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Proverbs 30:16

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Proverbs 30:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Sheol; and the barren womb; The earth that is not satisfied with water; And the fire that saith not, Enough.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Sheol; and the barren womb; The earth that is not satisfied with water; And the fire that saith not, Enough.
Proverbs 30:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Proverbs 30

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.
14There is a generation whose teeth are [as] swords, and their jaw teeth [as] knives, To devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.
15The horseleach hath two daughters, [crying], Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, [Yea], four that say not, Enough:
16Sheol; and the barren womb; The earth that is not satisfied with water; And the fire that saith not, Enough.
17The eye that mocketh at his father, And despiseth to obey his mother, The ravens of the valley shall pick it out, And the young eagles shall eat it.
18There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yea, four which I know not:
19The way of an eagle in the air; The way of a serpent upon a rock; The way of a ship in the midst of the sea; And the way of a man with a maiden.
← Proverbs 30:15Proverbs 30:17 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Note the numeration mounting to a climax, the two, the three, the four (Amos 1:3 etc.). The word rendered “horseleach” is found nowhere else, and its etymology is doubtful; but there are good grounds for taking the word in its literal sense, as giving an example, in the natural world, of the insatiable greed of which the next verse gives other instances. Its voracious appetite is here represented, to express its intensity, as two daughters, uttering the same ceaseless cry for more. Proverbs 30:16 The grave - Hebrew שׁאול she'ôl. The “Hell” or Hades of Proverbs 27:20, all-consuming yet never full. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Pro 27:20; Hab 2:5 Proverbs 30:17”
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Related study paths

Read Proverbs 30 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification