Proverbs 30:6 kjv
Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Proverbs 30:6 nkjv
Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
Proverbs 30:6 niv
Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
Proverbs 30:6 esv
Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
Proverbs 30:6 nlt
Do not add to his words,
or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar.
Proverbs 30 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 4:2 | "You shall not add to the word that I command you... " | Explicit prohibition against adding/subtracting from God's law. |
| Deut 12:32 | "Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to it or take from it." | Reiterates the divine command to preserve the Word's integrity. |
| Rev 22:18-19 | "If anyone adds to them... if anyone takes away from the words... " | Final New Testament warning against tampering with God's revelation. |
| Jer 14:14 | "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name... a delusion... " | False prophets speak their own words, not God's. |
| Jer 23:32 | "I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord... " | Divine judgment against those who mislead God's people with lies. |
| Ezek 13:3-8 | "Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit... I am against them. " | God's wrath upon prophets who speak from their own imaginations. |
| Deut 18:20-22 | "The prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him... shall die." | Consequence for speaking falsely in God's name. |
| Matt 15:3-9 | "You yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition." | Jesus condemning elevating human tradition above God's Word. |
| Gal 1:8-9 | "Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached... let him be accursed." | Warning against altering the Gospel message. |
| Jn 8:44 | "He is a liar and the father of lies." | Describing the devil's nature, emphasizing falsehood. |
| Psa 12:6 | "The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined..." | God's words are perfect and trustworthy. |
| Psa 119:160 | "The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous ordinances endures forever." | God's entire Word is truth and everlasting. |
| Jn 17:17 | "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." | Jesus affirming the truthfulness and sanctifying power of God's Word. |
| Tit 1:2 | "God, who never lies, promised before the ages began..." | God's inability to lie underpins the truth of His words. |
| Heb 6:18 | "It is impossible for God to lie..." | God's character ensures the veracity of His promises and words. |
| 2 Tim 3:16 | "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting..." | Scripture's divine origin ensures its perfection and sufficiency. |
| Psa 50:21 | "I will rebuke you and set them in order before your eyes." | God rebuking those who disregard His commands. |
| Hos 4:1-2 | "The Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land because there is no faithfulness... no knowledge of God." | Consequences when God's truth is ignored, leading to deception. |
| 1 Jn 4:1 | "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God..." | The need to discern true words from false words. |
| 2 Cor 2:17 | "We are not like many, who peddle the word of God for profit..." | Those who distort or exploit God's Word are condemned. |
| Isa 59:4 | "No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies." | Societal decay due to embracing falsehood. |
Proverbs 30 verses
Proverbs 30 6 Meaning
Proverbs 30:6 conveys a critical warning against altering or augmenting the words revealed by God. It emphasizes that divine revelation is complete and authoritative. To add to His words is to question their sufficiency and integrity, presuming to improve upon divine wisdom. The consequence for such presumption is swift and severe: God Himself will rebuke the individual, exposing them as one who speaks falsehoods, rather than truth from God. This verse underscores the supreme sanctity and unchangeable nature of God's proclaimed will and wisdom.
Proverbs 30 6 Context
Proverbs chapter 30 stands apart from the previous Solomonic proverbs as "The words of Agur son of Jakeh of Massa." Agur identifies himself as one who lacks understanding, confessing, "I am too stupid to be a man" (v. 2). This humility underscores the crucial need for divine revelation rather than human speculation. He explicitly states he has "not learned wisdom" but asks, "Who has ascended to heaven and come down? ... What is his name, and what is his Son's name?" (vv. 3-4). This profound question points to the source of true wisdom and revelation, namely God alone. It sets the stage for the instruction to rely solely on God's words and not to add to them. Historically, the preservation of the oral and later written Law was paramount in Israel, with strict injunctions against altering it, reflecting God's unique authority over His communication. This verse stands as a strong polemic against any human authority attempting to supersede or modify God's established word.
Proverbs 30 6 Word analysis
- Do not add: From the Hebrew verb יָסַף (yasaf), meaning "to add, increase, continue." Here, it specifically denotes appending new content or alterations. This implies not merely extending or explaining, but rather presuming to complete, correct, or change something inherently perfect and complete. Its significance lies in forbidding human presumption over divine declaration.
- to his words: The Hebrew is דְּבָרָיו (d'varav), literally "His words." The context strongly points to the words of God, as the preceding verses deal with Agur's profound ignorance and the quest for ultimate divine truth and identity. This highlights the unique sacredness and singular origin of the communicated truth. Its significance is the inviolable nature of divine revelation.
- lest he rebuke you: The Hebrew verb is יֹכִיחֲךָ (yochīḥǎkhā), meaning "to prove, convict, decide, chasten, rebuke." This isn't just a verbal admonition but a divine act of exposure and judgment, demonstrating the falseness of the added words. The active agency is God Himself. This signifies God's direct intervention to protect the integrity of His message.
- and you be found a liar: From the Hebrew verb כָּזַב (kazav), "to lie, deceive, fail." The form here suggests being revealed or exposed as one who is deceitful or untrustworthy. It is a state of being uncovered as fraudulent, losing credibility before God and others. This signifies a profound personal disgrace and moral condemnation, as one who distorts God's truth is himself rendered false.
- "Do not add to his words": This phrase warns against any human effort to modify, supplement, or "improve" divine revelation. It speaks against fabricating new doctrines or practices and falsely attributing them to God. It safeguards the sufficiency and finality of God's proclaimed truth. This stands in contrast to humbly seeking understanding and applying God's words.
- "lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar": This consequence clause underscores the severity of the offense. God, being truth itself, will expose and condemn those who present human fabrication as divine truth. The rebuke is God's direct validation of His original words and invalidation of the added falsehood. To be "found a liar" implies a public and ultimate disgrace, highlighting the stark choice between aligning with God's truth or becoming an instrument of falsehood.
Proverbs 30 6 Bonus section
The positioning of this verse immediately after Agur's humble confession of ignorance (Prov 30:2-4) is significant. It reveals that the path to true wisdom and understanding does not involve human ingenuity or additional revelation, but a humble reception of what God has already spoken. Agur's plea to be given neither poverty nor riches (Prov 30:8-9) further emphasizes a desire for dependence on God alone, echoing the dependence on His pure words. This principle reinforces the biblical concept of sola Scriptura – that the Bible alone is the sufficient, final, and authoritative rule for faith and life. It also hints at the inherent perfection of the written Word of God, needing no human addenda to make it more complete or powerful. The warning in Proverbs 30:6 also aligns with the broader theme of divine judgment against false prophets and those who lead God's people astray through fabricated messages, demonstrating God's fierce commitment to the integrity of His truth.
Proverbs 30 6 Commentary
Proverbs 30:6 serves as a bedrock principle for understanding and relating to divine revelation. It posits that God's words are perfect, complete, and require no human enhancement or modification. Any attempt to add to them stems from human presumption or deceit, implying a lack in God's perfect communication. This action is not merely a suggestion or a deviation; it is an offense against the very character of God, who is Truth. The verse thus sets strict boundaries on how humanity engages with divine authority. God Himself will directly confront and discredit those who corrupt His message, publicly exposing their words as deceitful fabrications. This ensures the purity of the divine word and reinforces His sovereignty. Practically, it means adhering to the explicit teachings of Scripture without injecting personal biases, traditions, or extra-biblical revelation as authoritative divine truth. For instance, creating new commandments or requirements not found in Scripture and elevating them to divine mandates would fall under this warning.