Agur

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Along with King Solomon and Lemuel, Agur is named as the author of the proverbs recorded in the Bible book Proverbs , a textbook of the Old Testament of the Bible . The Proverbs in the 30th chapter of the book are said to go back to him.

Agur refers to himself in the first verse of Proverbs 30 as the son of Jake. It is possible that he lived in the period between the rule of kings Solomon and Hezekiah and comes from the Arab tribe of Massa. According to some Jewish scholars, he was called Agur because he gathered knowledge from the Torah (Hebrew agar = "to collect"). Agur is not to be confused with the Roman office of augur .

Contents of the 30th chapter of the Proverbs ("Words of Agurs")

In verses 2 to 6, Agur compares his own wisdom with the wisdom of God and comes to a devastating judgment. He frankly admits his lack of understanding compared to the infinite height of God's wisdom. Agur draws a humble balance of his life and search for God. He had failed to gain wisdom or holiness . Therefore, in verses 7 to 9 , he asks YHWH (God) neither for wealth nor for poverty , so that in his satiety he does not question the existence of God. Agur wants to prevent violating the first two of the Ten Commandments . Yet he states that the words of God can be a sure and protective shield for the people who hide themselves in these words.

As in the biblical books of Job and Jeremiah , the wonders of nature are enthusiastically described by Agur. He is impressed by the instinctive wisdom of small, inconspicuous creatures such as ants , rock badgers and grasshoppers (Prov. 30: 26ff). In amazement, Agur follows the paths of the eagle in the sky and the serpent on the rock. The order of God's creation is presented as evidence of God's incomprehensible wisdom, from which human beings can only learn.

Quotes

  • I ask two things of you; do not deny it to me before I die: remove falsehood and falsehood from me, do not give me poverty and wealth, feed me with the bread that has been given to me; so that I may not be satisfied and deny you and say: Who is Yahweh? and so that I do not become poor and steal, and attack the name of my God. (Prov. 30, 7-9; Elberfeld Bible (1905 edition))
  • An eye that mocks and despises the father, to obey the mother, that is what the ravens have to dig up by the brook and the young eagles eat. (Prov. 30:17; Luther Bible (edition 1545))

See also

literature