Proverbs 30:4: What Is the Name of His Son?
Short answer: The name of God's Son is Jesus. Proverbs 30:4 asks, "What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if you know?" The question is left hanging in the Old Testament, but the New Testament answers it directly. Matthew 1:21 says, "You shall name him Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins." Luke 1:31 says the child would be called Jesus. The name means the Lord saves, and it belongs to the eternal Son who took on flesh. So the answer to Agur's riddle is not a secret hidden for scholars. It is the name Christians confess, baptize in, and pray through.
The riddle in Proverbs 30:4 and who asks it
Proverbs 30 opens with the words of Agur son of Jakeh. He is not a famous prophet or king; he is a man who admits his limits. He says he has not learned wisdom, and he does not have knowledge of the Holy One. Then he asks a series of questions that no human being can answer by observation. Who has gone up to heaven and come back down? Who holds the wind? Who wraps up the waters? Who set the boundaries of the earth? These are questions about the Creator, not about a creature.
The climax of the verse is personal, not philosophical. Agur does not merely ask what God is like in general. He asks for a name, and then he asks for a second name: the name of God's son. That is remarkable in an Old Testament book of wisdom. Israel knew God as Yahweh, the covenant name. But a son? The question assumes that the God who made everything has a son, and that knowing that son's name matters. Agur ends with an honest challenge: if you know, tell me.
Some readers treat the verse as rhetorical, as if the answer is that nobody knows, and the point is only human ignorance. That reading is too small. The questions about ascending, descending, and holding the wind are answered elsewhere in Scripture by God himself. The question about the son points forward. It creates a hunger for a revelation that has not yet come in full. Wisdom literature often does this: it presses a question that only God can answer, and then waits for God to speak.
Agur's honesty is a model for us. He does not pretend to have mastered God. He asks a real question and leaves room for a real answer. When we come to Proverbs 30:4, we should not rush past the awe. The verse stands at the edge of what unaided human reason can reach. It asks for a name that must be given from above, not guessed from below. The rest of the Bible supplies what Agur could only ask.
The name given in Matthew and Luke
The answer arrives in the opening chapters of the Gospels. An angel speaks to Joseph in a dream and tells him that Mary will bear a son, and that he is to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21 records it: "She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.” Notice that the name is not chosen by parents for sentimental reasons. It is assigned by God through an angel, and it carries a mission inside it.
Luke tells the same story from Mary's side. The angel Gabriel says to her, as Luke 1:31-33 says, "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’" Luke then adds that he will be great, called the Son of the Most High, and that he will reign forever. So the name is tied to a throne, not just to a family line. The son Agur asked about is not a vague figure. He is a specific child, born in a specific place, with a name announced before his birth.
The Hebrew form of the name is Yeshua, closely related to Joshua, and it means the Lord saves. The Greek form is Iesous, which comes into English as Jesus. This is why the name matters so much. It is not a label attached to a good teacher. It is a one-word summary of the gospel. The one who bears it is the one who saves. When we say the name Jesus, we are saying what God has done for his people.
Matthew and Luke together close the gap that Proverbs 30:4 leaves open. The Old Testament asks the question; the New Testament answers with a birth announcement. This is one of the clearest places where the Bible interprets itself. We do not have to speculate about whether God has a son, or what his name is. God has spoken, and he has spoken a name. The answer is not hidden in a riddle. It is preached, written, and confessed.
What the name Jesus actually means
Names in Scripture often carry meaning, and this name carries the most. Jesus means the Lord saves. Every time the name is spoken in faith, the gospel is stated in miniature. That is why the angel did not say to name him something honoring, like a family name. He gave a name that describes an action: he will save his people from their sins. The name is a promise with a person attached. To know the name is to know what God is doing in the world.
This also explains why the name is not merely information. Agur asked, what is his son's name, if you know? Knowing a name in the ancient world meant more than having data. It meant relationship, access, and trust. To know someone's name is to be able to call on them. So the answer to the question is not just a fact for a quiz. It is an invitation. The Son has a name so that we can call on him, and so that our sins can be forgiven.
