Friday, January 27, 2012

The Son of the Vomiter? Huh?


Proverbs 30:1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, 2 Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. 3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. 4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? 5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

A first glance at the primary verse of the thirtieth chapter of Proverbs may cause some confusion. If Solomon wrote the Proverbs, who could this Agur person be? And who is the Jakeh from which he came? Who are Ithiel and Ucal to whom he is speaking these words?

We have to remember that Proverbs is one of the five books of poetry in the Bible, along with Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. All of which Solomon had a hand in writing. Like his father David, Solomon was given to aesthetics. Unlike David, he was not a fighter, but like dad, he was a lover. I mean, 700 wives and 300 concubines? He knew the best pick-up lines, how best to phrase them and when to use them. "I compare you, oh my love, to a company of horses." (Canticles 1) What potential concubine wouldn't fall for that line!

Being a man of descriptive words, Solomon gives us some very interesting descriptors in verse one.

Here is how the Latin Vulgate gives this verse:
Verba congregantis filii vomentis: visio, quam locutus est sir, cum quo est Deus, et qui Deo secum morante confortatus, ait.

And now, the translation: “The words of the collector, the son of the vomiter: the vision of the man who has God with him, and who is fortified by God dwelling with him, saith.”

Strong's defines our four entities as:
Agur - gathered
Jakeh - obedient
Ithiel - God has arrived
Ucal - devoured

Hence, Solomon has gathered this prophecy in obedience upon the arrival of the Lord (in His wisdom) and has meditated on them. From this wise prophecy, Solomon then shares it with us.

What have we gathered from the Lord? Having meditated upon what we have received, will we be obedient to the message His Spirit has given us?

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