In this part of the chapter, we reach the sequence of verses concluding the words of Agur ben Yakeh: "There are three that are stately in stride," "If you have been foolish in exalting yourself," and "For the churning of milk brings forth butter." The expressions here are novel and difficult, to the extent that Rashi himself writes regarding "a greyhound (zarzir motnayim) or a he-goat" - "I do not know what it is," though according to context it implies a creature with slender loins; and similarly regarding "a king against whom there is no rising up (melech alkum)" - "I do not know what it is" according to its plain meaning. Therefore, Rashi cites the Midrash of Chazal, which we will explore later. But let us begin with the words of the Ralbag, which directly continue what we saw in the preceding verse.
The Ralbag explained regarding "The spider can be seized with hands, yet she is in king's palaces" that the spider climbed too high: it went to the royal palaces and spun a home there, failing to realize that venturing into such lofty places would cause its ruin - for the palace servants immediately came, swept the corners, and cast it out. Says the Ralbag: the author of the book continues this very same parable here.
שְׁלֹשָׁה הֵמָּה מֵיטִיבֵי צָעַד וְאַרְבָּעָה מֵיטִבֵי לָכֶת׃ - Three things are stately in their stride, and four are stately in walking:
Come and see that there are three who hasten their movements - like the spider - without forethought. "And four are stately in walking," referring to the fourth. And all of them make their strides rashly, without contemplation.
לַיִשׁ גִּבּוֹר בַּבְּהֵמָה וְלֹא יָשׁוּב מִפְּנֵי כֹל׃ - A lion, which is mighty among beasts, and turns back before none;
The first is the lion, the mightiest among beasts. He rushes to prey upon any animal he finds, trusting in his might, fearing nothing and cowed by none. Yet sometimes this very quality leads to his downfall: out of sheer overconfidence he walks into a trap set for him, thinking "who can overcome me?", or armed men ambush him, and as he approaches full of confidence, they attack and kill him. His confidence turns out to be his undoing - just like the spider that built its home in the king's palace: you will be cast down, driven away, and destroyed.
זַרְזִיר מָתְנַיִם אוֹ תָיִשׁ וּמֶלֶךְ אַלְקוּם עִמּוֹ׃ - A greyhound, or a he-goat, and a king against whom none can rise up.
The second is the zarzir motnayim ("slender-loined"). The Ralbag, as well as other commentators, explains that this is a slender hunting hound taken by hunters to hunt - a dog that was not large, and therefore called slender-waisted, which hunters take to pursue prey. It too rushes to give chase even when uncertain whether it is stronger than the beast it is pursuing, and frequently that animal turns on the hound and kills it, "and much harm and ruin befalls it on this account," as the Ralbag puts it.
The third is the he-goat, which is swift-footed, and therefore also frequently rushes to fight against those stronger than itself, and falls as a result. And the fourth is the king - melech alkum. Many commentators explain that alkum is two words: al kum, meaning without rising up. This refers to a king against whom none of the nations can stand; no one can rise against him, and he conquers them all. Yet he too gets swept away with zeal, conquering kingdoms as his appetite grows, until he rushes forward too hastily and falls like the previous three. Rushing ahead on the strength of confidence and might - thinking "I can and I am capable" - frequently leads to a downfall. And this, notes the Ralbag, happened to Alexander the Great, who was certain he was destined to conquer the entire world, and ultimately fell at the hands of those stronger than he.
The same thing happens, says the Ralbag, to someone who is "rich in intellect": he truly possesses mental acuity, so he relies solely on his own wisdom and understanding. Yet we are warned, "Do not rely on your own understanding" - before you issue a ruling, you must consult the poskim, seek counsel, consider multiple perspectives, and not make impulsive, unconsidered decisions. This is the moral underlying the entire series: all these creatures, from the lizard to the king, act with haste and make critical mistakes. So too, a person who does not deliberate with sound judgment, but rushes to pass judgment, rule, and decide without careful thought - such a person causes damage.
