Proverbs 30:4
“Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?”
King James Version
Agur's mysterious question about who has ascended and whose Son can do these things, pointing toward the Father-Son relationship.
Fulfillment References
John 3:13 John 6:62
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalAgur's question — 'who hath ascended... what is his name, and what is his son's name?' — points beyond any man to God and His self-revelation. The gospel's answer is one: the name of the Father and of the Son is revealed in Jesus, the Son of man who came down from heaven (John 3:13). The 'name' and the 'son's name' are not two Gods — they are the one God, revealed in the name of Jesus.
JewishA rhetorical challenge to human limitation — only God has done these things; the 'son's name' is read of Israel (God's son, Exod. 4:22) or as underscoring God's incomparability, not a divine Son.
CatholicThe Fathers heard an intimation of the Father and the eternal Son; the unsearchable name pointing to the mystery later revealed in Christ.
ProtestantMany read 'what is his son's name?' as an Old Testament hint of the Son of God, answered in Jesus (cf. John 3:13); others as rhetorical of God's transcendence.
AcademicA wisdom poem stressing divine incomparability; the 'son's name' is genuinely uncertain — rhetorical challenge, reference to Israel, or (in Christian reading) the Son ('Disputed').
Open the full interactive entry →
Cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.