Proverbs 30:15,16 - Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Bible Comments

The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:

Four insatiable things follow the four detestable offences.

The horse-leach hath two daughters, (crying), Give, give. The horse-leach is covetousness. The two words are, as it were, her two daughters, which come forth out of her. The greediness of the covetous is described in Proverbs 30:14. Not content with having once "devoured the needy," they again, a second time, return to drain out all their substance, like the horse-leach.

There are three (things) ... yea, four (things) - (cf. Amos 1:3, on the Hebrew idiom, "three yea, four.")

Verse 16. The grave ( shª'owl (H7585); cf. Proverbs 27:20); the world of departed spirits, ever craving for fresh comers from this world),

... the barren womb (cf. Rachel, Genesis 30:1);

The earth (that) is not filled with water (that is always ready to drink more rain);

And the fire (that) saith not (it is) enough - that is ready to consume any amount of fuel that you pile on it.

Proverbs 30:15-16

15 The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:

16 The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.