The Metzudat David interprets the verse in the exact opposite direction. In his view, "a greyhound, a he-goat, and a king against whom no one can rise up" speaks of creatures of supreme agility and swiftness. "Zarzir motnayim" (girt in the loins) refers to a hunting hound with slender loins, and the word "zarzir" is related to ezor, a belt or sash: it is as though a belt is girded tightly around its waist, and just as a person girds his loins to run swiftly, so this dog runs with great speed and confidence, succeeding on its path. (Some connect zarzir to the word razeh, meaning slender-waisted. Ibn Ezra cites two other interpretations: some say zarzir motnayim refers to bees, while others say it is an eagle.) "Or a he-goat" - it, too, strides gracefully and is swift of foot, as Scripture states, "like he-goats before the flock," confident in its pace and charging ahead. "A king alkum" - a valiant king who marches forward with supreme confidence wherever he turns.
The lesson here is both profound and vital: when a person sets out to accomplish something, he should do it with confidence and strength, and with God's help he will succeed. One who acts feebly, plagued by doubt and a lack of self-confidence, is very likely to falter. In the words of the Metzudat David: "It teaches wisdom: that one should not go into battle with a faint heart and leave the outcome to chance; rather, let him be girded with valor, and then he will be confident and succeed" - for all those brought as examples of triumph are those who walk with confidence. This is always the rule among high achievers: they possess ambition and self-confidence; they drive forward and push ahead. Charging forward may occasionally result in a misstep, but in the vast majority of cases, it brings success.
This applies especially in war: when you project confidence, you strike fear into the heart of the enemy. He becomes convinced that he is facing an overwhelming force, and he panics. This has always been the method of the Arab nations - boastful rhetoric: "We will wipe out the Zionists," "We are moments away from throwing them into the sea." Those who remember recall that Egyptian radio once announced that their troops were already inside Tel Aviv, when in reality they were nowhere near it. Yet that is the tactic: to demoralize the opponent through monstrous declarations that inspire terror - and that, too, is part of the battle. In Vietnam, psychological warfare was likewise a central component: speakers were hung from trees, broadcasting, "You are surrounded, we will capture you at any moment," instilling dread in those who heard it. Armies operate similarly today: they often communicate with civilian populations via dropped leaflets - except that on our side, we generally speak the truth. Hamas sells them illusions of victory, and the leaflets bypass Hamas to reveal the grim reality: the casualties and the destruction, which creates demoralization and a willingness to concede and surrender. Says the Metzudat David: know that when you approach with power and project strength, those who stand against you will crumble.
The Malbim explains this series in terms of man's spiritual service. "The lion, mightiest among beasts, which turns back before none" - that spoke of the negative commandments: man possesses a soul, which is the mighty lion that subdues physical desires and material drives; physical matter pulls him toward prohibitions and sin, and the soul conquers it. Here, it speaks of alacrity: "girt in the loins" describes one who runs rhythmically, swiftly, and eagerly to fulfill positive commandments and conquer the trait of laziness. This corresponds to the teaching of Chazal: "Be mighty as a lion... and swift as a deer."
"Or a he-goat" - the Malbim defines this as the ascendancy of form (tzurah) over matter (chomer). Form is the spiritual dimension within man, while matter is the coarse physical body. Form is characterized as masculine, and matter as feminine; therefore, the he-goat - the dichra, denoting the masculine - represents the spiritual aspect, while the flock of ewes represents the physical body. Why is the spiritual aspect called masculine? Because the male bestows, while the female receives. Thus, the proper order is for the spiritual part of man to influence his material side and chart the course, not the reverse - where the body, the feminine aspect, rules over man while the soul merely follows along. The male must lead the way. This corresponds to the quality of boldness, "be bold as a leopard" - the inner assertiveness a person exercises over his other faculties, daring to stand firm and stride powerfully in the way of Hashem.
"And a king against whom no one can rise up" - alongside form marches the king, which is the intellect and its faculties, recognized as the supreme sovereign over the powers of the soul. Then, "no one can rise up" (alkum): none of the bodily drives will rise up to rebel against its sovereignty. This is alluded to in "light as an eagle," soaring high on the wings of the intellect, striding gracefully on the path of deep study and the attainment of absolute truth.
