Proverbs 30:16

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

14There are some people who are very cruel. Their teeth are like swords and sharp knives. They want to eat up all the poor and helpless people, so that they disappear from the earth. 15A greedy leech has two daughters. They are always saying, ‘Give me more!’ There are three things that never have enough for themselves, even four things: The deep hole of death. A wife who has no children. Dry ground that needs rain. A fire that burns strongly. 17Punishment will come to anyone who insults his father, or who refuses to listen to his mother. Wild birds will pick out his eyes and vultures will eat his body. 18There are three things that are too difficult for me to understand, even four things:

Proverbs 30:16 word by word

שְׁאוֹל֮ וְעֹ֪צֶ֫ר רָ֥חַם אֶ֭רֶץ לֹא־שָׂ֣בְעָה מַּ֑יִם וְ֝אֵ֗שׁ לֹא־אָ֥מְרָה הֽוֹן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The graveשְׁאוֹלshe'ôl she'ôl · hell: SheolH7585
• and the barrenעֹ֫צֶר‛ôtser · coercionH6115
• wombרַחַםracham · wombH7356
• the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• is not filledשָׂבֵעַώâba‛ ώâbêa‛ · to satisfyH7646
• with waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
• and the fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
• saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• enoughהוֹןhôn · substanceH1952

Cross-references for Proverbs 30:16

• Proverbs 27:20The deep hole of death always wants more dead people to fill it. In the same way, a person wants to have everything that he sees.
• Habakkuk 2:5Wine will destroy that proud enemy. They do not stop attacking other people. They never have enough for themselves. They are like death that is so hungry that it eats as much as it can. The deep hole of death eats everything. The cruel enemy is like that! They want all the nations to belong to them. They catch everyone to be their prisoners.

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

• Hell
• Riddle

In the dictionaries

• Agur
• Convenient
• Folk
• Food
• Hell
• Fire
• Massa
• Proverbs, the Book of
• Sheol
• Zoology

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