Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse warns against mixing human ideas with God's pure word, because such additions are essentially lies that God will expose, showing them to be worthless and leading to shame. This isn't just about adding new scriptures, but also about twisting or misrepresenting what God has already revealed with our own clever interpretations.
Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse comes from a section where Agur reflects on his limitations and the vastness of God. He acknowledges his ignorance and inability to fully grasp divine wisdom, famously praying for discernment and honesty rather than riches or poverty. This specific warning about not adding to God's words immediately follows his humble admission of not having ascended into heaven, and it precedes his prayer for a life of integrity free from falsehood.
Ever feel like you need to 'spice up' God's message or add your own spin? This verse warns against that very temptation.
Mixing Pure Truth with Human Ideas
Agur, the author of this passage, is making a profound statement about the integrity of God's words. He warns us directly: 'Do not add to his words.' This isn't just about avoiding literal additions like extra verses in the Bible. It's about guarding against the subtle danger of mixing God's pure, unadulterated truth with our own human speculations, traditions, or interpretations.
Think of God's Word like pure, refined silver. Adding anything else – our own opinions, clever ideas, or even well-intentioned explanations that go beyond what God has revealed – is like mixing that pure silver with dross. It doesn't enhance the Word; it contaminates it.
This temptation to add to God's Word has a long history. Throughout the ages, people have tried to overlay divine revelation with human traditions or philosophical ideas. The core message here is clear: God's Word stands complete and perfect on its own. Our role is to receive it faithfully, not to 'improve' it.
What happens when we tamper with God's message? This verse reveals a serious outcome we should all fear.
God's Rebuke and Our Credibility
The consequence for adding to God's Word is stark: 'lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.' This isn't a gentle correction; it's a strong rebuke that exposes our falsehood.
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When we present our own ideas or traditions as if they carry the same divine authority as Scripture, we are essentially forging God's name. The 'rebuke' comes when God exposes the falsity of our claims. This can manifest in various ways: through the disastrous spiritual consequences of following flawed teachings, or ultimately, through God's own direct judgment.
To be 'found a liar' means our claims about carrying God's message are proven false. It undermines our credibility and, more importantly, it dishonors God by misrepresenting His perfect truth. It's a solemn warning against spiritual arrogance and the dangerous practice of elevating human thought above divine revelation.
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 issues a similar warning against adding to or taking away from God's commands, establishing a foundational principle that the entirety of God's revealed will must be respected.
Deuteronomy 12:32This verse reinforces the command from Deuteronomy 4:2, explicitly stating that nothing should be added to or taken away from the commandments of the Lord, highlighting the seriousness of altering divine instruction.
Revelation 22:18In the New Testament, this verse echoes the prohibition against adding to God's words, framing it as a direct warning from God himself about the severe consequences of such actions.
Jeremiah 23:30This prophetic passage condemns prophets who claim to speak God's words but are instead sharing their own dreams and inventions, illustrating the 'liar' aspect of Proverbs 30:6.
Galatians 1:8Paul declares that even an angel from heaven preaching a different gospel than the one received is to be accursed, demonstrating a strong parallel to not distorting or adding to God's pure message.
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 verse warns against mixing human ideas with God's pure word, because such additions are essentially lies that God will expose, showing them to be worthless and leading to shame. This isn't just about adding new scriptures, but also about twisting or misrepresenting what God has already revealed with our own clever interpretations.
This verse comes from a section where Agur reflects on his limitations and the vastness of God. He acknowledges his ignorance and inability to fully grasp divine wisdom, famously praying for discernment and honesty rather than riches or poverty. This specific warning about not adding to God's words immediately follows his humble admission of not having ascended into heaven, and it precedes his prayer for a life of integrity free from falsehood.
This verse comes from a section where Agur reflects on his limitations and the vastness of God. He acknowledges his ignorance and inability to fully grasp divine wisdom, famously praying for discernment and honesty rather than riches or poverty. This specific warning about not adding to God's words immediately follows his humble admission of not having ascended into heaven, and it precedes his prayer for a life of integrity free from falsehood.
"Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar." — The verse warns against mixing human ideas with God's pure word, because such additions are essentially lies that God will expose, showing them to be worthless and leading to shame. This isn't just a…
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Last reviewed October 2026