THE FULL ARTICLE — from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), general editor James Orr — public domain, printed whole.

ja'-ke (yaqeh, perhaps from Arabic root meaning "carefully religious"; yaqe', as if from qi'): The father of Agur, the author of the sayings recorded in Pr 30:1. Nothing is known of either Jakeh or Agur. The immediate connection in the Hebrew text of ha-massa', "the prophecy" or "burden" (the King James Version "even the prophecy," the Revised Version (British and American) "the oracle") with ne'um, "oracle" (the King James Version "spake," the Revised Version (British and American) "saith") is quite exceptional, while the verse is unintelligible and the text, as the Septuagint shows, is evidently corrupt. The best emendation is that which changes ha-massa', "the prophecy," into ha-massa'i, "the Massaite," or into mimmassa', "of Massa" (Revised Version margin), Massa being the name of the country of an Ishmaelite tribe (compare Ge 25:14; 1Ch 1:30; Pr 31:1 the Revised Version margin).

See AGUR.

James Crichton