Proverbs 30:4

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his hands? Who has wrapped 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? Surely you know!

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

מִ֤י עָלָֽה־שָׁמַ֨יִם ׀ וַיֵּרַ֡ד מִ֤י אָֽסַף־ר֨וּחַ ׀ בְּחָפְנָ֡יו מִ֤י צָֽרַר־מַ֨יִם ׀ בַּשִּׂמְלָ֗ה מִ֭י הֵקִ֣ים כָּל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֑רֶץ מַה־שְּׁמ֥וֹ וּמַֽה־שֶּׁם־בְּ֝נ֗וֹ כִּ֣י תֵדָֽע׃

Transliteration

Mî ʿālâ-šāmayim wayyērad mî ʾāsap-rûaḥ beḥopnāyw mî ṣārar-mayim baśśimlâ mî hēqîm kol-ʾapsê-ʾāreṣ mah-šemô ûmah-šem-benô kî tēdāʿ

Grammar Details

• *Mî*: interrogative pronoun - who
• *ʿālâ*: qal perfect, third masculine singular - went up/ascended
• *šāmayim*: masculine plural noun - heavens/sky
• *wayyērad*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect, third masculine singular - and descended/came down
• *ʾāsap*: qal perfect, third masculine singular - gathered/collected
• *rûaḥ*: feminine singular noun - wind/breath/spirit
• *beḥopnāyw*: preposition + masculine dual noun + third person masculine singular suffix - in his fists/handfuls
• *ṣārar*: qal perfect, third masculine singular - bound/wrapped up
• *mayim*: masculine plural noun - waters
• *baśśimlâ*: preposition + definite article + feminine singular noun - in the garment/cloak
• *hēqîm*: hiphil perfect, third masculine singular - established/set up
• *kol*: construct state - all of
• *ʾapsê*: construct state, masculine plural - ends of
• *ʾāreṣ*: feminine singular noun - earth/land
• *mah*: interrogative pronoun - what
• *šemô*: masculine singular noun + third person masculine singular suffix - his name
• *ûmah*: conjunction + interrogative pronoun - and what
• *šem*: construct state, masculine singular - name of
• *benô*: masculine singular noun + third person masculine singular suffix - his son
• *kî*: conjunction - for/if/that/when/because
• *tēdāʿ*: qal imperfect, second masculine singular - you know/will know

Word Meanings

• *rûaḥ*: wind/breath/spirit
• *ʾapsê*: ends/boundaries/extremities
• *kî*: for/if/that/surely/when

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you can tell?

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou knowest?

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Who hath clymmed vp i to heauen? Who hath come downe from thence? Who hath holden ye wynde fast in his hade? Who hath coprehended ye waters in a garment? Who hath set all the endes of ye worlde? What is his name, or his sonnes name? Canst thou tell?

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Who hath ascended vp to heauen, and descended? Who hath gathered the winde in his fist? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the endes of the world? What is his name, and what is his sonnes name, if thou canst tell?

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Who hath clymed vp into heauen, and come downe from thence? who hath holden the wynde fast in his hande? who hath gathered together the waters in a garment? who hath established all the endes of the worlde: what is his name, and what is his sonnes name, yf thou canst tell?

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what [is] his name, and what [is] his son's name, if thou canst tell?

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know?

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  Who went up to heaven, and cometh down? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound waters in a garment? Who established all ends of the earth? What `is' His name? and what His son's name? Surely thou knowest!

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou knowest?

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou knowest?

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Who has gone up to heaven and come down? who has taken the winds in his hands, prisoning the waters in his robe? by whom have all the ends of the earth been fixed? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if you are able to say?

• World English Bible (2000)

  Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know?

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Who has ascended into heaven, and then descended? Who has gathered up the winds in his fists? Who has bound up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you can know!

