of man's desires follows naturally upon his consciousness of the limits of his knowledge.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
In what now follows, the key-note struck in Pro 30:1 is continued. There follows a prayer to be kept in the truth, and to be preserved in the middle state, between poverty and riches. It is a Mashal-ode, vid., vol. i. p. 12. By the first prayer, "vanity and lies keep far from me," it is connected with the warning of Pro 30:6. 7 Two things I entreat from Thee, Refuse them not to me before I die. 8 Vanity and lies keep far away from me Poverty and riches give me not: Cause me to eat the bread which is allotted to me, 9 Lest in satiety I deny, And say: Who is Jahve? And lest, in becoming poor, I steal, And profane the name of my God. We begin with the settlement and explanation of the traditional punctuation. A monosyllable like שׁוא receives, if Legarmeh, always Mehuppach Legarmeh, while, on the contrary, the poly-syllable אשׂבּע has Asla Legarmeh. אל־תּתּן־לי, with double Makkeph and with Gaja in the third syllable before the tone (after the Metheg-Setzung, 28), is Ben-Asher's; whereas Ben-Naphtali prefers the punctuation אל־תּתּן לי (vid., Baer's Genesis, p. 79, note 3). Also פּן־אשׂבּע has (cf. פּן־ישׁתּה, Pro 31:5) Makkeph, and on the antepenultima Gaja (vid., Thorath Emeth, p. 32). The perf. consec. וכחשׁתּי has on the ult. the disjunctive Zinnor (Sarka), which always stands over the final letter; but that the ult. is also to be accented, is shown by the counter-tone Metheg, which is to be given to the first syllable. Also ואמרתּי has in correct Codd., e.g., Cod. 1294, the correct ultima toning of a perf. consec.; Kimchi in the Michlol 6b, as well as Aben Ezra in both of his Grammars, quotes only וגנבתּי ותפשׂתּי as toned on the penult. That וגנבתּי cannot be otherwise toned on account of the pausal accent, has been already remarked under 6b; the word, besides, belongs to the סף''פתתין בא, i.e., to those which preserve their Pathach unlengthened by one of the greater disjunctives; the Athnach has certainly in the three so-called metrical books only the disjunctive form of the Zakeph of the prose books. So much as to the form of the text. As to its artistic form, this prayer presents itself to us as the first of the numerical proverbs, under the "Words" of Agur, who delighted in this form of proverb. The numerical proverb is a brief discourse, having a didactic end complete in itself, which by means of numerals gives prominence to that which it seeks to bring forward. There are two kinds of these. The more simple form places in the first place only one numeral, which is the sum of that which is to be brought forth separately: the numerical proverb of one cipher; to this class belong, keeping out of view the above prayer, which if it did not commence a series of numerical proverbs does not deserve this technical name on account of the low ciphers: Pro 30:24-28, with the cipher 4; Sir. 25:1 and 2, with the cipher 3. Similar to the above prayer are Job 13:20., Isa 51:19; but these are not numerical proverbs, for they are not proverbs. The more artistic kind of numerical proverb has two ciphers: the two-ciphered numerical proverb we call the sharpened (pointed) proverb. Of such two-ciphered numerical proverbs the "words" of Agur contain four, and the whole Book of Proverbs, reckoning Pro 6:16-19, five - this ascending numerical character belongs to the popular saying, Kg2 9:32; Job 33:29; Isa 16:6, and is found bearing the stamp of the artistic distich