Notice that the name is connected to salvation from sins, not salvation from political trouble or poverty. That is important. Many people wanted a Messiah who would fix their circumstances. The angel announced a Savior who would deal with the deeper problem. The name Jesus tells us what our greatest need is, and it tells us that God has met it. If our main problem were Rome, we would need a general. Because our main problem is sin, we need a Savior, and that is the name we are given.
So when we answer the question from Proverbs 30:4, we should answer with more than a word. We should answer with the meaning of the word. The son's name is Jesus, and the name means that the Lord saves. That is the good news the whole Bible has been building toward. The riddle is not solved by cleverness. It is solved by revelation, and the revelation is a person with a name.
The name above every name in Philippians 2
Philippians 2 takes the name and lifts it to the highest place. Paul writes that God highly exalted Jesus and gave him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The name is not just a way to identify him. It is the name that every authority will eventually acknowledge. This is far beyond what Agur could have imagined when he asked his question.
The context of Philippians 2 is humility. Jesus did not grasp at equality with God. He emptied himself, took the form of a servant, and became obedient to the point of death on a cross. Because of that obedience, God raised him and gave him the name. So the name above every name is not a reward for popularity. It is the Father's verdict on the Son's finished work. The name Jesus is exalted because the one who bears it humbled himself and saved his people.
Paul also makes the scope of the name universal. Every knee, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, will bow. That means the question of Proverbs 30:4 will be answered by everyone eventually, whether in worship or in judgment. No one will remain neutral about this name. The son has a name, and that name will be acknowledged by all creation. This is not a small claim, and it is not a claim any mere teacher could make.
For the believer, this passage is comfort and calling. The name we confess in weakness is the name that holds the universe. When we are tempted to think our faith is small and our witness is weak, Philippians 2 reminds us whose name we carry. We do not carry a label we invented. We carry the name God gave, the name that is above every name, the name of the Son Agur asked about. That is worth building a life on.
Isaiah 9:6 and the names of the promised son
Long before the angel spoke to Joseph, Isaiah described a coming child with a cluster of titles. Isaiah 9:6 says, "For a child is born to us. A son is given to us; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." The verse gives a son, and it gives names. This is one of the clearest Old Testament links to the question in Proverbs 30:4.
These titles are not four separate people. They describe one person from different angles. He is a Wonderful Counselor, meaning his wisdom is beyond human advice. He is Mighty God, which is a direct claim to deity. He is Everlasting Father, a phrase that describes his care and eternality, not a confusion of persons in the Trinity. He is Prince of Peace, the one who brings wholeness between God and humanity. Taken together, they answer the question of who the son is.
Notice the phrase in Isaiah: a son is given. The son is not produced by human effort or earned by human merit. He is given. That matches the New Testament, where God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. The child born in Bethlehem is the gift, and the names describe the gift. This is why Christians read Isaiah 9:6 at Christmas and also all year long. It is not only a holiday text. It is a doctrinal anchor for the identity of the Son whose name Agur asked for.
When we put Isaiah 9:6 next to Matthew 1:21, the picture becomes clear. The son is given, and the son is named Jesus. The titles describe who he is; the name describes what he does. He is Mighty God, and he saves his people. He is Prince of Peace, and he reconciles sinners to God. The Old Testament question and the New Testament answer fit together perfectly, because the same God is speaking in both.
Why the name divides: Acts 4:12 and exclusive salvation
The name of the Son is not a matter of private preference. Acts 4:12 says, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved!" Peter says this after healing a lame man and being questioned about the power behind it. His answer is direct: the power is in the name of Jesus, and salvation is found nowhere else. This is one of the most exclusive claims in the Bible.
This claim is unpopular, and we should be honest about that. Many people today believe sincerity is enough, or that all religions lead to the same place. Acts 4:12 does not allow that. It does not say Jesus is one of several options. It says there is no other name. This is not arrogance on the part of the apostles. It is a report about what God has done. If God has provided one Savior, then the loving thing is to say so, not to pretend there are many.