Referenced Verses

• John 3:13 : 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
• Rev 19:12 : 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself.
• Exod 34:5-7 : 5 Then the LORD came down in a cloud, stood there with him, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 The LORD passed in front of him and proclaimed: "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. 7 Maintaining steadfast love to thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, but not leaving the guilty unpunished. He punishes the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."
• Job 38:4-9 : 4 Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the measuring line across it? 6 On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone? 7 While the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 Or who enclosed the sea with doors when it burst forth from the womb, 9 when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, 10 when I set its boundary and placed bars and doors on it, 11 and said, 'This far you may come, but no farther; here is where your proud waves must halt.' 12 Have you ever commanded the morning or shown the dawn its place, 13 that it might take hold of the edges of the earth and shake the wicked out of it? 14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like a garment. 15 The light is withheld from the wicked, and the uplifted arm is broken. 16 Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17 Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of deepest darkness? 18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. 19 Where is the way that light dwells, and where is the place of darkness, 20 that you may take it to its boundary and recognize the paths to its home? 21 Surely you know, since you were already born, and the number of your days is great! 22 Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, 23 which I have reserved for a time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? 24 What is the way to the place where the light is divided, or the east wind scattered over the earth? 25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain and a path for the thunderstorm, 26 to water a land where no man lives, an uninhabited desert, 27 to satisfy the desolate and waste ground and make the dry, barren land produce grass? 28 Does the rain have a father, or who gives birth to the dew drops? 29 From whose womb does the ice come forth? Who gives birth to the frost of the heavens, 30 when the waters become hard as stone and the surface of the deep is frozen? 31 Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loosen the cords of Orion? 32 Can you bring out the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Great Bear with its cubs? 33 Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up their dominion over the earth? 34 Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? 35 Can you send forth lightning bolts and have them go? Do they report to you, 'Here we are'? 36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind? 37 Who can count the clouds with wisdom or tilt the water jars of the heavens, 38 when the dust becomes hard as metal and the clods of earth stick together? 39 Can you hunt prey for the lion or satisfy the hunger of young lions, 40 when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in the thicket? 41 Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about without food?
• Deut 30:12 : 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to bring it to us so we may hear it and do it?’
• Isa 7:14 : 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
• Isa 9:6 : 6 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
• Isa 53:8 : 8 By oppression and judgment, he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people, he was punished.
• Jer 23:6 : 6 In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.
• Matt 1:21-23 : 21 'She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.' 22 All this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 'Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel' (which means, 'God with us').
• Matt 11:27 : 27 All things have been committed to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
• Luke 10:22 : 22 All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
• Isa 40:12-31 : 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? 13 Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? 14 Whom did He consult, and who gave Him understanding? Who taught Him the path of justice, or showed Him knowledge, or instructed Him in the way of understanding? 15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales. He weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. 16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. 17 Before Him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by Him as worthless and less than nothing. 18 To whom, then, will you compare God? What image can you find to resemble Him? 19 As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. 20 A person who is too poor to afford such an idol selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple. 21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the foundations of the earth? 22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. 24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. 25 To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. 27 Why do you say, Jacob, and complain, Israel, 'My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God'? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
• Judg 13:18 : 18 The angel of the Lord said to him, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding."
• Job 26:8 : 8 He binds up the waters in his clouds, yet the cloud is not torn apart beneath them.
• Ps 2:7 : 7 I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, 'You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.'
• Ps 22:27 : 27 The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise him. May your hearts live forever!
• Ps 24:2 : 2 For He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
• Ps 68:18 : 18 The chariots of God are tens of thousands, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them at Sinai in holiness.
• Ps 104:2-9 : 2 You cover Yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent curtain. 3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot and walks on the wings of the wind. 4 He makes His messengers winds, His servants flames of fire. 5 He established the earth on its foundations, so that it will never be moved. 6 You covered it with the deep like a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. 7 At Your rebuke they fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away. 8 The mountains rose, the valleys went down to the place You established for them. 9 You set a boundary they cannot cross; they will never again cover the earth. 10 He sends springs into the valleys; they flow between the mountains. 11 They give drink to every wild animal; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 The birds of the sky nest nearby; they sing among the branches. 13 He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works. 14 He causes the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth, 15 wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts. 16 The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted. 17 There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the fir trees. 18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the hyraxes. 19 He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set. 20 You bring darkness, and it becomes night, when all the animals of the forest come out. 21 The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. 22 The sun rises, and they withdraw and lie down in their dens. 23 Man goes out to his work and to his labor until evening. 24 How many are Your works, LORD! In wisdom You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. 25 There is the vast and spacious sea, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both large and small. 26 There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there. 27 All creatures look to You to give them their food at the proper time. 28 When You give it to them, they gather it up; when You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good things. 29 When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. 30 When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth. 31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works. 32 He gazes at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live. 34 May my meditation be pleasing to Him; as for me, I will rejoice in the LORD. 35 May sinners vanish from the earth, and may the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, my soul. Hallelujah!
• Deut 28:58 : 58 If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law that are written in this book, and do not fear this glorious and awesome name—the LORD your God—
• Gen 32:29 : 29 Then the man said, 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.'
• Exod 3:13-15 : 13 Then Moses said to God, 'Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your ancestors has sent me to you," and they ask me, "What is his name?" What should I tell them?' 14 God replied to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: "I AM has sent me to you."' 15 God also said to Moses, 'Say to the Israelites, "The LORD, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation."
• Exod 6:3 : 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name, the LORD, I was not known to them.
• Rom 10:6 : 6 But the righteousness that is based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down)
• Eph 4:8-9 : 8 Therefore it says: 'When he ascended on high, he took the captives captive; he gave gifts to people.' 9 But what does 'he ascended' mean except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.