Darby Bible
Proverbs 30:16
16— Sheol, and the barren womb; the earth which is not filled with water, and the fire which saith not, It is enough.
Proverbs 30:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.
- New International Version (NIV)the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’
- English Standard Version (ESV)Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, "Enough."
- New King James Version (NKJV)The grave, The barren womb, The earth that is not satisfied with water— And the fire never says, “Enough!”
Context of Proverbs 30:16
14— a generation whose teeth are swords, and their jaw-teeth knives, to devour the afflicted from off the earth, and the needy from [among] men. 15The leech hath two daughters: Give, give. There are three [things] never satisfied; four which say not, It is enough: — Sheol, and the barren womb; the earth which is not filled with water, and the fire which saith not, It is enough. 17The eye that mocketh at a father, and despiseth to obey a mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. 18There are three [things] too wonderful for me, and four that I know not:
Read all of Proverbs 30Proverbs 30:16 word by word
שְׁאוֹל֮ וְעֹ֪צֶ֫ר רָ֥חַם אֶ֭רֶץ לֹא־שָׂ֣בְעָה מַּ֑יִם וְ֝אֵ֗שׁ לֹא־אָ֥מְרָה הֽוֹן׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Proverbs 30:16
- Proverbs 27:20Sheol and destruction are insatiable; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
- Habakkuk 2:5And moreover, the wine is treacherous: he is a proud man, and keepeth not at rest, he enlargeth his desire as Sheol, and he is like death and cannot be satisfied; and he assembleth unto him all nations, and gathereth unto him all peoples.
Commentaries on Proverbs 30:16
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-17Verses 15-17 Cruelty and covetousness are two daughters of the horseleech, that still cry, "Give, give," and they are continually uneasy to themselves. Four things never are satisfied, to which these devourers are compared. Those are never rich that are always coveting. And many who have come to a bad end, have owned that their wicked courses began by despising their parents' authority.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-16The number parallelism (three...four) is a method to list poetic examples. This list shows powers that are never satisfied and often dangerous. See also Proverbs 30:18–19, 21–23, 29–31. The grave, representing death, never seems to have enough—people keep dying (Proverbs 27:20). barren womb: Women unable to have children often long for them, like Sarah before Isaac, Rebekah before Esau and Jacob, and Hannah before Samuel. The thirsty desert and a fire…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-1615-16. horse leech--supposed by some to be the vampire (a fabulous creature), as being literally insatiable; but the other subjects mentioned must be taken as this, comparatively insatiable. The use of a fabulous creature agreeably to popular notions is not inconsistent with inspiration. There are three ... yea, four--(Compare Pr 6:16).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 30:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 30
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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Commentaries