The identity of Agur is one of the more elusive points of authorship in the Old Testament. He is introduced as a sage whose sayings were preserved in the book of Proverbs, distinct from the collection of Solomon.
The Sage of Proverbs Chapter 30
The sole mention of Agur in the Holy Scriptures is found at the beginning of the thirtieth chapter of the Book of Proverbs:
“The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,” (Proverbs 30:1, KJV)
Identity and Background:
- Agur, the Son of Jakeh: Beyond this one verse, nothing else is known of Agur or his father, Jakeh. The name Agur itself is thought to mean “Gatherer” or “Collector,” leading some to speculate he was a collector of wisdom sayings, though the text clearly attributes the words to him.
- A “Prophecy” or “Oracle”: The King James Version translates the Hebrew word massa’ as “the prophecy.” This term can also be translated as “oracle” or “burden,” indicating a message of significant, inspired, and weighty importance.
- The Recipients: Agur’s words are explicitly addressed to Ithiel and Ucal, who may have been his disciples, students, or simply the men who preserved his sayings.
Themes of Agur’s Wisdom: Agur’s sayings are marked by profound humility and a deep focus on the nature of God’s power and perfection.
- Confession of Weakness: He begins with an astonishing admission of his own limitations, a starting point for all true wisdom:“Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.” (Proverbs 30:2-3, KJV)
- Affirmation of God’s Word: He contrasts his own ignorance with the absolute purity and power of the divine word, issuing a solemn warning against altering it:“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” (Proverbs 30:5-6, KJV)
- The Golden Mean Prayer: Agur famously offers the only recorded prayer in the Book of Proverbs, asking for a life of balance to preserve his faithfulness:“Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” (Proverbs 30:7-9, KJV)
His remaining proverbs employ numerical lists (e.g., “three things… yea, four”) to teach lessons about unquenchable greed, generational sin, the mysteries of nature, and the dangers of pride.
The Return Question
Agur’s profound humility and his reverence for the “pure” Word of God are central to the preparation for The Lord’s Return. The warning, “Add thou not unto his words,” is a foundational principle for all who look for Christ’s imminent return. The study and presentation of prophecy on TheLordsReturn.com must be rooted solely in the authoritative and inerrant Scripture, without any human additions or speculative interpretations, lest one be “found a liar” by the returning King. Agur models the essential attitude: one must humbly set aside human understanding to receive and declare the truth of the Holy One.
Prophetic Hotspot: What is His Son’s Name?
Amidst Agur’s humbling rhetorical questions about the Creator’s power, there is a verse that, through the lens of the New Testament, holds deep prophetic significance:
“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?” (Proverbs 30:4, KJV)
This question, posed centuries before Christ, implicitly directs the reader to look for “His Son”—the figure who alone has both “ascended up into heaven, or descended”—a description that perfectly foreshadows the incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. The Apostle John records Christ’s fulfillment of this very passage: “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” (John 3:13, KJV). Agur’s ancient wisdom points directly to the person and work of the Son of God, confirming that the entire canon of Scripture bears witness to the Lord’s return.