Proverbs 30:16
WEB
Sheol, the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn’t say, ‘Enough!’
BSB
Sheol, the barren womb, land never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’
KJV
The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H7585
n-f — hades, retreat
Derivation: or שְׁאֹל; from 7592;
hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates
KJV: grave, hell, pit.
n.f — Shᵉ’ōl
שְׁאוֹל, שְׁאֹל n.f. Shᵉ’ōl, underworld (√ dub.; i.e. place of inquiry)
H6115
n-m — closure, constraint
Derivation: from 6113;
closure; also constraint
KJV: × barren, oppression, × prison.
n.[m.] — restraint
עֹ֫צֶר n.[m.] restraint, coercion
H7356
n-f — compassion, womb, cherishing, maiden
Derivation: from 7355;
compassion (in the plural); by extension, the womb (as cherishing the fetus); by implication, a maiden
KJV: bowels, compassion, damsel, tender love, (great, tender) mercy, pity, womb.
n.m — womb
רֶ֫חֶם, רַ֫חַם n.m. womb
n.m — compassion
רַחֲמִים n.m. abs. pl. intens. compassion
H776
n-f — earth, land
Derivation: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm;
the earth (at large, or partitively a land)
KJV: × common, country, earth, field, ground, land, × natins, way, + wilderness, world.
n. f — earth
אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land
1.
a. earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)
b. earth, opp. to heaven, sky
c. earth = inhabitants of earth
2. land =
a. country, territory
b. district, region
c. trial territory
d. piece of ground
e. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel
f. = inhabitants of land
g. used even of Shᵉʼôl
3.
a. ground, surface of ground
b. soil, as productive
4. אֶרֶץ in phrases
a. people of the land
b. in measurements of distance
c. the country of the plain, level or plain country
d. land of the living
e. end(s) of the earth
5. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.
H3808
adv — not, no
Derivation: or לוֹא; or לֹה; (Deuteronomy 3:11), a primitive particle;
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
KJV: × before, or else, ere, except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (× as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, surely, as truly as, of a truth, verily, for want, whether, without.
adv — not
לֹא or לוֹא adv. not
H7646
v — sate, fill
Derivation: or שָׂבֵעַ; a primitive root;
to sate, i.e. fill to satisfaction (literally or figuratively)
KJV: have enough, fill (full, self, with), be (to the) full (of), have plenty of, be satiate, satisfy (with), suffice, be weary of.
vb — be sated
[שָׂבֵעַ], שָׂבַע 96 vb. be sated, satisfied, surfeited
Qal 79
1. be sated (with food), esp. human subj.
2. more gen., be sated, have desire satisfied
3. have in excess, be surfeited with
Niph. Pt. sated
Pi. satisfy
Hiph.
1.
a. satisfy (esp. with material blessings), subj. י׳
b. c. acc. of food pers., י׳ subj.
c. י׳ subj.
d. י׳ subj., c. acc. of beasts
2. enrich
3. sate, glut (with the undesired)
H4325
n-m — water, juice, urine, semen
Derivation: dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense);
water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen
KJV: piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).
n.m — waters
[מַי] 580 n.m. only pl. מַ֫יִם waters, water
H784
n-f — fire
Derivation: a primitive word;
fire (literally or figuratively)
KJV: burning, fiery, fire, flaming, hot.
n.f — fire
אֵשׁ 377 n.f. fire
1. fire, of conflagration
2. of supernatural fire
3. fire for cooking, roasting, parching
4. esp. of altar fire
5. fig. of Yahweh's anger
6. in various combinations
H559
v — say
Derivation: a primitive root;
to say (used with great latitude)
KJV: answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, × desire, determine, × expressly, × indeed, × intend, name, × plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), × still, × suppose, talk, tell, term, × that is, × think, use (speech), utter, × verily, × yet.
vb — utter
אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say
Qal
1. Say
2. Say in the heart (= think)
3. Promise
4. Command (esp. late)
Niph. be said, told
Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
Hithp. act proudly, boast
H1952
n-m — wealth, enough
Derivation: from the same as 1951 in the sense of 202;
wealth; by implication, enough
KJV: enough, for nought, riches, substance, wealth.
n.m — wealth
הוֹן n.m. wealth, sufficiency (poet., almost wholly WisdLt, especially Pr)
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Verses 15–17
Proverbs 30:15–17
He had spoken before of those that devoured the poor (Pro 30:14), and had spoken of them last, as the worst of all the four generations there mentioned; now here he speaks of their insatiableness in doing this. The temper that puts them upon it is made up of cruelty and covetousness. Now those are two daughters of the horse-leech, its genuine offspring, that still cry, "Give, give, give more blood, give more money;" for the bloody are still blood-thirsty; being drunk with blood, they add thirst to their drunkenness, and will seek it yet again. Those also that love silver shall never be satisfied with silver. Thus, while from these two principles they are devouring the poor, they are continually uneasy to themselves, as David's enemies, Psa 59:14, Psa 59:15. Now, for the further illustration of this,
I. He specifies four other things which are insatiable, to which those devourers are compared, which say not, It is enough, or It is wealth. Those are never rich that are always coveting. Now these four things that are always craving are, 1. The grave, into which multitudes fall, and yet still more will fall, and it swallows them all up, and returns none, Hell and destruction are never full, Pro 27:20. When it comes to our turn we shall find the grave ready for us, Job 17:1. 2. The barren womb, which is impatient of its affliction in being barren, and cries, as Rachel did, Give me children. 3. The parched ground in time of drought (especially in those hot countries), which still soaks in the rain that comes in abundance upon it and in a little time wants more. 4. The fire, which, when it has consumed abundance of fuel, yet still devours all the combustible matter that is thrown into it. So insatiable are the corrupt desires of sinners, and so little satisfaction have they even in the gratification of them.
II. He adds a terrible threatening to disobedient children (Pro 30:17), for warning to the first of those four wicked generations, that curse their parents (Pro 30:11), and shows here,
1. Who they are that belong to that generation, not only those that curse their parents in heat and passion, but, (1.) Those that mock at them, though it be but with a scornful eye, looking with disdain upon them because of their bodily infirmities, or looking sour or dogged at them when they instruct or command, impatient at their checks and angry at them. God takes notice with what eye children look upon their parents, and will reckon for the leering look and the casts of the evil eye as well as for the bad language given them. (2.) Those that despise to obey them, that think it a thing below them to be dutiful to their parents, especially to the mother, they scorn to be controlled by her; and thus she that bore them in sorrow in greater sorrow bears their manners.
2. What their doom will be. Those that dishonour their parents shall be set up as monuments of God's vengeance; they shall be hanged in chains, as it were, for the birds of prey to pick out their eyes, those eyes with which they looked so scornfully on their good parents. The dead bodies of malefactors were not to hang all night, but before night the ravens would have picked out their eyes. If men do not punish undutiful children, God will, and will load those with the greatest infamy that conduct themselves haughtily towards their parents. Many who have come to an ignominious end have owned that the wicked courses that brought them to it began in a contempt of their parents' authority.
Cross-references: Prov 30:14 · Ps 59:14 · Ps 59:15 · Prov 27:20 · Job 17:1 · Prov 30:17 · Prov 30:11