Proverbs 30:6
Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Proverbs 30:6
Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The warning isn't just about adding new rules, but about mixing human ideas with God's pure truth, essentially turning divine revelation into a lie. This prohibition is so serious because it falsely presents our own thoughts as God's words, leading to His rebuke and revealing us as deceivers.
The speaker, Agur, has just confessed his ignorance and inability to grasp divine truths. Now, he warns against corrupting God's pure Word with human ideas, lest God expose such additions as falsehoods and punish those who distort His message. This caution prepares the way for his prayer for wisdom and contentment, recognizing the danger of both presumption and deception when approaching divine revelation.
Think about the purity of gold. What happens when you mix it with other metals? God's Word is like pure silver – precious, valuable, and untainted. This proverb warns us against muddying its clear stream.
The core message here is about the integrity of God's Word. Agur, the author of this proverb, emphasizes that God's communication to us is perfect and complete as it is.
Imagine standing before a refining fire, your claims tested and found wanting. This proverb paints a stark picture of what happens when we tamper with God's Word.
The second part of the proverb delivers a sobering consequence: 'lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.' This isn't a light warning; it speaks to a profound spiritual danger.
Understand the original words
yasaph · Hebrew Verb
To add to or take away from God’s revelation is to question its perfection, sufficiency, and divine authority. It implies a lack of submission to God’s clearly spoken word.
yakah · Hebrew Verb
Divine correction, reprimand, or discipline, often used when God exposes the folly or disobedience of His people to bring them to repentance.
kazab · Hebrew Noun
A person who speaks falsely, deceiving others and misrepresenting the truth; it is a character trait strongly condemned throughout Scripture as contrary to God’s nature.
This passage directly echoes the sentiment of Proverbs 30:6, warning the Israelites not to add to or subtract from the commands of God, emphasizing that His word is complete and authoritative.
Revelation 22:18The New Testament repeats this solemn warning, explicitly stating that anyone who adds to the words of the prophecy in this book will have plagues added to them.
Galatians 1:8Paul provides a strong New Testament parallel by emphasizing that even if an angel preaches a gospel contrary to what was received, he is to be condemned, highlighting the danger of altering God's message.
Jeremiah 23:30This verse speaks of prophets who steal from one another's words, illustrating the negative consequences of tampering with prophetic messages and presenting them as one's own or as divine truth.
clarkeProverbs 30:6: "Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
Add not thou unto his words - You can no more increase their value by any addition, than you can that of gold by adding any other metal to it. Take care that you do not any thing that this word forbids, nor leave undone any thing that it commands: for this is adding and diminishing in Scripture phrase. Lest he reprove thee - Lest he try thy word by fire, as his has been tried; and it appear that, far f…
pulpitProverbs 30:6: "Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
Verse 6. - Add thou not unto his words. God's will, as announced in revelation, is to be simply accepted and acted upon, not watered down, not overstrained. This injunction had already been given in the old Law (Deuteronomy 4:2; Deuteronomy 12:32); it is repeated in the New Testament with awful emphasis (Revelation 22:18, 19). No human speculations or traditions may be mingled with God's words; the glo…
The warning isn't just about adding new rules, but about mixing human ideas with God's pure truth, essentially turning divine revelation into a lie. This prohibition is so serious because it falsely presents our own thoughts as God's words, leading to His rebuke and revealing us as deceivers.
The speaker, Agur, has just confessed his ignorance and inability to grasp divine truths. Now, he warns against corrupting God's pure Word with human ideas, lest God expose such additions as falsehoods and punish those who distort His message. This caution prepares the way for his prayer for wisdom and contentment, recognizing the danger of both presumption and deception when approaching divine revelation.
The speaker, Agur, has just confessed his ignorance and inability to grasp divine truths. Now, he warns against corrupting God's pure Word with human ideas, lest God expose such additions as falsehoods and punish those who distort His message. This caution prepares the way for his prayer for wisdom and contentment, recognizing the danger of both presumption and deception when approaching divine revelation.
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"Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar." — The warning isn't just about adding new rules, but about mixing human ideas with God's pure truth, essentially turning divine revelation into a lie. This prohibition is so serious because it falsely…