Proverbs 30:5–6

Context

As verse 1 indicates, Proverbs 30 is a collection of the words of "Agur the son of Jakeh." Who Agur was, and whether "Ithiel and Ucal" in verse 1 are personal names, remains unclear. In verses 2–3, Agur confesses that he lacks "the knowledge of the holy." In verse 4 he poses a series of questions that no human being can answer, such as "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?" Verses 5–6 serve as the answer to these questions: because human wisdom cannot fully know God, the only sure ground for trust is the word God has given.

Verse 5 is nearly identical in wording to Psalm 18:30 (2 Samuel 22:31), and verse 6 resembles the command "Ye shall not add" in Deuteronomy 4:2. Scholars therefore regard Agur as weaving together earlier biblical texts. The Hebrew word rendered "pure" conveys the sense of "refined" or "tested," like metal melted in the fire to remove its impurities.

Interpretation

• Contextual reading: The passage is read as a warning against presenting one's own speculations as though they were the word of God. The expression "be found a liar" is understood in the same sense. This reading connects with the wisdom-literature theme of human humility in the knowledge of God.
• Reformed and evangelical reading: The passage is often used to support the inerrancy of Scripture (the view that Scripture contains no errors) and its sufficiency (the view that everything necessary for salvation and the life of faith is contained in Scripture). It is frequently mentioned alongside chapter 1 of the Westminster Confession of Faith, which confesses that nothing is to be added to Scripture, "whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men."
• Catholic reading: The passage is accepted as affirming the trustworthiness of God's word. However, Sacred Tradition (the holy tradition handed down by the Church) is regarded not as an addition to the word but as a channel that, together with Scripture, transmits the one revelation. Accordingly, the passage is not used, as it is in Protestantism, as grounds for criticizing tradition.

Controversies and Issues

• Application to the canon: The passage is often cited as evidence that the sixty-six-book canon is closed. Some respond that, since the canon was not yet complete when Proverbs was written, applying the passage directly to the closing of the canon goes beyond its context. Many who raise this objection nonetheless consider a connection possible in principle.
• Revelation and spiritual gifts: Proponents of cessationism cite the passage to criticize claims of "direct revelation" (revelation said to be received directly from God apart from Scripture). Continuationists, namely Pentecostals and charismatics, reply that present-day prophecy does not carry the same authority as Scripture and therefore does not add to it.
• Textual arrangement: In the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament), the arrangement is known to differ from that of the Hebrew text; for example, part of Proverbs 30 is placed after chapter 24.

In the Korean Church

The passage is cited in Bible studies that teach the doctrine of Scripture. It is also used, together with Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18–19, in warning against groups that promote new revelations or scriptures beyond the Bible as heretical.

Related Passages

• Deuteronomy 4:2
• Psalm 18:30
• Psalm 12:6
• Galatians 1:8–9
• Revelation 22:18–19