the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Proverbs 30:24
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- InternationalParallel Translations
Four things on earth are small,yet they are extremely wise:
"There are four things which are little on the eretz, But they are exceeding wise:
There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise:
Four things are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:
"There are four things on earth that are small, but they are very wise:
There are four things that are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:
"There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceeding wise:
These be foure small things in the earth, yet they are wise and full of wisedome:
Four things are small on the earth,But they are exceedingly wise:
Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise:
On this earth four things are small but very wise:
Four things on the earth are small; nevertheless, they are very wise —
There are four [things] little upon the earth, and they are exceeding wise:
There are four things on the earth that are small but very wise:
There are four things that are small upon the earth, but they are wiser than wise men:
There are four animals in the world that are small, but very, very clever:
There are four small things on the earth, and they are exceedingly wise:
Four things are little on the earth, but they are the wise ones of those made wise:
There be foure thinges in the earth, the which are very litle: but in wy?dome they exceade the wyse.
There are four things which are little upon the earth, But they are exceeding wise:
There are four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
There be foure things which are little vpon the earth; but they are exceeding wise:
These be foure thynges in the earth the which are very litle, but in wisdome they exceede the wyse:
He that casts off father or mother, and thinks he sins not; the same is partaker with an ungodly man.
There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
Foure ben the leeste thingis of erthe, and tho ben wisere than wise men;
There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceeding wise:
There are four [things which are] little upon the earth, but they [are] very wise:
There are four things on earth that are small, but they are exceedingly wise:
There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:
There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise:
There are four things that are small on the earth, but they are very wise:
Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise:
Four, things there are, the small of the earth, - yet, they, are wiser than the wise:
There are four very little things of the earth, and they are wiser than the wise.
Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise:
Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:
There are four small creatures, wisest of the wise they are— ants—frail as they are, get plenty of food in for the winter; marmots—vulnerable as they are, manage to arrange for rock-solid homes; locusts—leaderless insects, yet they strip the field like an army regiment; lizards—easy enough to catch, but they sneak past vigilant palace guards.
Four things are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
little: Job 12:7
exceeding wise: Heb. wise, made wise
Reciprocal: Proverbs 6:16 - six Proverbs 30:15 - There
Cross-References
Now Rachel, because she had no children, was full of envy of her sister; and she said to Jacob, If you do not give me children I will not go on living.
When it was clear to Leah that she would have no more children for a time, she gave Zilpah, her servant, to Jacob as a wife.
And Leah said, Happy am I! and all women will give witness to my joy: and she gave him the name Asher.
But Leah said to her, Is it a small thing that you have taken my husband from me? and now would you take my son's love-fruits? Then Rachel said, You may have him tonight in exchange for your son's love-fruits.
And God gave ear to her and she became with child, and gave Jacob a fifth son.
Then Leah said, God has made payment to me for giving my servant-girl to my husband: so she gave her son the name Issachar.
After that she had a daughter, to whom she gave the name Dinah.
Then God gave thought to Rachel, and hearing her prayer he made her fertile.
And she was with child, and gave birth to a son: and she said, God has taken away my shame.
Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have been your servant, and let me go: for you have knowledge of all the work I have done for you.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
There be four [things which are] little upon the earth,.... Small in bulk, that have little bodies, are the lesser sort of animals;
but they [are] exceeding wise; show a great deal of art and wisdom in what they do; or "but they are wise, made wise" e by the instinct of nature, by the direction of Providence, by which they do things that are surprising. Some versions, that have no regard to the points, read the words, "but their are wiser than the wise" f; than even wise men; wise men may learn much from the least of creatures; see Job 12:7.
e חכמים מחכמים "sapientia, sapientia imbuta"; Heb. "sapientificata", Piscator, Gejerus. f "Sapientiora sapientibus", so Sept. V. L. Arabic and Syriac versions; "sapientia superant, vel prudentissimos", Tigurine version.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Exceeding wise - Some prefer the reading of the Septuagint and Vulgate: “wiser than the wise.” The thought, in either case, turns upon the marvels of instinct, which, in their own province, transcend the more elaborate results of human wisdom.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Proverbs 30:24. There be four things] Of which it is said, they are very little but very wise. 1. The ants. 2. The rabbits. 3. The locusts. 4. The spider.
1. The ants show their wisdom by preparing their meat in the summer; seeking for it and storing it when it may be had; not for winter consumption, for they sleep all that time; but for autumn and spring. Proverbs 6:6. The ants are a people; they have their houses, towns, cities, public roads, c. I have seen several of these, both of the brown and large black ant.
2. The rabbits act curiously enough in the construction of their burrows but the word שפן shaphan probably does not here mean the animal we call coney or rabbit. It is most likely that this is what Dr. Shaw calls the Daman-Israel; a creature very like a rabbit, but never burrowing in the ground, but dwelling in clefts and holes of rocks.
3. The locusts. These surprising animals we have already met with and described. Though they have no leader, yet they go forth by troops, some miles in circumference, when they take wing.
4. The spider. This is a singularly curious animal, both in the manner of constructing her house, her nets, and taking her prey. But the habits, &c., of these and such like must be sought in works on natural history.