outside of the Book of Proverbs, Psa 62:12; Job 33:14; Job 40:5; Job 5:19, and particularly Amos 1:3-2:6. According to this scheme, the introduction of Agur's prayer should be: אחת שׁאלתּי מאתּך וּשׁתּים אל־תּמנע ממּנּי בּטרם אמוּת and it could take this form, for the prayer expresses two requests, but dwells exclusively on the second. A twofold request he presents to God, these two things he wishes to be assured of on this side of death; for of these he stands in need, so as to be able when he dies to look back on the life he has spent, without the reproaches of an accusing conscience. The first thing he asks is that God would keep far from him vanity and lying words. שׁוא (= שׁוא, from שׁוא = שׁאה, to be waste, after the form מות) is either that which is confused, worthless, untrue, which comes to us from without (e.g., Job 31:5), or dissoluteness, hollowness, untruthfulness of disposition (e.g., Psa 26:4); it is not to be decided whether the suppliant is influenced by the conception thus from within or from without, since דבר־כּזב [a word of falsehood] may be said by himself as well as to him, a falsehood can intrude itself upon him. It is almost more probable that by שׁוא he thought of the misleading power of God-estranged, idolatrous thought and action; and by דבר־כזב, of lying words, with which he might be brought into sympathy, and by which he might ruin himself and others. The second petition is that God would give him neither poverty (ראשׁ, vid., Pro 10:4) nor riches, but grant him for his sustenance only the bread of the portion destined for him. The Hiph. הטריף (from טרף, to grind, viz., the bread with the teeth) means to give (Note: The Venet. translates, according to Villoison, θέρψον με; but the MS has, according to Gebhardt, θρέψον.) anything, as טרף, with which, 31:15, נתן חק is parallel: to present a fixed piece, a definite portion of sustenance. חק, Gen 47:22, the portion assigned as nourishment; cf. Job 23:14 חקּי, the decree determined regarding me. Accordingly, חקּי לחם does not mean the bread appropriately measured out for me (like ἄρτος ἐπιούσιος, that which is required for οὐσία, subsistence), but the bread appropriate for me, determined for me according to the divine plan. Fleischer compares (Arab.) ratab and marsaum, which both in a similar way designate a fixed sustentation portion. And why does he wish to be neither poor nor rich? Because in both extremes lie moral dangers: in riches, the temptation to deny God (which 'כּחשׁ בּה signifies, in the later Heb. כּפר בּעקּר, to deny the fundamental truth; cf. (Arab.) kafar, unbelieving), whom one flowing in superabundance forgets, and of whom one in his self-indulgence desires to know nothing (Job 21:14-16; Job 22:16.); in poverty, the temptation is to steal and to blaspheme the name of God, viz., by murmuring and disputing, or even by words of blasphemy; for one who is in despair directs the outbreaks of his anger against God (Isa 8:21), and curses Him as the cause of His misfortune (Rev 16:11, Rev 16:21). The question of godless haughtiness, מי יהוח, the lxx improperly change into מי יראה, τίς με ὁρᾶ. Regarding נורשׁ, to grow poor, or rather, since only the fut. Niph. occurs in this sense, regarding יוּרשׁ, vid., at Pro 20:13. That the author here, by blaspheming (grasping at) the name of God, especially thinks on that which the Tôra calls "cursing (קלּל) God," and particularly "blaspheming the name of the Lord," Lev 24:15-16, is to be concluded from the two following proverbs, which begin with the catchword קלל:

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

In what now follows, the key-note struck in Pro 30:1 is continued. There follows a prayer to be kept in the truth, and to be preserved in the middle state, between poverty and riches. It is a Mashal-ode, vid., vol. i. p. 12. By the first prayer, "vanity and lies keep far from me," it is connected with the warning of Pro 30:6.

7 Two things I entreat from Thee,

Refuse them not to me before I die.

8 Vanity and lies keep far away from me

Poverty and riches give me not:

Cause me to eat the bread which is allotted to me,

9 Lest in satiety I deny,

And say: Who is Jahve?

And lest, in becoming poor, I steal,

And profane the name of my God.

We begin with the settlement and explanation of the traditional punctuation. A monosyllable like שׁוא receives, if Legarmeh, always Mehuppach Legarmeh, while, on the contrary, the poly-syllable אשׂבּע has Asla Legarmeh. אל־תּתּן־לי, with double Makkeph and with Gaja in the third syllable before the tone (after the Metheg-Setzung, 28), is Ben-Asher's; whereas Ben-Naphtali prefers the punctuation אל־תּתּן לי (vid., Baer's Genesis, p. 79, note 3). Also פּן־אשׂבּע has (cf. פּן־ישׁתּה, Pro 31:5) Makkeph, and on the antepenultima Gaja (vid., Thorath Emeth, p. 32). The perf. consec. וכחשׁתּי has on the ult. the disjunctive Zinnor (Sarka), which always stands over the final letter; but that the ult. is also to be accented, is shown by the counter-tone Metheg, which is to be given to the first syllable. Also ואמרתּי has in correct Codd., e.g., Cod. 1294, the correct ultima toning of a perf. consec.; Kimchi in the Michlol 6b, as well as Aben Ezra in both of his Grammars, quotes only וגנבתּי ותפשׂתּי as toned on the penult. That וגנבתּי cannot be otherwise toned on account of the pausal accent, has been already remarked under 6b; the word, besides, belongs to the סף''פתתין בא, i.e., to those which preserve their Pathach unlengthened by one of the greater disjunctives; the Athnach has certainly in the three so-called metrical books only the disjunctive form of the Zakeph of the prose books. So much as to the form of the text.

As to its artistic form, this prayer presents itself to us as the first of the numerical proverbs, under the "Words" of Agur, who delighted in this form of proverb. The numerical proverb is a brief discourse, having a didactic end complete in itself, which by means of numerals gives prominence to that which it seeks to bring forward. There are two kinds of these. The more simple form places in the first place only one numeral, which is the sum of that which is to be brought forth separately: the numerical proverb of one cipher; to this class belong, keeping out of view the above prayer, which if it did not commence a series of numerical proverbs does not deserve this technical name on account of the low ciphers: Pro 30:24-28, with the cipher 4; Sir. 25:1 and 2, with the cipher 3. Similar to the above prayer are Job 13:20., Isa 51:19; but these are not numerical proverbs, for they are not proverbs. The more artistic kind of numerical proverb has two ciphers: the two-ciphered numerical proverb we call the sharpened (pointed) proverb. Of such two-ciphered numerical proverbs the "words" of Agur contain four, and the whole Book of Proverbs, reckoning Pro 6:16-19, five - this ascending numerical character belongs to the popular saying, Kg2 9:32; Job 33:29; Isa 16:6, and is found bearing the stamp of the artistic distich outside of the Book of Proverbs, Psa 62:12; Job 33:14; Job 40:5; Job 5:19, and particularly Amos 1:3-2:6. According to this scheme, the introduction of Agur's prayer should be:

אחת שׁאלתּי מאתּך

וּשׁתּים אל־תּמנע ממּנּי בּטרם אמוּת

and it could take this form, for the prayer expresses two requests, but dwells exclusively on the second. A twofold request he presents to God, these two things he wishes to be assured of on this side of death; for of these he stands in need, so as to be able when he dies to look back on the life he has spent, without the reproaches of an accusing conscience. The first thing he asks is that God would keep far from him vanity and lying words. שׁוא (= שׁוא, from שׁוא = שׁאה, to be waste, after the form מות) is either that which is confused, worthless, untrue, which comes to us from without (e.g., Job 31:5), or dissoluteness, hollowness, untruthfulness of disposition (e.g., Psa 26:4); it is not to be decided whether the suppliant is influenced by the conception thus from within or from without, since דבר־כּזב [a word of falsehood] may be said by himself as well as to him, a falsehood can intrude itself upon him. It is almost more probable that by שׁוא he thought of the misleading power of God-estranged, idolatrous thought and action; and by דבר־כזב, of lying words, with which he might be brought into sympathy, and by which he might ruin himself and others. The second petition is that God would give him neither poverty (ראשׁ, vid., Pro 10:4) nor riches, but grant him for his sustenance only the bread of the portion destined for him. The Hiph. הטריף (from טרף, to grind, viz., the bread with the teeth) means to give

(Note: The Venet. translates, according to Villoison, θέρψον με; but the MS has, according to Gebhardt, θρέψον.)

