SEV Biblia, Chapter 30:8
Vanidad y palabra mentirosa aparta de mí; no me des pobreza ni riquezas; manténme del pan de mi juicio;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Proverbs 30:8
Verse 8. Remove far from me vanity and lies. ] 1. aw¨ shav, all false shows, all false appearances of happiness, every vain expectation. Let me not set my heart on any thing that is not solid, true, durable, and eternal. 2. Lies, bzk rbd debar cazab, all words of deception, empty pretensions, false promises, uncertain dependences, and words that FAIL; promises which, when they become due, are like bad bills; they are dishonoured because they are found to be forged, or the drawer insolvent.
From the import of the original, I am satisfied that Agur prays against idolatry, false religion, and false worship of every kind. aw¨ shau is used for an idol, a false god. Jer. xviii. 15: "My people have forsaken me; they have burnt incense to VANITY;" aw¨l lashshav, "to an IDOL." Psa. xxxi. 6: "I have hated them that regard lying VANITIES;" aw¨ ylbh habley shave, "vain IDOLS." See also Hos. xii. 11; Jonah ii. 8. And bzk cazab, a thing that fails or deceives, may well apply to the vain pretensions, false promises, and deceptive religious rites of idolatry. So Jer. xv. 18: "Wilt thou be unto me as a liar," bzka wmk kemo achzob, like the false, failing promises of the false gods; "and as waters that fail;" wnman al lo neemanu, that are not faithful; not like the true God, whose promises never fail. According to this view of the subject, Agur prays, 1. That he may be preserved from idolatry. 2. That he may put no confidence in any words but those pure words of God that never fail them that trust in him.
Give me neither poverty nor riches ] Here are three requests: 1. Give me not poverty. The reason is added: Lest, being poor, I shall get into a covetous spirit, and, impelled by want, distrust my Maker, and take my neighbour's property; and, in order to excuse, hide, or vindicate my conduct, I take the name of my God in vain; yt¨pt taphasti, "I catch at the name of God." Or, by swearing falsely, endeavour to make myself pass for innocent. "Forswere the name of my God". - Old MS. Bible.
Coverdale, "deny or apostatize from him." 2. Give me not riches. For which petition he gives a reason also: Lest I be full, and addict myself to luxurious living, pamper the flesh and starve the soul, and so deny thee, the Fountain of goodness; and, if called on to resort to first principles, I say, Who is Jehovah! Why should I acknowledge, why should I serve him? And thus cast aside all religion, and all moral obligation.
3. The third request is, Feed me with food convenient for me, yqj µjl ynpyrfh hatripheni leechem chukki; the meaning of which is, "give me as prey my statute allowance of bread," i.e., my daily bread, a sufficient portion for each day. There is an allusion made to hunting: "Direct so by thy good providence, that I may each day find sufficient portion to subsist on, as a hunter in the forest prays that he may have good speed." It is the province of a preacher to show the importance and utility of such a prayer, and dilate the circumstances, and expand the reasons, after the commentator has shown the literal sense.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 8. Remove far from me vanity and lies , etc.] This is the “first” request, to be preserved from sin, in general; which is a vain, lying, and deceitful thing; promising pleasure, profit, liberty, and impunity, which it does not give. Agur desires to have vain thoughts removed out of his mind, vain words from his mouth, and vain actions from his life and conversation; to have his eyes turned from beholding vanity, and his feet from walking in it; and his affections taken off from the vain things of the world, the lusts, pleasures, profits, and honours of it; as well as to be kept from all errors and false doctrines, which are lies in hypocrisy; with which men that lie in wait to deceive would, if it were possible, deceive the very elect: Agur conscious of his own weakness, and proneness to evil, desires the Lord would not lead him into temptation, but deliver him from all evil, doctrinal and practical. Some understand this of the forgiveness of sin; which is sometimes expressed by a putting or removing it away, ( 2 Samuel 7:13) ( <19A312> Psalm 103:12); give me neither poverty nor riches ; this is the “second” request, not to be extremely poor nor too rich; but to be in a middle state between both, neither rich nor poor; which Horace calls the golden mean, and which Agur wisely judged to be the happiest state; most free from care, least liable to temptation, and the best situation to serve the Lord in: a like wish was made by Theognis f847 , I neither love to be rich, “nor desire it; but to live on a little, having no evil;” so Martial f848 . Both riches and poverty are of God; men are rich or poor, as the Lord pleases; he suffers poverty in some, and gives riches to others:
Agur deprecates both, as having their separate, peculiar, snares and temptations; though no doubt this request was made with submission to the will of God; and not as considering either of them as evils in themselves, but as they might be attended with bad consequences, and what is next mentioned being more eligible; feed me with food convenient for me ; not merely what was agreeable to his palate, suitable to his constitution, and sufficient for nature; nor for him personally, but for his family also; and what was proper and suitable to the condition and circumstances in which he was, and to the rank and quality he held, whether in a more private or in a more public capacity. Some render it, “the food of my allowance” f849 ; what is allotted and appointed for me It seems to be the same which Job calls his “necessary food”, and Christ “our daily bread”: it takes in both food and raiment, which having, men should be contented with; see ( Job 23:12 Matthew 6:11 Timothy 6:8). The allusion seems to be to the stated measure of food allowed to servants by the day, or rather by the month, called “demensum”, and which was but small and scanty f850 ; yet with this Agur could be content.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7-9 - Agur wisely prayed for a middle state, that he might be kept at distance from temptations; he asked daily bread suited to his station his family, and his real good. There is a remarkable similarity betwee this prayer and several clauses of the Lord's prayer. If we are remove from vanity and lies; if we are interested in the pardoning love of Christ, and have him for our portion; if we walk with God, then we shall have all we can ask or think, as to spiritual things. When we consider how those who have abundance are prone to abuse the gift, an what it is to suffer want, Agur's prayer will ever be found a wise one though seldom offered. Food convenient; what is so for one, may not be so for another; but we may be sure that our heavenly Father will suppl all our need, and not suffer us to want anything good for us; and wh should we wish for more?
Original Hebrew
שׁוא 7723 ודבר 1697 כזב 3577 הרחק 7368 ממני 4480 ראשׁ 7389 ועשׁר 6239 אל 408 תתן 5414 לי הטריפני 2963 לחם 3899 חקי׃ 2706
