The Wisdom We Will Never Know

Prv.30:4

Amichai Lau-Lavie (he/him)

Dec 16, 2024

The Book of Wisdom nears its end with a surprising chapter that contains five riddles and is ascribed to mysterious wise people of whom we know nothing. Throughout the book, we have sought to discern Her Wisdom yet now we have to also acknowledge the limits of what wisdom we may attain. The ultimate lesson is humility.

Chapter 30 is spoken by someone called Agar son of Jakeh, addressing some people named Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal. None of them are known.

It all seems weird, and despite many scholars’ attempts to make sense of who or what is going on here the mystery remains. This too must be part of what makes most sense here — more poetic than prosaic, more dreamscape than common sense.

Agar clearly claims that he is lacking the wisdom that he seeks - the innermost wisdom of what matters most:

וְלֹֽא־לָמַ֥דְתִּי חׇכְמָ֑ה וְדַ֖עַת קְדֹשִׁ֣ים אֵדָֽע׃

I have not learned wisdom,

Nor do I possess knowledge of the the sacred matters.

Prv.30:4

And to illustrate the limited of learning he then presents us with five riddles — each of them organized by the pattern of ‘three and four’:

Three things are insatiable; Four never say, “Enough!” (verse 15)

Three things are beyond me; Four I cannot fathom (verse 18)

The earth shudders at three things, At four which it cannot bear (verse 21)

Four are among the tiniest on earth, Yet they are the wisest of the wise (verse 24)

There are three that are stately of stride, Four that carry themselves well (verse 29)

Each of these riddles is followed by a solution, but the chapter remains a puzzle. What is this all about? Why the sudden use of riddles?

Shimon Lerner, a jewish scholar who teaches Physics, suggests that this is indeed a way to illustrate how even the wisest among us has limited access to the deepest secrets of the world:

“Despite being generally attainable as demonstrated thus far, ultimately knowledge is too vast and cannot all be uncovered and or fully absorbed.

We must come to terms with the fact that our thirst will never be fully quenched.

The five riddles all represent different stages in the awareness/acceptance of this reality.

Three things are insatiable; Four never say, “Enough!” - So too in our quest for wisdom, we will never say enough.

There will be things however that we may never fully understand - Three things are beyond me; Four I cannot fathom.

Even more troubling are the moral injustices which do not make sense or fit into our simple moral logic presented in the book so far - The earth shudders at three things, At four which it cannot bear.

Nevertheless, even if we can't attain complete wisdom, the pieces that we have managed to acquire will still be useful - Four are among the tiniest on earth, Yet they are the wisest of the wise - they utilize their wisdom in productive ways.

Finally, we must accept the reality, keep calm and carry on - There are three that are stately of stride, Four that carry themselves well.

Why use riddles? Because after all, what is a riddle? A question to which we do not always know the answer. We must acknowledge the existence of riddles.

Even the Three/Four structure plays into this theme. Three represents the spatial dimensions, the finite space, within which we live and are confined. The fourth co-ordinate elevates us to a higher unlimited dimension, containing multitudes and always partially beyond our grasp.”

And so we arrive where we started - at the feet of Her Wisdom, calling us to listen to her voice, chastising us for prioritizing petty matters over what will help us flourish, heal and help each other grow.

The final chapter of Proverbs, coming tomorrow, is a hymn by Her - to Her — and while most often misunderstood it is also an incredible depiction of the layers of the mystery of who She is, what Wisdom means to all of us, and how beyond the riddles there is a wonderful and meaningful and powerful truth, still waiting for us to be just wise enough to hear.

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Below the Bible Belt

The Wisdom We Will Never Know

Prv.30:4

Chapter 30 is spoken by someone called Agar son of Jakeh, addressing some people named Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal. None of them are known.

It all seems weird, and despite many scholars’ attempts to make sense of who or what is going on here the mystery remains. This too must be part of what makes most sense here — more poetic than prosaic, more dreamscape than common sense.

Agar clearly claims that he is lacking the wisdom that he seeks - the innermost wisdom of what matters most:

וְלֹֽא־לָמַ֥דְתִּי חׇכְמָ֑ה וְדַ֖עַת קְדֹשִׁ֣ים אֵדָֽע׃

I have not learned wisdom,

Nor do I possess knowledge of the the sacred matters.

Prv.30:4

And to illustrate the limited of learning he then presents us with five riddles — each of them organized by the pattern of ‘three and four’:

Three things are insatiable; Four never say, “Enough!” (verse 15)

Three things are beyond me; Four I cannot fathom (verse 18)

The earth shudders at three things, At four which it cannot bear (verse 21)

Four are among the tiniest on earth, Yet they are the wisest of the wise (verse 24)

There are three that are stately of stride, Four that carry themselves well (verse 29)

Each of these riddles is followed by a solution, but the chapter remains a puzzle. What is this all about? Why the sudden use of riddles?

Shimon Lerner, a jewish scholar who teaches Physics, suggests that this is indeed a way to illustrate how even the wisest among us has limited access to the deepest secrets of the world:

“Despite being generally attainable as demonstrated thus far, ultimately knowledge is too vast and cannot all be uncovered and or fully absorbed.

We must come to terms with the fact that our thirst will never be fully quenched.

The five riddles all represent different stages in the awareness/acceptance of this reality.

Three things are insatiable; Four never say, “Enough!” - So too in our quest for wisdom, we will never say enough.

There will be things however that we may never fully understand - Three things are beyond me; Four I cannot fathom.

Even more troubling are the moral injustices which do not make sense or fit into our simple moral logic presented in the book so far - The earth shudders at three things, At four which it cannot bear.

Nevertheless, even if we can't attain complete wisdom, the pieces that we have managed to acquire will still be useful - Four are among the tiniest on earth, Yet they are the wisest of the wise - they utilize their wisdom in productive ways.

Finally, we must accept the reality, keep calm and carry on - There are three that are stately of stride, Four that carry themselves well.

Why use riddles? Because after all, what is a riddle? A question to which we do not always know the answer. We must acknowledge the existence of riddles.

Even the Three/Four structure plays into this theme. Three represents the spatial dimensions, the finite space, within which we live and are confined. The fourth co-ordinate elevates us to a higher unlimited dimension, containing multitudes and always partially beyond our grasp.”

And so we arrive where we started - at the feet of Her Wisdom, calling us to listen to her voice, chastising us for prioritizing petty matters over what will help us flourish, heal and help each other grow.

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