New Living Translation
Proverbs 30:7
7O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die.
Proverbs 30:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
- New International Version (NIV)“Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die:
- English Standard Version (ESV)Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die:
- New King James Version (NKJV)Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die):
Context of Proverbs 30:7
5Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. 6Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar. O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. 8First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. 9For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.
Read all of Proverbs 30Proverbs 30:7 word by word
שְׁ֭תַּיִם שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵאִתָּ֑ךְ אַל־תִּמְנַ֥ע מִ֝מֶּ֗נִּי בְּטֶ֣רֶם אָמֽוּת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 30:7
- 1 Kings 3:5That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”
- 2 Kings 2:9When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.” And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.”
- Psalms 27:4The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.
- Luke 10:42There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
- Psalms 21:2For you have given him his heart’s desire; you have withheld nothing he requested. Interlude
Commentaries on Proverbs 30:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Two things have I required of thee - These two petitions are mentioned in the next verse; and he wishes to have them answered before he should die. That is, he wishes the answer now, that he may live the rest of his life in the state he describes.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Two things - The limitation of man‘s desires follows naturally upon his consciousness of the limits of his knowledge.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-9Verses 7-9 Agur wisely prayed for a middle state, that he might be kept at a distance from temptations; he asked daily bread suited to his station, his family, and his real good. There is a remarkable similarity between this prayer and several clauses of the Lord's prayer. If we are removed from vanity and lies; if we are interested in the pardoning love of Christ, and have him for our portion; if we walk with God, then we shall have all we can ask or…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-9Agur asks God for two things: Help to avoid lying (compare Proverbs 6:16–19; 14:5, 25; 25:18; 26:18–19) To not have too much or too little Being rich (Proverbs 3:9–10, 15–16; 10:15, 22) or poor (3:27; 11:24; 28:27; 29:7, 14) is not sinful, but Agur wisely wants to avoid the problems of both.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-97-9. A prayer for exemption from wickedness, and the extremes of poverty and riches, the two things mentioned. Contentment is implied as desired.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 30:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 30
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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