Bible Strands
Proverbs 30:4
Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—surely you know!
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Agur speaks as a self-described learner who admits he lacks wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One. He addresses his audience with a series of rhetorical questions about divine power and identity.
The words — The Hebrew מִי (mi) functions as a repeated interrogative pronoun meaning "who?" to frame the verse's four questions. אָסַף ('a.saf) translates literally as "has he gathered," describing the divine act of collecting the wind.
The thread — The text's imagery of binding waters appears in Job 26:8, while the ascension and descent motif is echoed in John 3:13 and Ephesians 4:8. These passages trace a consistent biblical theme of divine authority over creation and heavenly realms.
Why it lands — The verse presents unanswerable questions about God's sovereign actions to establish His transcendent nature before revealing His reliable words in the following verse. It demands recognition of human limitation and the necessity of trusting divine revelation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?
Cross-references
- John 3:13 No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
- Job 26:8 He wraps up the waters in His clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their own weight.
- Ephesians 4:8 This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.”
- Deuteronomy 30:12 It is not in heaven, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’
- Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
- Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Matthew 1:21 She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
- Isaiah 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?
- Revelation 19:12 He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows.
- Exodus 34:5 And the LORD descended in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name, the LORD.