anything, as טרף, with which, 31:15, נתן חק is parallel: to present a fixed piece, a definite portion of sustenance. חק, Gen 47:22, the portion assigned as nourishment; cf. Job 23:14 חקּי, the decree determined regarding me. Accordingly, חקּי לחם does not mean the bread appropriately measured out for me (like ἄρτος ἐπιούσιος, that which is required for οὐσία, subsistence), but the bread appropriate for me, determined for me according to the divine plan. Fleischer compares (Arab.) ratab and marsaum, which both in a similar way designate a fixed sustentation portion. And why does he wish to be neither poor nor rich? Because in both extremes lie moral dangers: in riches, the temptation to deny God (which 'כּחשׁ בּה signifies, in the later Heb. כּפר בּעקּר, to deny the fundamental truth; cf. (Arab.) kafar, unbelieving), whom one flowing in superabundance forgets, and of whom one in his self-indulgence desires to know nothing (Job 21:14-16; Job 22:16.); in poverty, the temptation is to steal and to blaspheme the name of God, viz., by murmuring and disputing, or even by words of blasphemy; for one who is in despair directs the outbreaks of his anger against God (Isa 8:21), and curses Him as the cause of His misfortune (Rev 16:11, Rev 16:21). The question of godless haughtiness, מי יהוח, the lxx improperly change into מי יראה, τίς με ὁρᾶ. Regarding נורשׁ, to grow poor, or rather, since only the fut. Niph. occurs in this sense, regarding יוּרשׁ, vid., at Pro 20:13.

That the author here, by blaspheming (grasping at) the name of God, especially thinks on that which the Tôra calls "cursing (קלּל) God," and particularly "blaspheming the name of the Lord," Lev 24:15-16, is to be concluded from the two following proverbs, which begin with the catchword קלל:

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
Two things have I required of thee - 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.

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¹⁵ And thou shalt speak [01696] unto the children [01121] of Israel [03478], saying [0559], Whosoever [0376] curseth [03588] [07043] his God [0430] shall bear [05375] his sin [02399].
¹⁶ And he that blasphemeth [05344] the name [08034] of the LORD [03068], he shall surely [04191] be put to death [04191], and all the congregation [05712] shall certainly [07275] stone [07275] him: as well the stranger [01616], as he that is born in the land [0249], when he blasphemeth [05344] the name [08034] of the LORD, shall be put to death [04191].

¹³ Love [0157] not sleep [08142], lest thou come to poverty [03423]; open [06491] thine eyes [05869], and thou shalt be satisfied [07646] with bread [03899].

²¹ And [2532] there fell [2597] upon [1909] men [444] a great [3173] hail [5464] out of [1537] heaven [3772], every stone about [5613] the weight of a talent [5006]: and [2532] men [444] blasphemed [987] God [2316] because of [1537] the plague [4127] of the hail [5464]; for [3754] the plague [4127] thereof [846] was [2076] exceeding [4970] great [3173].

¹¹ And [2532] blasphemed [987] the God [2316] of heaven [3772] because of [1537] their [846] pains [4192] and [2532] [1537] their [846] sores [1668], and [2532] repented [3340] not [3756] of [1537] their [846] deeds [2041].

²¹ And they shall pass [05674] through it, hardly bestead [07185] and hungry [07457]: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry [07456], they shall fret [07107] themselves, and curse [07043] their king [04428] and their God [0430], and look [06437] upward [04605].

¹⁶ Which were cut down [07059] out of time [06256], whose foundation [03247] was overflown [03332] with a flood [05104]:

¹⁴ Therefore they say [0559] unto God [0410], Depart [05493] from us; for we desire [02654] not the knowledge [01847] of thy ways [01870].
¹⁵ What is the Almighty [07706], that we should serve [05647] him? and what profit [03276] should we have, if we pray [06293] unto him?
¹⁶ Lo, their good [02898] is not in their hand [03027]: the counsel [06098] of the wicked [07563] is far [07368] from me.