On the level of peshat, the Malbim explains that this fourth parable refers to the slave. The verse about the lizard spoke of his wife, while this verse refers to the slave who rebelled against the king and rose to power - her husband. This slave was neither a mighty warrior nor a master strategist, nor did he know how to manipulate the populace with cunning - unlike his lizard-like wife, who spun all manner of schemes from her mind to conquer the monarchy. Rather, he is likened to a he-goat marching at the head of the flock, where the sheep are all females (ewes): he, too, prevailed through his wife, purely by virtue of being her husband. When you have a wife like that, you become king; for through the intricate webs she spun, she handed him the crown, like a spider weaving its web.
And so it is in the order of the verses: the lion (layish) reigns over the beasts, and his kingship stems from his might - "A lion, mighty among beasts." The hound (zarzir motnayim) rules by virtue of his swift running, a hunting dog whose power lies in his loins. The he-goat is the third, marching well in order to walk at the head of the flock. "And a king with whom there is no rising up (alkum)" - this king marches well like the he-goat, meaning he is like a he-goat leading the flock; yet not due to his own virtues, but solely because there is a flock behind him. And the flock is the women, the ewes, and the male walks at their head: you are at the head only because your wife, the spider (semamit), stands behind you. She is the one who spun everything here - at first beneath the king, and then, through this, orchestrating the revolt so that her husband reigned, that very king against whom none can rise up.
Rashi cites the Midrash of Chazal: "The Midrash Aggadah interprets these five passages as corresponding to the four kingdoms." One who observes the preceding verses notices that the text counts series, each consisting of four items, totaling five groupings of four: "Three there are that take stately steps, and four that are stately in walking" - one grouping; "There are four little things on earth, yet they are exceedingly wise" - a second grouping; "Under three things the earth trembles, and under four it cannot bear up"; "Three things are too wonderful for me, and four I do not know" - where it enumerates "the way of an eagle in the sky"; and so on. Five groupings, each containing four matters.
Chazal expound that these were said corresponding to the four kingdoms. Those kingdoms succeeded, grew strong, and prevailed over Israel, and their strength did not come from their own inherent might, but from our weakness - not physical weakness, but spiritual weakness, because we transgressed the Five Books of the Torah. Therefore, there are five groupings here to convey: you transgressed the Five Books of the Torah, and so four nations rose up against you.
"Sheol and the barren womb" - Sheol is the kingdom of Babylonia, as it is said of Nebuchadnezzar, "He enlarged his soul like Sheol." "The barren womb (otzer rechem)" - this is Media, for in their days mercy was withheld (atzeru rachamim) from Israel, when in the days of Esther the decree was issued to destroy, to slay, and to annihilate. "The earth that is not sated with water" - this is Greece, which was never sated with issuing harsh decrees against Israel. "And fire that never says, 'Enough!'" - corresponding to Esau, who acted with burning wrath against Israel, seeking to destroy and slay children and women in a single day. "The way of an eagle" - this is Babylonia, which is called "the great eagle with great wings." "A serpent" - this is Media. "The way of a ship in the heart of the sea" - this is Greece, whose decrees swept over like a swift ship upon the face of the waters. "The way of a man with a maiden (almah)" - this is Persia, who said, "Forever I shall be a mistress (geveret)" and rule over all provinces. "So is the way of an adulterous woman" - this is Knesset Yisrael, who brought all this evil upon herself because she committed adultery through idol worship and strayed from the path of Hashem; "and says, 'I have done no iniquity'" - "Behold, I will enter into judgment with you because you say, 'I have not sinned,'" and therefore they were punished with the utmost severity.
"Under three things the earth trembles" - "Under a slave when he reigns" refers to Nebuchadnezzar, who was a servant to Merodach-baladan and wrote his letters, rising from an ordinary scribe to kingship. "And a vile person when he is filled with food" - this is Ahasuerus, who spent all his days seeking banquets, holding a feast of one hundred and eighty days; what is there to do for one hundred and eighty days, when after three days one is already completely done? Yet this vile fool is never sated with food. "Under a hated woman when she is married" - corresponding to Greece. "And a maidservant when she dispossesses her mistress" - this is Esau, who was meant to be subjugated to Jacob, yet matters were reversed and the maidservant dispossessed her mistress.
