Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl Proverbs 30:15-16 Agur’s List Proverbs, Part 2

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Proverbs 30:15–16

[15] The leech has two daughters:

Give and Give.

Three things are never satisfied;

four never say, “Enough”:

[16] Sheol, the barren womb,

the land never satisfied with water,

and the fire that never says, “Enough.” (ESV)

Agur’s List Proverbs, Part 2

v.15-16: This pair of proverbs begins with a short list of the twin daughters of a leech (30:15a). This is a reference to a person who is a parasite living off of the work of others. Such a person is never satisfied and seems even to have two mouths (the "daughters: Give and Give”), like a leech with two suckers.

The second proverb in this section enumerates four more insatiable things. These four are grouped in two pairs. The first pair is positioned at the two ends of life: death and birth. Death never has enough because it is always ready to receive one more life. A barren womb never has enough because it can never reach the goal for which God created it: the birth of a child. Scripture portrays the anguish of mothers who were barren until God interceded on their behalf (Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth). However, many faithful women never conceive a child, yet they should not conclude that God is displeased with them, for all who hear and believe the Word of God are blessed (Luke 11:27–28).

The second pair notes the insatiability of land and fire. A dry land such as Palestine seems like it can never be watered enough. Similarly, feeding a fire will not satisfy it but only make it burn more strongly. A blaze will continue to burn and spread as long as it can find fuel. It is this fourth element in the list that is the climax of the saying. Fire is a metaphor for quarreling in Proverbs 26:20–21. As long as one adds fuel to a quarrel, it will continue to rage. A long-running feud can even extend from one generation to the next. The only way to quench it is to deprive it of all fuel.