Agur
(a gatherer, i.e. together of wise men), The son of Jakeh, an unknown Hebrew sage who uttered or collected the sayings of wisdom recorded in Prov 30.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Agur
Agur a'-gur ('aghur, seeming, from comparison with Arabic roots, to mean either "hireling," or "collector," "gatherer"): One of the contributors to Proverbs; his words being included in Pr 30:1-33. He takes an agnostic attitude toward God and transcendent things, and in general the range of his thought, as compared with that of other authors, is pedestrian. He shows, however, a tender reverence and awe. His most notable utterance, perhaps, is the celebrated Prayer of Agur (Pr 30:7-9), which gives expression to a charming golden mean of practical ideal. His sayings are constructed on a rather artificial plan; having the form of the so-called numerical proverb. ⇒See a list of verses on AGUR in the Bible. See under PROVERBS,THE BOOK OF ,II , 6. John Franklin Genung ⇒See also the McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible on Agur
Menlioiud only in Pr 3U'. The name of an otherwise unknown lleb. sage, son of Jakeh. The word ha.s been understood from very early times aa a pseudonym, used symboli- cally. So .lerome, following tho Kabliis of liis time. In this case it miglit be interjiretcd as akin to the Syriuc (5f7«ro = ' hireling' (of wi.sdom), or derived from Ueb. -uk, and understood as 'col- lector' (of proverbs). Cf. form e'v," in Ps 91', Pr 6°. The descrii)tion of Agur in Pr 30' is not easy to understand. With the Ma.ssoretic point- ing, the verse may be literally rendered, 'The words of Agur, son of Jakeh, the prophecy : the oracle of the man to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal.' This sounds impossible. The conjunction of the words massa ( = prophecy) and ni'um ( = oracle) is unprecedented ; the use of the article with massn is iiie.xplicable ; and the words which follow have no prophetic character. Consequently Massa has been understood as the name of a country (so Del. ; and see RVm Jakeh of Massa) ; ci. Gn 25". Similarly, Lemuel would be understood to be king of Massa, Pr 31'. Cliejne (Jub and Solomon) and St…
Fausset's Bible Dictionary on Agur
From agar, "to collect." "The collector," a symbolical name, like Ecclesiastes, "the preacher" or "assembler." Son of Jakeh ("obedience"); author of inspired counsels to Ithiel and Ucal (Proverbs 30). Called "the prophecy;" rather "the weighty utterance" (Hebrew massa), "burden." Hitzig imaginatively makes him son of the queen of Massa, and brother of Lemuel. An unknown Hebrew collector of the wise sayings in Proverbs 30, and possibly as Ewald thinks in Pro 31:1-9; the three sections of this portion are mutually similar in style. Lemuel means "devoted to God" is probably an ideal name. The rabbis, according to Rashi and Jerome, interpreted the name as symbolizing Solomon the Koheleth. (See ECCLESIASTES)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia