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Proverbs 30:8-9
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 30:8-9
Lexham English Bible
8 Keep falsehood and a lying word[a] far from me;
do not give me poverty or wealth;
provide me with food only for my need.
9 Or else I will be satisfied and will deny him
and say “Who is Yahweh?”
Or[b] I will be poor and will steal
and profane the name of my God.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:8 Literally “word of a lie”
- Proverbs 30:9 Or “Lest”
Proverbs 30:8-9
New English Translation
Proverbs 30:8-9
New English Translation
8 Remove falsehood and lies[a] far from me;
do not give me poverty or riches,
feed me with my allotted portion[b] of bread,[c]
9 lest I become satisfied and act deceptively[d]
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or lest I become poor and steal
and demean[e] the name of my God.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:8 tn The two words might form a hendiadys: “falsehood and lies” being equivalent to “complete deception.” The word שָׁוְא (shavʾ) means “false; empty; vain; to a false purpose.” The second word means “word of lying,” thus “a lying word.” Taken separately they might refer to false intentions and false words.
- Proverbs 30:8 tn The word חֹק (khoq) means “statute”; it is also used of a definite assignment in labor (Exod 5:14; Prov 31:15), or of a set portion of food (Gen 47:22). Here it refers to food that is the proper proportion for the speaker.
- Proverbs 30:8 sn Agur requested an honest life (not deceitful) and a balanced life (not self-sufficient). The second request about his provision is clarified in v. 9.
- Proverbs 30:9 tn The verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) means “to be disappointing; to deceive; to fail; to grow lean.” In the Piel stem it means “to deceive; to act deceptively; to cringe; to disappoint.” The idea of acting deceptively is illustrated in Hos 9:2 where it has the connotation of “disowning” or “refusing to acknowledge” (a meaning very close to its meaning here).
- Proverbs 30:9 tn The Hebrew verb literally means “to take hold of; to seize”; this produces the idea of doing violence to the reputation of God.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
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New English Translation (NET)
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