Proverbs 30:8
Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
Original Language Analysis
שָׁ֤וְא׀
from me vanity
H7723
שָׁ֤וְא׀
from me vanity
Strong's:
H7723
Word #:
1 of 13
evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, object
וּֽדְבַר
and lies
H1697
וּֽדְבַר
and lies
Strong's:
H1697
Word #:
2 of 13
a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
כָּזָ֡ב
H3577
הַרְחֵ֬ק
Remove far
H7368
הַרְחֵ֬ק
Remove far
Strong's:
H7368
Word #:
4 of 13
to widen (in any direction), i.e., (intransitively) recede or (transitively) remove (literally or figuratively, of place or relation)
מִמֶּ֗נִּי
H4480
מִמֶּ֗נִּי
Strong's:
H4480
Word #:
5 of 13
properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
אַל
H408
אַל
Strong's:
H408
Word #:
8 of 13
not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (job 24:25) as a noun, nothing
תִּֽתֶּן
give
H5414
תִּֽתֶּן
give
Strong's:
H5414
Word #:
9 of 13
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
הַ֝טְרִיפֵ֗נִי
feed
H2963
הַ֝טְרִיפֵ֗נִי
feed
Strong's:
H2963
Word #:
11 of 13
to pluck off or pull to pieces; causatively to supply with food (as in morsels)
Cross References
Matthew 6:33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.Luke 11:3Give us day by day our daily bread.Psalms 119:37Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.Psalms 119:29Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.Job 23:12Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.Proverbs 21:6The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.Matthew 6:11Give us this day our daily bread.Acts 14:15And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:Proverbs 22:8He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.Exodus 16:35And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.
Historical Context
Ancient Israel's economy swung between agricultural abundance and famine. The wealthy faced temptations of self-sufficiency, while the desperately poor faced survival pressures. Agur's wisdom transcends both extremes, seeking the spiritually safest path.
Questions for Reflection
- How do both poverty and prosperity in your current situation tempt you toward specific sins?
- What would change if you genuinely prayed for 'enough' rather than 'more'?
- How does contentment with daily provision reflect trust in God as your Father (Matthew 6:11, 25-34)?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Remove far from me vanity and lies—The first request: shāwĕʾ (שָׁוְא, vanity) means emptiness, falsehood; kāzāb (כָּזָב, lies) is deception. Agur prays for integrity and truthfulness. Give me neither poverty nor riches—The second request: rēsh (רֵישׁ, poverty) nor ʿōsher (עשֶׁר, riches). Feed me with food convenient for me—literally, 'my portion of bread' (leḥem ḥuqqî, לֶחֶם חֻקִּי), what is necessary.
This prayer for the 'golden mean' recognizes that both poverty and prosperity tempt sin (v. 9). It's the biblical basis for contentment theology—Paul's 'I have learned to be content' (Philippians 4:11-12). Not asceticism or prosperity gospel, but trust in God's sufficient provision.