Proverbs 30:7 asks God for two things: that he keep falsehood and lies far from the speaker, and that he provide neither poverty nor riches, only the daily bread that is needed. The request is a prayer of honest dependence, and it is spoken by Agur son of Jakeh, whose short collection of sayings appears in Proverbs 30. He speaks as a man addressing God directly, and the words are offered to God rather than to a crowd.
“Two things I have asked of you; don’t deny me before I die…
Proverbs 30:7 (WEB)
What Proverbs 30:7 Means
The verse begins with a plain statement that there are two requests and that Agur is about to name them. The first request is that God would remove falsehood and lies from his life, so that his words and his dealings would be truthful. The second is about material provision, and it is framed as a balance: he asks for food that is enough, not so much that he forgets God and not so little that he is driven to wrongdoing.
The verse does not promise a comfortable life or a specific income. It describes a posture of trust in which a person declines to ask for extremes. It is not a rule that every believer must live at a set standard, and it does not say that wealth is sinful or that poverty is holy. It names the particular dangers that come with each extreme, and it asks God to guard against both.
The Context of Proverbs 30:7
The book of Proverbs is a collection of wisdom teaching, traditionally associated with Solomon and with other named sages, and it was written to instruct the young in living rightly before God. Chapter 30 contains the sayings of Agur, about whom little else is known, and the surrounding verses move from awe at God’s power and holiness in verses 4 and 5 to warnings about not adding to God’s words in verse 6, then into this prayer, and then into practical cautions about slander and treating others fairly in verse 10.
Read in that setting, the request in verse 7 is one part of a wider concern for integrity. The prayer for truthfulness, for God’s provision, and for protection from sin fits between a reverent acknowledgment of God’s word and a warning against dishonesty toward others. It shows that the wisdom Agur seeks is not only private contentment but a steady, honest life before God and neighbor.
Key Phrases in Proverbs 30:7
Matthew 6:11
Give us today our daily bread.
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Jesus’ model prayer asks for daily bread, which shares the same concern as Agur’s request for food that is needful. Both prayers trust God for each day’s supply and reject the anxious drive to store up more than is required.
Philippians 4:12
I know how to be humbled, and I know also how to abound. In everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need.
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Paul describes learning contentment whether he had plenty or little, which fills out the balance Agur seeks. Contentment in both abundance and need reflects the same refusal to let money define a person’s trust in God.
A Short Prayer From Proverbs 30:7
Lord, you know how easily my heart wanders toward too much or too little. Keep me from the lies I tell myself and the ones I might tell others, and give me a clear, honest word in every conversation. Provide for me what I truly need for today, and spare me from the pride that comes with plenty and the desperation that comes with want. Teach me to be grateful for what you give and to trust you with what I do not have. Amen.
