Proverbs 30:15

15 “The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’:

Proverbs 30:15 in Other Translations

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:

15 The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough":

15 The leech has two suckers that cry out, “More, more!” There are three things that are never satisfied— no, four that never say, “Enough!”:

15 A leech has twin daughters named "Gimme" and "Gimme more." Four Insatiables Three things are never satisfied, no, there are four that never say, "That's enough, thank you!" -

15 The leech has two daughters: Give, Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough!":

Proverbs 30:15 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 30:15

The horse leech hath two daughters, [crying], Give, give
Or "the blood sucker" ^F12; so it began to be called in the times of Pliny ^F13, to which the last generation of men may well be compared; blood thirsty creatures, that never have enough, and are not satisfied with the flesh of men, nor with their blood; and such particularly the Papists are: and not only this generation of men, but there are three or four things besides, which resemble the horse leech for its insatiableness; for the horse leech has not two daughters only, but more. Some, by her two daughters, understand the two forks of its tongue, which some naturalists say it has; though later ones, and more diligent inquirers into those things, find it has not; but either with its three teeth, or by the compression of its mouth on all sides, sucks the blood, and will not let go until it is filled with it ^F14: others have proposed the two sorts of leeches as its daughters, the sea leech, and that which is found in fenny and marshy places. But it is best, by its daughters, to understand such that resemble it, and are like unto it; as those that are of like nature and quality, and do the same things as others, are called their children; see ( Matthew 23:31 Matthew 23:33 ) ( John 8:44 ) ( 1 John 3:10 ) ; and so the number of its daughters, which are always craving and asking for more, and are never satisfied, are not only two, but more, as follows; there are three [things];
or, "[yea], there are three [things]" [that] are never satiated: [yea], four [things] say not, [It is]
enough;
not two only, but three, and even four, that are quite insatiable and are as follow. The Syriac version renders the whole thus,

``the horse leech hath three beloved daughters; three, "I say", they are, which are not satisfied; and the fourth says not, It is enough.''

Some, as Abendana observes, interpret it of hell, by a transposition of the letters; because everyone that perverts his ways descends thither. Bochart ^F15 interprets it of fate, and so Noldius ^F16: and Schultens renders the word, the most monstrous of evils; it signifying in the Arabic language, as he observes, anything monstrous and dreadful; such as wood demons, serpents, and dragons, which devour men and beasts. Suidas ^F17, by the "horse leech", understands sin, whose daughters are fornication, envy, and idolatry, which are never satisfied by evil actions, and the fourth is evil concupiscence.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 (hqwlel) "sanguisugae", V. L. Pagninus, Tigurine version. Mercerus, Gejerus.
F13 Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 10.
F14 "Non missura cutem nisi plena cruoris hirudo", Horat. de Arte Poet. fine.
F15 Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 5. c. 19. col. 801.
F16 Concord. Ebr. Par. p. 467. No. 1425.
F17 In voce (bdella) .

Proverbs 30:15 In-Context

13 those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful;

14 those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among mankind.

15 “The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’:

16 the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’

17 “The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.

Cross References

• 1. Proverbs 27:20