Proverbs 30:21 New English Translation

²¹Under three things the earth has trembled,^[a]
and under four things it cannot bear up:

Proverbs 30:21 sn The Hebrew verb means “to rage; to quake; to be in tumult.” The sage is using humorous and satirical hyperbole to say that the changes described in the following verses shake up the whole order of life. The sayings assume that the new, elevated status of the individuals was not accompanied by a change in nature. For example, it was not completely unknown in the ancient world for a servant to become king, and in the process begin to behave like a king.

New English Translation (NET)