"The ants are not a strong people" - this is Babylonia, of whom it is written, "Behold the land of the Chaldeans, this is the people that was not," as though created from nothing. "Yet they prepare their food in the summer" - this is Nebuchadnezzar. It is related of him that he showed honor to the Holy One, blessed be He, in the days of Merodach-baladan, who sent letters to Hezekiah: "Peace to King Hezekiah, peace to the city of Jerusalem, peace to the Great God." The letter was dispatched following the miracle in which the sun retreated ten degrees in the days of Hezekiah, a wonder known to all the inhabitants of the world; Merodach-baladan was deeply impressed by it and sent a greeting letter to Hezekiah. Nebuchadnezzar, the king's scribe who drafted his correspondence, was not present that day - it was his day off. When they came and told him that a letter had been sent, he said: "You call Him the Great God and yet write Him at the end? If He is the Great God, He should be first!" He ran after the messenger and brought him back, rewriting it properly: Peace to the Great God, and only then Hezekiah and Jerusalem. And Chazal say: on account of that running, he was rewarded with kingship - he ran three steps, and in that merit, he earned three generations of monarchy: himself, his son, and his grandson. Here you have "Yet they prepare their food in the summer": he prepared his bread in the summer, and for generations to come he had sustenance to consume.
"The hyraxes are not a mighty people" - this is Media and Persia. "Yet they make their home in the rock" - for they rebuilt the Beit HaMikdash, which is the rock of Lebanon. "The spider grasps with her hands" - this is Esau, regarding whom it is written, "and the hands are the hands of Esau"; "and she is in kings' palaces" - for he entered the Sanctuary and destroyed it. "A lion, mighty among beasts" - this is Nebuchadnezzar, as it is stated, "A lion has gone up from his thicket." "A greyhound (zarzir motnayim)" - this is Media and Persia, who girded their loins and slew Belshazzar and seized the Babylonian empire: "In that very night, Belshazzar was slain." Whoever wishes may see in Sefer Daniel how a hand came forth from heaven and wrote "Mene, mene, tekel upharsin," and that very night Belshazzar was brought down. "Or a he-goat" - this is Greece, who is termed a he-goat, as cited in Sefer Daniel, "And the rough goat is the king of Greece." "And a king with whom there is no rising up (alkum)" - this is the nation of Aram, who claimed, "I am, and there is none else besides me" - al kum, there is none who can stand against me and none can rise with him.
אִם נָבַלְתָּ בְהִתְנַשֵּׂא וְאִם זַמּוֹתָ יָד לְפֶה׃ - "If you have been degraded in lifting yourself up, or if you have plotted evil, lay a hand on your mouth."
Rashi explains this in two ways. The first: "If you have been degraded (im navalta)" - if you were degraded by your fellow who insulted you, having prided and exalted himself over you and shamed you. In other editions of Rashi, it appears - and this too fits the plain meaning of the text - that through your own speech, you humbled and demeaned yourself. In both interpretations, you are told that in the end you will be exalted: if you were degraded, it will lead to elevation (be-hitnasei); the Holy One, blessed be He, will ultimately exalt and elevate you, related to the word nasi (leader or prince). In other words, if someone insulted you and you remained silent, or if you accepted humiliation upon yourself and did not seek honor, know that Hashem will grant you elevation through this matter.
"And if you have plotted (ve-im zamota)" - related to thought and intent, as in the phrase "do not grant his plot (zamamo)": if you plotted in your heart to go and quarrel with him, "lay a hand on your mouth" - place your hand over your mouth and remain silent. Do not start a quarrel over the matter, and on the contrary, through this you will merit to be exalted.