¹⁴ For he performeth [07999] the thing that is appointed [02706] for me: and many [07227] such [02007] things are with him.

²² Only the land [0127] of the priests [03548] bought he [07069] not; for the priests [03548] had a portion [02706] assigned them of Pharaoh [06547], and did eat [0398] their portion [02706] which Pharaoh [06547] gave [05414] them: wherefore they sold [04376] not their lands [0127].

⁴ He becometh poor [07326] that dealeth [06213] with a slack [07423] hand [03709]: but the hand [03027] of the diligent [02742] maketh rich [06238].

⁴ I have not sat [03427] with vain [07723] persons [04962], neither will I go in [0935] with dissemblers [05956].

⁵ If I have walked [01980] with vanity [07723], or if my foot [07272] hath hasted [02363] to deceit [04820];

¹⁹ He shall deliver [05337] thee in six [08337] troubles [06869]: yea, in seven [07651] there shall no evil [07451] touch [05060] thee.

⁵ Once [0259] have I spoken [01696]; but I will not answer [06030]: yea, twice [08147]; but I will proceed no further [03254].

¹⁴ For God [0410] speaketh [01696] once [0259], yea twice [08147], yet man perceiveth [07789] it not.

¹² Also unto thee, O Lord [0136], belongeth mercy [02617]: for thou renderest [07999] to every man [0376] according to his work [04639].

⁶ We have heard [08085] of the pride [01347] of Moab [04124]; he is very [03966] proud [01341]: even of his haughtiness [01346], and his pride [01347], and his wrath [05678]: but his lies [0907] shall not be so.

²⁹ Lo, all these things worketh [06466] God [0410] oftentimes [06471] [07969] with man [01397],

³² And he lifted up [05375] his face [06440] to the window [02474], and said [0559], Who is on my side? who? And there looked out [08259] to him two [08147] or three [07969] eunuchs [05631].

¹⁶ These six [08337] things doth the LORD [03068] hate [08130]: yea, seven [07651] are an abomination [08441] unto him [05315]:
¹⁷ A proud [07311] look [05869], a lying [08267] tongue [03956], and hands [03027] that shed [08210] innocent [05355] blood [01818],
¹⁸ An heart [03820] that deviseth [02790] wicked [0205] imaginations [04284], feet [07272] that be swift [04116] in running [07323] to mischief [07451],
¹⁹ A false [08267] witness [05707] that speaketh [06315] lies [03577], and he that soweth [07971] discord [04090] among brethren [0251].

¹⁹ These two [08147] things are come [07122] unto thee; who shall be sorry [05110] for thee? desolation [07701], and destruction [07667], and the famine [07458], and the sword [02719]: by whom shall I comfort [05162] thee?

²⁰ Only do [06213] not two [08147] things unto me: then will I not hide [05641] myself from thee [06440].

²⁴ There be four [0702] things which are little [06996] upon the earth [0776], but they are exceeding [02449] wise [02450]:
²⁵ The ants [05244] are a people [05971] not strong [05794], yet they prepare [03559] their meat [03899] in the summer [07019];
²⁶ The conies [08227] are but a feeble [06099] folk [05971], yet make [07760] they their houses [01004] in the rocks [05553];
²⁷ The locusts [0697] have no king [04428], yet go they forth [03318] all of them by bands [02686];
²⁸ The spider [08079] taketh hold [08610] with her hands [03027], and is in kings [04428]' palaces [01964].

⁵ Lest they drink [08354], and forget [07911] the law [02710], and pervert [08138] the judgment [01779] of any of the afflicted [01121] [06040].

⁶ Add [03254] thou not unto his words [01697], lest he reprove [03198] thee, and thou be found a liar [03576].

¹ The words [01697] of Agur [094] the son [01121] of Jakeh [03348], even the prophecy [04853]: the man [01397] spake [05002] unto Ithiel [0384], even unto Ithiel [0384] and Ucal [0401],