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Read the Bible

World English Bible

Proverbs 30:2

"Surely I am the most ignorant man, And don't have a man's understanding.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Humility;   Thompson Chain Reference - Self-Abasement;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Proverb, the Book of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Agur;   Jakeh;   Massa;   Proverbs, Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Brute;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Eliezer B. Nathan of Mayence;   She'elot U-Teshubot;  

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
Surely I am more senseless than any man,And I do not have the understanding of mankind.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Surely I am more stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Surely I am more foolishe then any man, and haue no mans vnderstandyng.
Darby Translation
Truly *I* am more stupid than any one; and I have not a man's intelligence.
New King James Version
Surely I am more stupid than any man, And do not have the understanding of a man.
Literal Translation
Surely I am more brutish than anyone, and I do not have the understanding of a man.
Easy-to-Read Version
I am stupid. I am not as smart as other people are.
King James Version (1611)
Surely I am more brutish then any man, and haue not the vnderstanding of a man.
King James Version
Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For though I am ye leest of all, & haue no mas vnderstodige
Amplified Bible
Surely I am more brutish and stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man [for I do not know what I do not know].
American Standard Version
Surely I am more brutish than any man, And have not the understanding of a man;
Bible in Basic English
For I am more like a beast than any man, I have no power of reasoning like a man:
Update Bible Version
Surely I am more brutish than any man, And don't have the understanding of man;
Webster's Bible Translation
Surely I [am] more brutish than [any] man, and have not the understanding of a man.
New English Translation
Surely I am more brutish than any other human being, and I do not have human understanding;
Contemporary English Version
I am far too stupid to be considered human.
Complete Jewish Bible
I am more boorish than anyone, I lack human discernment;
Geneva Bible (1587)
Surely I am more foolish then any man, and haue not the vnderstanding of a man in me.
George Lamsa Translation
Surely, I am weak minded, and have not the understanding of men.
Hebrew Names Version
"Surely I am the most ignorant man, And don't have a man's understanding.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Surely I am brutish, unlike a man, and have not the understanding of a man;
New Living Translation
I am too stupid to be human, and I lack common sense.
New Life Bible
For sure, I am more foolish than any man, and I do not have the understanding of a man.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
By reason of the sins of ungodly men quarrels arise; but a wise man will quell them.
English Revised Version
Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man:
Berean Standard Bible
Surely I am the most ignorant of men, and I lack the understanding of a man.
New Revised Standard
Surely I am too stupid to be human; I do not have human understanding.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Surely, more brutish, am, I, than any man, nor doth, the understanding of a son of earth, pertain to me;
Douay-Rheims Bible
I am the most foolish of men, and the wisdom of men is not with me.
Lexham English Bible
Certainly I am more stupid than a man, and the understanding of humankind is not for me.
English Standard Version
Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man.
New American Standard Bible
I am certainly more stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man;
New Century Version
"I am the most stupid person there is, and I have no understanding.
Good News Translation
I am more like an animal than a human being; I do not have the sense we humans should have.
Christian Standard Bible®
I am more stupid than any other man, and I lack man's ability to understand.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and seide, Y am the moost fool of men; and the wisdom of men is not with me.
Revised Standard Version
Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man.
Young's Literal Translation
For I am more brutish than any one, And have not the understanding of a man.

Contextual Overview

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle: The man says to Ithiel, To Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, And don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, Neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, Lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I am: Job 42:3-6, Psalms 73:22, Isaiah 6:5, Romans 11:25, 1 Corinthians 3:18, 1 Corinthians 8:2, James 1:5

brutish: Proverbs 5:12, Psalms 92:6, Jeremiah 10:14, 2 Peter 2:12-16

Reciprocal: Job 11:12 - would Job 37:19 - we Psalms 49:10 - fool Psalms 73:16 - When Psalms 139:6 - knowledge Isaiah 19:11 - brutish Acts 8:31 - How Romans 7:14 - but Ephesians 3:8 - who am

