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Tuesday, August 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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New Life Version

Proverbs 30:24

There are four things that are small on the earth, but they are very wise:

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Riddle;   Thompson Chain Reference - Instinct;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Locust, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ant;   Proverb, the Book of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Coney;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Agur;   Ant;   Coney;   Jakeh;   Massa;   Proverb;   Proverbs, Book of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Coney;   Proverbs, Book of;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Four;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Four;   Wisdom;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Coney;   Lulab;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Four things on earth are small,yet they are extremely wise:
Hebrew Names Version
"There are four things which are little on the eretz, But they are exceeding wise:
King James Version
There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
English Standard Version
Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise:
New American Standard Bible
Four things are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:
New Century Version
"There are four things on earth that are small, but they are very wise:
Amplified Bible
There are four things that are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:
World English Bible
"There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceeding wise:
Geneva Bible (1587)
These be foure small things in the earth, yet they are wise and full of wisedome:
Legacy Standard Bible
Four things are small on the earth,But they are exceedingly wise:
Berean Standard Bible
Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise:
Contemporary English Version
On this earth four things are small but very wise:
Complete Jewish Bible
Four things on the earth are small; nevertheless, they are very wise —
Darby Translation
There are four [things] little upon the earth, and they are exceeding wise:
Easy-to-Read Version
There are four things on the earth that are small but very wise:
George Lamsa Translation
There are four things that are small upon the earth, but they are wiser than wise men:
Good News Translation
There are four animals in the world that are small, but very, very clever:
Lexham English Bible
There are four small things on the earth, and they are exceedingly wise:
Literal Translation
Four things are little on the earth, but they are the wise ones of those made wise:
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
There be foure thinges in the earth, the which are very litle: but in wy?dome they exceade the wyse.
American Standard Version
There are four things which are little upon the earth, But they are exceeding wise:
Bible in Basic English
There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are very wise:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
There are four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
King James Version (1611)
There be foure things which are little vpon the earth; but they are exceeding wise:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
These be foure thynges in the earth the which are very litle, but in wisdome they exceede the wyse:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
He that casts off father or mother, and thinks he sins not; the same is partaker with an ungodly man.
English Revised Version
There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Foure ben the leeste thingis of erthe, and tho ben wisere than wise men;
Update Bible Version
There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceeding wise:
Webster's Bible Translation
There are four [things which are] little upon the earth, but they [are] very wise:
New English Translation
There are four things on earth that are small, but they are exceedingly wise:
New King James Version
There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:
New Living Translation
There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise:
New Revised Standard
Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise:
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Four, things there are, the small of the earth, - yet, they, are wiser than the wise:
Douay-Rheims Bible
There are four very little things of the earth, and they are wiser than the wise.
Revised Standard Version
Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise:
Young's Literal Translation
Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:
THE MESSAGE
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.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Four things are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:

Contextual Overview

24 There are four things that are small on the earth, but they are very wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, but they store up their food in the summer. 26 The badgers are not a strong people, but they make their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, but they go as an army. 28 You can take the lizard in your hands, but it is found in kings' houses.

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

Genesis 30:1
When Rachel saw that she had not given birth to any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I am going to die!"
Genesis 30:9
Leah saw that she had stopped giving birth. So she took Zilpah, the woman who served her, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
Genesis 30:13
Then Leah said, "I am happy! For women will say that I am happy." So she gave him the name Asher.
Genesis 30:15
But Leah said, "Is it not enough to take my husband? Would you take my son's fruit also?" So Rachel said, "Jacob may lie with you tonight if you give me your son's fruit."
Genesis 30:17
And God heard Leah and she gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob.
Genesis 30:18
Leah said, "God has given me my pay because I gave my husband the woman who serves me." So she gave him the name Issachar.
Genesis 30:21
Later she gave birth to a daughter, and gave her the name Dinah.
Genesis 30:22
Then God remembered Rachel. God listened to her, and made her able to have a child,
Genesis 30:23
and she gave birth to a son. Then she said, "God has taken away my shame."
Genesis 30:26
Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served. Let me leave, for you know how much I have served 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.


 
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