Proverbs 30:29
in Proverbs 30There are three things that are stately in their stride, and four that are impressive in their walk:
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
There are three things which are stately in their march, Yea, four which are stately in going:
KJV
There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going:
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This verse in Proverbs 30
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Hippolytus of RomeFragments from Commentaries on Various Books of Scripture - On Proverbs · Written before 235.
"There be three things which go well, and the fourth which is comely in going; "that is, the angels in heaven, the saints upon earth, and the souls of the righteous under the earth. And the fourth, viz. God, the Word Incarnate, passed in honour through the Virgin's womb; and creating our Adam anew, he passed through the gates of heaven, and became the first-fruits of the resurrection and of the ascension for all. "The whelp of the lion is stronger than the beasts: "i.e., Christ as prophesied of by Jacob in the person of Judah.
This site's exposition
There are three things that are stately in their stride
on Proverbs 30:29-31
The last saying names four things "stately in their stride": a lion, a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and "a king with his army around him." The list moves from beasts to men. The Hebrew names of the second and third creatures are uncertain, greyhound among the possible renderings.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
There are three things which go well, etc. In this place, a lion is introduced, about whom it is written, "The lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered" (Revelation 5). He is called the mightiest of beasts, because in him what is weak of …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? 5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
There be three things which go well,.... In a very orderly and composed manner; with constancy and cheerfulness, with great stateliness and majesty, intrepidly, and without fear; yea, four are comely in going; very beautiful and lovely to look at as they walk.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
There be three things which go well - Here is another set of emblems; four things which walk beautifully and with majesty. 1. The lion. 2. The greyhound. 3. The he-goat. And, 4. A king. 1. Nothing can be more majestic than the walk of the lion. It is deliberate, equal, firm, and in every respect becoming the king of the forest. 2. The greyhound. זרזיר מתנים zarzir mothnayim, the girt in the loins; but what this beast is we do not distinctly know.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
By the first (Pr 30:25-28), diligence and providence are commended; the success of these insignificant animals being due to their instinctive sagacity and activity, rather than strength. The other class (Pr 30:30, 31) provides similes for whatever is majestic or comely, uniting efficiency with gracefulness.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה | sheloshah | three [things] | H7969 → | 432 times |
| הֵ֭מָּה | hemah | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| מֵיטִ֣יבֵי | meitivei | [are] doing well of | H3190 → | 117 times |
| צָ֑עַד | tzaad | step | H6806 → | 14 times |
| וְ֝אַרְבָּעָ֗ה | vearbaah | and four [things] | H702 → | 318 times |
| מֵיטִ֥בֵי | meitivei | [are] doing well | H3190 → | 117 times |
| לָֽכֶת׃ | lakhet | <of> to walk | H1980 → | 1546 times |
שְׁלֹשָׁ֣הthree [things]
sheloshahH7969 →432 times
הֵ֭מָּהthey
hemahH1992 →553 times
מֵיטִ֣יבֵי[are] doing well of
meitiveiH3190 →117 times
צָ֑עַדstep
tzaadH6806 →14 times
וְ֝אַרְבָּעָ֗הand four [things]
vearbaahH702 →318 times
מֵיטִ֥בֵי[are] doing well
meitiveiH3190 →117 times
לָֽכֶת׃<of> to walk
lakhetH1980 →1546 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
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About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Proverbs of Solomon; Hippolytus of Rome, Fragments from Commentaries on Various Books of Scripture - On Proverbs; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.