Text: Proverbs 30:5
OT Text Referred to: Deuteronomy 4:2
Subject: Purity and sufficiency of God's word
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme
Significance: Proverbs 30:5 declares "every word of God is flawless" (כָּל־אִמְרַת אֱלוֹהַּ צְרוּפָה, kol-imrat eloah tseruphah), using metallurgical imagery of refining to assert the purity of divine speech. This provides the theological ground for the prohibition in Deuteronomy 4:2, "You must not add to (לֹא תֹסִפוּ, lo tosifu) or subtract from what I command you" -- if God's word is already perfectly refined, any human addition would contaminate it. Agur's declaration functions as a wisdom tradition affirmation of the Mosaic principle: because God's words are tested and proven reliable, they serve as a shield (מָגֵן, magen) to those who trust them, making supplementation both unnecessary and dangerous.
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Text: Deuteronomy 4:2
OT Text Referred to: Proverbs 30:5
Subject: divine word integrity
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme
Significance: Moses prohibits adding to God's commands (לֹא תֹסִפוּ, lo tosifu) in Deuteronomy 4:2, grounding the authority of the Torah in its divine origin. Proverbs 30:5 extends this principle by affirming that "every word of God is flawless" (כָּל אִמְרַת אֱלוֹהַּ צְרוּפָה, kol 'imrat 'eloah tzerufah)—tested like refined silver. Both texts insist on the sufficiency and purity of divine revelation: Moses forbids human modification, and Agur explains why—God's words have been refined and proven reliable, making human additions not only presumptuous but implicitly accusing God of incompleteness. The wisdom tradition thus confirms and deepens the Deuteronomic doctrine of scriptural sufficiency.