The Metzudat David explains the first part like Rashi: if you were demeaned and disgraced when someone reviled you, seemingly displaying your vileness - "nevertheless, remain exalted." However, in his view, "behitnasei" is not a future promise, but an instruction: remain in your elevated state. For example, suppose someone shouts words of taunting and contempt at a prime minister in the marketplace. If the prime minister starts arguing back, "You are this and I am that" - what would people say about him? He made himself look petty. Why engage? Why descend to his level? So too here: if someone vilified you, maintain your dignified stature and nobility; do not lower yourself to his level, and do not repay him in kind. Saying to yourself, "There, I showed him!" means you disgraced yourself. You turned yourself into his peer in squabbling, and that is humiliating for you. Rather, "Do not answer him with taunts and quarrel like one of the scoundrels, but guard the doors of your mouth as people of distinction do." The directive here is: carry yourself with dignity.
The Malbim frames the verse as Agur's address to Itiel and Uchal: If you see that you are becoming vile and corrupt, and through this straying from the path of good, know where this comes from: "behitnasei" - because you pridefully presume to delve into concepts far above your level, loftier than the philosophical concepts you are capable of grasping. As we recall, this is how the Malbim explained the entire chapter: as answers to Itiel and Uchal, who posed philosophical questions to Agur son of Yakeh, and he tells them: You must not inquire into what is beyond you.
"And if you have devised" - if you have pondered deeply and harbored deep thoughts on these esoteric matters, then "lay your hand upon your mouth": do not utter your thoughts aloud. Even if you have already comprehended something of this - remain silent. As the well-known adage goes regarding the esoteric: he who knows does not speak, and he who speaks does not know. Usually, when a person does not truly know, he talks incessantly, babbling the few terms he has picked up, repeating them over and over; but a truly inward person who genuinely knows will not be heard discoursing on these subjects at every opportunity. Therefore, even if you devised and contemplated deeply on this, lay your hand upon your mouth: keep these matters to yourself.
Here too, the Malbim also explains the verse according to its plain meaning (peshat), as an address to the king against whom no one can rise up - that slave who rose to reign, the scoundrel sated with bread. It tells him: If you became vile through arrogance, you were already corrupt long before that; you are a scoundrel from way back. "And if you have devised" - if you plotted to rebel against your master, placing a hand to your mouth, meaning you acted secretly and quietly so no one would know of the rebellion, plotting evil in secret - know what your ultimate end will be.
כִּי מִיץ חָלָב יוֹצִיא חֶמְאָה וּמִיץ אַף יוֹצִיא דָם וּמִיץ אַפַּיִם יוֹצִיא רִיב׃ - For the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood, and the stirring of wrath brings forth strife.
The Malbim explains: "The churning of milk" - that which is extracted from the milk and floats to the top is butter, the best and finest part. In contrast, "the wringing of the nose" - the secretion that emerges from the nose is repulsive mucus, and someone who picks his nose to extract even more filth will at a certain point draw blood, as the nose is sensitive. And "the stirring of wrath [mitz apayim]" - anger - "brings forth strife," rebellion, and contention throughout the land. In terms of the plain sense, this is addressed to that very king: What do you think, that you can do whatever you wish without paying the price? Know that stirring up anger, the fury you provoke among the people, will bring forth strife; all the people will turn against you, and ultimately your reign will fall.
Rashi explains: Just as butter emerges through the pressing of milk - "mitz" denotes squeezing or wringing, as in "and he wrung [vayametz] the fleece" - and just as blood comes out when one presses too vigorously on the nose, so strife emerges through the stirring of anger: when a person becomes furious, contention is born from that pressure.
Rashi cites the homiletic interpretation of the Sages: "If you have demeaned yourself in lifting yourself up" - if you have lowered yourself for the words of Torah, your end will be to be elevated. And what does it mean to lower yourself for the words of Torah? A person who is willing to endure embarrassment in order to ask his teacher and resolve his doubts, even if he appears foolish: "What kind of questions is he asking? That makes no sense; he hasn't even begun to understand!" A person is sometimes afraid to ask lest it paint him as ignorant. To him they say: Even if you appear foolish to your teacher, know that your end will be to be exalted. You humbled yourself, went to ask, said, "I want Torah and I need to learn," and bore embarrassment from asking questions - you will merit being elevated, you will merit becoming great in Torah.
