Answer
The Old Testament often depicts Jesus through types, promises, Christ-like figures, and messianic allusions. Is Proverbs 30:4 one of those references to Jesus Christ in the Old Testament?
Proverbs 30 begins with an instruction from the writer, Agur, son of Jakeh, who uses irony and exaggeration to humbly declare his ignorance compared to God’s unrivaled power and supreme wisdom. Despite his extensive quest for knowledge, Agur knows that his wisdom does not come close to the sovereign wisdom of God, the Holy One. The introduction to his oracle contains five rhetorical questions:
“I am more stupid than any other man,
and I lack man’s ability to understand.
I have not gained wisdom,
and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.
Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in His hands?
Who has bound up the waters in a cloak?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name,
and what is the name of His Son—
if you know?” (Proverbs 30:2–4, HCSB).
Agur’s first question, “Who has gone up to heaven and come down?” is answered in John 3:13: “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.” His second question, “Who has gathered the wind in His hands?” echoes in several Old Testament passages referring to God, the all-powerful Creator (Isaiah 40:12; Job 38:4–11; Psalm 104:3–6). Job 26:8 says that God “binds up the waters in his thick clouds” (ESV; cf. Job 38:9), answering Agur’s third question. His fourth question is “Who established all the ends of the earth?” Again, the obvious answer is God (see Isaiah 40:28; Psalm 2:8; 22:27; 72:8; 98:3; 135:7).
Agur’s fifth and final question has two parts: “What is His name, and what is the name of His Son?” Agur knows that no human being can fit the requirements outlined in these questions; thus, God is the self-evident answer. His name is Yahweh, and the name of His Son is Jesus (Luke 1:31). Only with hindsight can New Testament readers know without a doubt that the name of God’s Son is Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah, and the Savior of the world.
Agur’s questions set up the verses that follow:
“Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add to his words,
or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar” (Proverbs 30:5–6).
Agur exalts God’s sovereign character and wisdom in contrast to human limitation and inability. People need God’s flawless wisdom and must remain humble and obedient to His Word.
Interestingly, Proverbs 8:22–31 describes God’s wisdom as a person. This entity is a divine-like figure who assists God “at the very beginning” with the creation of the world. This figure may have been in Agur’s mind when he asked, “What is the name of His son?” Most likely, Agur did not fully understand the messianic implications of his question, “What is the name of His son?” Old Testament readers might have seen the question as only an extension of Agur’s unfolding argument—that no mere human can compare to God Almighty—and not a specific question about the name of Jesus. Agur may have been thinking of Israel as God’s Son (see Exodus 4:22, Deuteronomy 14:1, Hosea 2:1). We can speculate that Proverbs 30:4 was an early allusion to the forthcoming Messiah. Agur may have been considering prophetic Scriptures regarding the promise and expectation of a future Messiah (see Genesis 49:10; Isaiah 2:4; 16:5; 42:1–4; 61:1). However, most Old Testament references to the coming of God’s kingdom and His Messiah are promises, rather than predictions, made by God, expressing His intention to redeem His people.
From Genesis 3:15 forward, we see the working of God’s redemptive plan to save sinners through the “offspring of a woman.” This redemptive hope was fulfilled in Jesus. Looking back at the Old Testament through the lens of the cross, we can see that Jesus Christ fulfilled all of God’s redemptive promises. The name of God’s Son is Jesus. He is our greatest treasure and our Wisdom from God (1 Corinthians 1:24, 30). The incarnation fulfilled and answered Agur’s shadowy question.
