Proverbs 30:31
in Proverbs 30a strutting rooster; a he-goat; and a king with his army around him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The greyhound; the he-goat also; And the king against whom there is no rising up.
KJV
A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.
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This verse in Proverbs 30
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA greyhound,.... So Gersom interprets the word; but Jarchi owns he does not know what is meant; and Aben Ezra only says, it is the name of a living creature, but does not say what; but observes, that some interpret it of the "bee", and others of the "eagle".
This site's exposition
There be three things which go well
on Proverbs 30:29-31
The last numerical saying names four things stately in their walk: a lion that turns away from nothing, a greyhound, a goat, and a king against whom none can rise up. The list moves from the animal kingdom to the human, closing the chapter's numerical form on kingship, the picture Agur, an otherwise obscure sage, uses to describe the confidence proper to rightful authority. The bench notes the Hebrew of the second and third items is uncertain in identification, greyhound and he goat among the possible renderings, without the uncertainty touching the saying's point.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
A greyhound - The Hebrew word occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament. The literal meaning is: “one with loins girded;” and some have referred this to the stripes of the zebra, others to the “war-horse” (compare Job 39:19, Job 39:25), as he is represented in the sculptures of Persepolis, with rich and stately trappings. A king, against whom there is no rising up - i. e., A king irresistible. Others prefer, “a king in the midst of his people,” and the sense, as giving a more vivid picture, is certainly more satisfactory.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| זַרְזִ֣יר | zarzir | a rooster of | H2223 → | |
| מָתְנַ֣יִם | matenayim | loins | H4975 → | |
| אוֹ־ | ʾov- | or | H176 → | |
| תָ֑יִשׁ | tayish | a male goat | H8495 → | |
| וּ֝מֶ֗לֶךְ | umelekh | and a king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| אַלְק֥וּם | ʾalkum | a band of soldiers | H510 → | |
| עִמּֽוֹ׃ | imo | with him | H5973 → | 1050 times |
זַרְזִ֣ירa rooster of
zarzirH2223 →
מָתְנַ֣יִםloins
matenayimH4975 →
אוֹ־or
ʾov-H176 →
תָ֑יִשׁa male goat
tayishH8495 →
וּ֝מֶ֗לֶךְand a king
umelekhH4428 →2525 times
אַלְק֥וּםa band of soldiers
ʾalkumH510 →
עִמּֽוֹ׃with him
imoH5973 →1050 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 20:2The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion; whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.
it leads to
- Proverbs 19:12
A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ecclesiastes 10:4
If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 8:36
But he who fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”
- 1 Kings 2:23
Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.
- Proverbs 16:14–15
The wrath of a king is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it.
- Proverbs 19:12
Through
Proverbs 16:14The wrath of a king is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it.
it leads to
- Proverbs 20:2
The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion; whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.
- 2 Corinthians 5:20
Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.
- Proverbs 17:11
An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
- Proverbs 20:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
On this verse
On this chapter
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Proverbs of Solomon; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).