Proverbs 30:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: There are those—how lofty are their eyes, how high their eyelids lift!

NIV: those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful;

NASB: There is a kind—oh how lofty are his eyes! And his eyelids are raised in arrogance.

CSB: There is a generation--how haughty its eyes and pretentious its looks.

NLT: They look proudly around, casting disdainful glances.

KJV: There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.

NKJV: There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.

Agur (Proverbs 30:1) is relating various sinful attitudes (Proverbs 30:11–12). Each statement is more poetic than the last. Here we find an image commonly associated with arrogant people. In modern expressions they are described as "turning up their nose," or depicted with raised brows and closed eyes. This verse mentions them holding their eyes high and raising their eyelids.

Pharisees, depicted in the New Testament, fit the description of haughtiness and hypocrisy. Jesus told a story about two men who entered the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee; the other was a tax collector. The Pharisees were known for their legalism and devotion to the Mosaic law. Tax collectors were despised as dishonest puppets of the Romans. According to Jesus' story, the Pharisee stood in the temple and made a prayer which was nothing but self-congratulations. He "thanked" God for what he thought was spiritual excellence. He extolled his adherence to the law and boasted about his tithing.

But God did not see the Pharisee as righteous. Instead, God honored the prayers of the tax collector. The tax collector "would not even lift up his eyes to heaven"—a direct contrast to the lifted face of this proverb. Humbly, the tax collector beat his chest and confessed that he was a sinner in need of God's mercy, and he received it. The humble tax collector, not the proud Pharisee, went home justified (see Luke 18:9–14).

Proverbs 30:5–14 continues the "oracle" attributed to Agur. He begins by praising God's Word as true. He warns against adding to what God says. Agur then prays asking for God's protection from certain spiritual errors. He then begins making wise observations about life and certain kinds of bad behavior. Several comments in this passage include the phrase "there are those," commenting on various common sins. Agur's humility and desire for honesty shine through in this passage of Scripture.

This chapter contains the teachings of Agur, who is only known through this passage. Humility and a sense of one's own limitations are key themes in this section. Agur prays for God's providence and warns about the sins of arrogance, greed, and rebelliousness. He marvels at how the ungodly can sin without care, not realizing their fate. He then notes the way some insignificant animals accomplish great things and comments on the effects of confidence. The chapter ends with a reminder that stirring up anger leads to trouble.

This chapter falls between a collection of Solomon's wise sayings (Proverbs 25—29) and King Lemuel's proverbs (Proverbs 31). Chapter 30 contains the wise sayings of Agur, who is otherwise unknown. He may have been the son of Jakeh. His teachings are called an oracle: a weighty message from God. Humility and warnings about arrogance are recurring themes in this chapter.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.