However, "and if you have devised [zamota], hand to mouth": "zamota" is related to zemam, a muzzle. If you placed a muzzle on your mouth and refrained from asking all that you needed to because you were embarrassed lest they say you do not understand, you have essentially muzzled yourself. And this is the retribution: when your students later come to ask you a matter of Halachah, you will place your hand over your mouth - "I don't know, I don't know" - and you will have nothing to answer them. In contrast, one who did ask, just as the churning of milk produces butter, so will you merit becoming fluent and knowledgeable in Halachah.
The Malbim explains: what is gathered from true wisdom, the holy Torah of which it is said, "Honey and milk are under your tongue," is what yields butter - one who engages in Torah, which is the finest of all things, produces exquisite results from it. But "pressing anger yields blood": if you go and probe into external inquiries, alien philosophies, and distorted ideas, corrupt results will emerge - blood, not butter. "And the pressing of anger" - if you harbor anger over Hashem's governance, like those questions of faith asked by Itiel and Uchal, why the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper, this will "yield strife": you will, as it were, wage war against divine providence, as it is written, "For anger kills the foolish." This will bring you nothing but harm. Therefore, it is certainly unfitting for you, Itiel and Uchal, to delve into matters that are far above your reach.
And this is the reality of human nature. All those who seemed to understand and know everything, who never needed to ask because they grasped it all on their own, and for whom tests were effortless - usually, not much came of them. But those who constantly came and asked, who always delved deeper and tried to understand, who ran after the Rebbi at the end of the shiur saying, "I didn't understand this either, or that," in short, those who never gave him rest - they were specifically the ones who grew to greatness. For they genuinely care and truly desire to know, and even if someone is not exceptionally gifted, a great person can grow from him.
Someone once came to the Chazon Ish and suggested opening a yeshivah for elite students - today every yeshivah calls itself an elite yeshivah, but here the proposal was real: to take two or three prodigies from each yeshivah and create a yeshivah that would produce the leaders of the next generation. The Chazon Ish told him: Absolutely not. He asked him: Why? He replied: Because reality has proven that from those upon whom great hopes were placed, the gifted ones, not much usually came. Why? Because they relied on their talent, their abilities, and the gifts Hashem gave them, and did not put in the effort; and because they did not invest the effort, they did not grow into great men. He added: Know that specifically from those who do not appear especially talented - from them emerge the truly great.
The Chazon Ish added: I know a person who, in his youth when he was still a boy, came to ask me a question. The Torah writes "Mitzrayimah" [to Egypt], and Rashi explains: any word that requires a lamed at its beginning, [the Torah] adds a hei to its end; that is, instead of "Yaakov came l'Mitzrayim," it says "Yaakov came Mitzrayimah." The boy came and asked: Rebbi, where is there a lamed in the word "Mitzrayimah"? He was searching for the letter lamed inside the word, completely failing to understand what Rashi meant - a completely basic Rashi! The Chazon Ish said: And today I know him, and he is one of the greatest figures of our generation. In other words, you think the prodigies are the guarantee of success? That is not where gedolei Torah come from; rather, it is from the one who humbles and abases himself over words of Torah, who asks again, who strives to understand and investigate - from them emerge truly great men.
The end of the chapter presents two intertwining voices. On the one hand, the Ralbag and the Malbim teach that rushing forward out of self-confidence and bravado without forethought brings down the lion, the greyhound, the he-goat, and King Alkum, as well as the person who rushes to issue halachic rulings and decisions without thorough study and consultation - "do not rely on your own understanding." On the other hand, the Metzudas David teaches that one must not go to war with faint-heartedness, but girded with strength and trust, and thus succeed. And the conclusion of the chapter: "If you have been debased in exalting yourself" - preserve your dignity and do not sink to the level of the scorner, and one who humbles himself over words of Torah, asking without shame, will ultimately be elevated, whereas one who restrains his tongue will end up placing a hand over his mouth when questioned. "Churning milk produces butter" - from deep study of Torah emerge exquisite results, while from anger and misguided philosophical probing emerge only blood and strife.