Cross-References

Genesis 16:2
Sarai said to Abram," See now, Yahweh has restrained me from bearing. Please go in to my handmaid. It may be that I will obtain children by her." Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
Genesis 20:18
For Yahweh had closed up tight all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
Genesis 25:21
Isaac entreated Yahweh for his wife, because she was barren. Yahweh was entreated by him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
Genesis 29:31
Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.
Genesis 30:5
Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.
Genesis 30:6
Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son." Therefore called she his name Dan.
Genesis 30:13
Leah said, "Happy am I, for the daughters will call me happy." She named him Asher.
Genesis 30:14
Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother, Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."
Genesis 31:36
Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me?
Genesis 50:19
Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid, for am I in the place of God?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Surely I am more brutish than [any] man,.... "Every man is [become] brutish in his knowledge"; man in his original state was a knowing creature but sinning lost his knowledge, and "became like the beasts that perish"; hence we read of the "brutish among the people": but Agur thought himself not only brutish among the rest, but more brutish than any. So Plato o says of some souls living on earth, that they are θηριωδεις, of a brutish nature; see Jeremiah 10:14. Or I think the words may be rendered, "a brute [am] I [rather] than a man" p; have more of the brute than of the man, especially in the sight and presence of God; a very beast before him, or in comparison of other wise, holy, and good men; or with respect to the knowledge of spiritual, divine, and heavenly things, Psalms 73:22; or "a brute [was] I from [the time]", or "[ever since I was] a man" q; as soon as be was born, being born in sin, and like a wild ass's colt, Job 11:12;

and have not the understanding of a man; or "of Adam" r; who was made after the image of God, which consisted in knowledge as well as holiness; who knew much of God, his nature, perfections, and persons; of the creatures, and the works of his hands and of all things in nature; but affecting more knowledge than he should lost in a great measure what he had, and brought his posterity in and left them in a state of blindness and ignorance, one of whose sons Agur was: or his meaning is, that he had not the understanding, as not of Adam in innocence, and of prophets and other eminent men of God, so not of ordinary men of those who had, he least share of the knowledge of divine things. Aben Ezra, who takes Ithiel and Ucal to be scholars or companions of Agur, supposes, that they asked him questions concerning the divine Being, nature, and perfections, to which he answers in this strain; showing his insufficiency to give them any instruction or satisfaction in such matters, or to discourse on such sublime subjects: or rather his view was to show the blindness and ignorance of human nature with respect to divine things he was about to treat of; and particularly to observe, that the knowledge of a Saviour, and salvation by him, were not from nature, and attainable by that; and that a man must first know himself, his own folly and ignorance, before he can have any true knowledge of Ithiel and Ucal, the mighty Saviour and Redeemer; of the need of him, and of interest in him. Some think his view is to prove that his words, his prophecy, or what he was about to say, or did say, must be owing entirely to divine inspiration; since he was of himself; and without a divine revelation, so very blind, dark, and ignorant; it could not be owing to any natural sagacity of his, who was more brutish than any; nor to any acquired knowledge, or the instruction of men, since he had none, as follows; and so כי, with which the words begin, may be rendered "for" or "because" s, as it usually is, "for I am more brutish, than any man", c.

o De Leg. l. 10. p, 959. p בער אנכי מאיש "bardus sum prae viro", Mercerus "brutus ego prae viro", Cocceius, Schultens. q "Nam brutus sum ex quo vir sum", Junius Tremellius, so Cartwright. r "Nec est mihi intelligentia Adami", Cartwright. s כי "nam", Junius Tremellius "quia", Pagninus, Montanus "quoniam", Michaelis.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A confession of ignorance, with which compare the saying of Socrates that he was wise only so far as he knew that he knew nothing, or that of Asaph Psalms 73:22.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 30:2. Surely I am more brutish — These words can in no sense, nor by any mode of speech, be true of Solomon: for while he was the wisest of men, he could not have said that he was more brutish than any man, and had not the understanding of a man. It is saying nothing to the purpose, to say he was so independently of the Divine teaching. Had he put this in, even by innuendo, it might be legitimate: but he does not; nor is it by fair implication to be understood. Solomon is not supposed to have written the Proverbs after he fell from God. Then indeed he might have said he had been more brutish than any man. But Agur might have used these words with strict propriety, for aught we know; for it is very probable that he was a rustic, without education, and without any human help, as was the prophet Amos; and that all that he knew now was by the inspiration of the Almighty, independently of which he was rustic and uneducated.


 
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