At the same time, we should be careful in how we say it. The verse does not tell us to be cruel or dismissive toward those who do not yet believe. It tells us where salvation is found, and it tells us to point there. The early church did not spread this message by force. They spread it by preaching, suffering, and loving their neighbors. The exclusivity of the name is matched by the generosity of the invitation. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
So the question of Proverbs 30:4 is not idle curiosity. It has eternal weight. What is his son's name? The answer is Jesus, and that name is the only name given among men by which we must be saved. That is why Christians sing about the name, pray in the name, and refuse to be ashamed of the name. It is not a brand or a slogan. It is the name of the Son, and it is our only hope.
How the name shapes prayer and daily life
If the Son's name is Jesus, then that name should shape how we live and pray. Jesus himself taught his disciples to ask in his name. To pray in Jesus' name is not a magical formula tacked onto the end of a prayer. It is coming to the Father on the basis of the Son's work and merit, not our own. It is trusting that the one who saved us also speaks for us. The name gives us access and confidence before God.
The name also shapes how we face fear, guilt, and temptation. When we are afraid, we call on the name of the Lord. When we are guilty, we remember that the name means the Lord saves. When we are tempted, we remember that we belong to the one whose name is above every name. This is not positive thinking. It is faith in a person. The name is not a mantra that controls God. It is a relationship with the Son who is alive and intercedes for his people.
The name should also shape our speech. If the name is above every name, then using it carelessly or as a curse word is a serious matter. The third commandment is not about a magic word; it is about the honor due to God's name. Christians should be known for how they speak about Jesus, not for mocking him. Our words about the name should be consistent with our lives. If we say the name is precious, our conduct should show it.
Finally, the name shapes our hope. Agur asked a question he could not answer. We live on the other side of the answer. We know the son's name, and we know what it means. That knowledge is not a reason for pride. It is a reason for gratitude and mission. We have been told the name so that we can tell others, and so that we can live in a way that honors it. The question of Proverbs 30:4 has been answered, and the answer is good news for the world.
Biblical fidelity check
What Proverbs 30:4 does establish is that the God of Israel has a son, and that his name is worth asking about. The verse itself does not name the son. It asks the question and leaves it open, which means we should not read the name Jesus back into the verse as if Agur already knew it. The Old Testament often reveals truth progressively. The question is real, and the answer comes later, in the Gospels, where God himself names the child.
A common misreading is to treat Proverbs 30:4 as a proof text that Agur already knew the Trinity in full detail, or to treat the son as a mere poetic image. Both readings go beyond the text. The verse gives us a question, not a full doctrine. The doctrine comes from the whole Bible: Matthew, Luke, Philippians, Isaiah, and Acts all speak to it. The faithful approach is to let the question stand and let the rest of Scripture answer it, without adding to what the verse says.
Other passages that speak to Proverbs 30:4
The question of the Son's identity runs through the whole Bible. Passages about the mind of Christ and what believers dwell on help us see the Son's worth, as in Philippians 4:8 Meaning: What Christians Should Think About. The promise of strength for the weary points to the Son who sustains his people, as in Isaiah 40:31 Meaning: Wings Like Eagles. The call to fear not rests on God's presence with us, as in What does Isaiah 41:10 mean? And the practice of calling on the Son's name is explained in What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? A Biblical Guide. Together these help us answer Agur's question with worship, not just information.
Frequently asked questions
What is the name of God's Son according to the Bible?
The Bible gives the name Jesus. Matthew 1:21 records the angel's instruction to Joseph, and Luke 1:31 records the same instruction to Mary. The name means the Lord saves, and it is given by God, not chosen by the family. So the answer to the question in Proverbs 30:4 is Jesus, the Son who saves his people from their sins and reigns forever.
Was the son's name known in the Old Testament?
No, not in full. Proverbs 30:4 asks the question but does not answer it. Isaiah 9:6 gives titles for the coming son, such as Mighty God and Prince of Peace, but not the personal name Jesus. The Old Testament creates expectation; the New Testament announces the name. This is progressive revelation, and it shows that God reveals his plan in his own timing.
Why does the name of Jesus matter for salvation?
Because the name is tied to the person and work of the Son. Acts 4:12 says there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. The name is not a password; it is the identity of the Savior. To be saved is to trust in the one who bears that name, and to call on him in faith.
