Proverbs 30:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”:

NIV: The leech has two daughters. 'Give! Give!' they cry. 'There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, 'Enough!':

NASB: The leech has two daughters: 'Give' and 'Give.' There are three things that will not be satisfied, Four that will not say, 'Enough':

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

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

KJV: The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:

NKJV: The leech has two daughters— Give and Give! There are three things that are never satisfied, Four never say, “Enough!”:

A leech thrives on blood. It attaches itself to the skin and sucks life from its host. This proverb notes that being a metaphorical "leech" does not make a person satisfied. It only results in greater demands. The word repeated here for "give" is in the "imperative" tense. It is intended as a demand, or instruction. "Give me more, give me even more" is where a greedy attitude leads. It is never satisfied with any amount of money or any number of possessions. It always wants to extract more and more. It never says, "That's plenty for me, now I'm satisfied."

In parallel with that idea, Agur (Proverbs 30:1) refers to four concepts which exhibit this same problem. Poetically, the list is introduced as "three things…four," in keeping with common literary styles of that era (Proverbs 6:16; Job 5:19; Amos 1:3). These are listed in the following verse (Proverbs 30:16).

The apostle Paul reminds the Thessalonian believers that his ministry was free from greed. He writes that he did not resort to flattery or some pretext for greed (1 Thessalonians 2:5). But this is not true of all. Paul wrote to the Philippians of those who preached the gospel out of envy or rivalry with him (Philippians 1:15–18). He spoke of enemies of the cross whose belly was their god (Philippians 3:19). He warned Timothy that in the last days "people will be lovers of self, lovers of money … among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women … these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith" (2 Timothy 2:2–8). The apostle Peter exhorts the elders to shepherd the flock of God "not for shameful gain, but eagerly" (1 Peter 5:2).

In Proverbs 30:15–31 Agur (Proverbs 30:1) gives several numerical observations. He lists four things which never lead to satisfaction, only increased desire. Another four ideas are said to be "wonderful," here meant in the sense of being hard to grasp. Next are four examples of the dangers of putting people in sudden positions of power. Then, four seemingly humble animals who achieve great tasks. The last is a series of examples showing the "stately" nature of confidence.

This chapter contains the teachings of Agur, who is only known through this passage. Humility and a sense of one's own limitations are key themes in this section. Agur prays for God's providence and warns about the sins of arrogance, greed, and rebelliousness. He marvels at how the ungodly can sin without care, not realizing their fate. He then notes the way some insignificant animals accomplish great things and comments on the effects of confidence. The chapter ends with a reminder that stirring up anger leads to trouble.

This chapter falls between a collection of Solomon's wise sayings (Proverbs 25—29) and King Lemuel's proverbs (Proverbs 31). Chapter 30 contains the wise sayings of Agur, who is otherwise unknown. He may have been the son of Jakeh. His teachings are called an oracle: a weighty message from God. Humility and warnings about arrogance are recurring themes in this chapter.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.