Amsal 21:30

21:30 There is no wisdom and there is no understanding,

and there is no counsel against ¹  the Lord. ² 

Yesaya 45:9

The Lord Gives a Warning

45:9 One who argues with his creator is in grave danger, ³ 

one who is like a mere ⁴  shard among the other shards on the ground!

The clay should not say to the potter, ⁵ 

“What in the world ⁶  are you doing?

Your work lacks skill!” ⁷ 

[21:30]  ¹ tn The form לְנֶגֶד (lÿneged) means “against; over against; in opposition to.” The line indicates they cannot in reality be in opposition, for human wisdom is nothing in comparison to the wisdom of God (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 232).

[21:30]  ² sn The verse uses a single sentence to state that all wisdom, understanding, and advice must be in conformity to the will of God to be successful. It states it negatively – these things cannot be in defiance of God (e.g., Job 5:12-13; Isa 40:13-14).

[45:9]  ³ tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who argues with the one who formed him.”

[45:9]  ⁴ tn The words “one who is like a mere” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and clarification.

[45:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “Should the clay say to the one who forms it?” The rhetorical question anticipates a reply, “Of course not!”

[45:9]  ⁶ tn The words “in the world” are supplied in the translation to approximate in English idiom the force of the sarcastic question.

[45:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “your work, there are no hands for it,” i.e., “your work looks like something made by a person who has no hands.”