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Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Douay-Rheims Bible

Proverbs 30:24

There are four very little things of the earth, and they are wiser than the 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 Life Bible
There are four things that are small on the earth, but they are very 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:
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 very little things of the earth, and they are wiser than the wise. 25 The ants, a feeble people, which provide themselves food in the harvest: 26 The rabbit, a weak people, which maketh its bed in the rock: 27 The locust hath no king, yet they all go out by their bands: 28 The stellio supporteth itself on hands, and dwelleth 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
And Rachel seeing herself without children, envied her sister, and said to her husband: Give me children, otherwise I shall die.
Genesis 30:9
Lia perceiving that she had left of bearing, gave Zelpha, her handmaid, to her husband.
Genesis 30:13
And Lia said: This is for my happiness: for women will call me blessed. Therefore she called him Aser.
Genesis 30:15
She answered: Dost thou think it a small matter, that thou hast taken my husband from me, unless thou take also my son’s mandrakes? Rachel said: He shall sleep with thee this night, for thy son’s mandrakes.
Genesis 30:17
And God heard her prayers; and she conceived: and bore a fifth son:
Genesis 30:18
And said: God hath given me a reward, because I gave my handmaid to my husband. And she called his name Issachar.
Genesis 30:21
After whom she bore a daughter, named Dina.
Genesis 30:22
The Lord also remembering Rachel, heard her, and opened her womb.
Genesis 30:23
And she conceived, and bore a son, saying: God hath taken away my reproach.
Genesis 30:26
Give me my wives, and my children, for whom I have served thee, that I may depart: thou knowest the service that I have rendered thee.

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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