Proverbs 30:15-16
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The verse doesn't just list insatiable things; it uses the image of a leech with two "daughters" to introduce a crescendo of desire, starting with two cravings, then expanding to three, and finally four. This subtle numerical progression mirrors how greed can escalate, pulling us deeper into a cycle of never having enough.
The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”: Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, “Enough.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The speaker, Agur, uses the image of a blood-sucking leech and its insatiable hunger to introduce a list of things that can never be satisfied. This sets the stage for a series of observations about extreme greed and craving that will follow, highlighting a persistent theme of discontent in the world.
What does a creature known for its relentless blood-sucking have to teach us about desire? This verse introduces an image that sets the stage for a profound exploration of human longing.
The verse opens with a vivid, if somewhat unsettling, image: 'The horseleech has two daughters: Give and Give.' While the exact nature of the 'horseleech' (alukah) is debated, its defining characteristic is clear – insatiable appetite. The commentators highlight that the Hebrew doesn't explicitly say the daughters are 'crying,' but their nature is to demand more. This isn't just about physical consumption; it's a powerful metaphor for any desire that can never be satisfied.
Think of it like this:
Why does the verse shift from 'two daughters' to 'three things' and then 'four things'? This isn't just a list; it's a deliberate build-up to emphasize the depth of human need.
The structure of Proverbs 30:15-16 is intentionally climactic. It starts with the image of the horseleech and its two 'daughters' of giving. Then, it escalates:
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This progression mirrors how desires can often spiral. One craving might lead to another, and then another, creating a cascade of unending wants that leave us perpetually unfulfilled.
Understand the original words
aluqah · Hebrew Noun
A blood-sucking aquatic worm; used metaphorically here to illustrate insatiable greed and the constant demand for more.
she’ol · Hebrew Noun
The place of the dead or the grave, often personified in the Old Testament as an insatiable force that consumes all humanity.
‘aqarah · Hebrew Adjective
In the context of the Ancient Near East, a state of childlessness that was viewed as a profound source of sorrow, social shame, and an unfulfilled desire for legacy.
saba’ · Hebrew Verb
A state of perpetual deficiency or longing; in this context, it represents forces of nature or death that are inherently relentless and incapable of being sated.
This passage uses a similar climactic structure, building from 'three transgressions' to 'four' to emphasize the escalating nature of sin and its consequences, mirroring Proverbs' progression from two to four insatiable things.
Proverbs 6:16This verse lists 'six things that the LORD hates; seven that are an abomination to him,' showcasing another instance in Proverbs where a list escalates numerically to highlight a concept, in this case, detestable actions.
Habakkuk 2:5This verse describes greed and insatiable desire using powerful imagery, stating that the greedy 'enlarge their appetite like the grave and are like death because they never get enough,' echoing the relentless craving described in Proverbs 30:15.
Luke 12:16-21Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool, whose excessive accumulation of wealth never satisfies him, illustrating the spiritual emptiness and ultimate folly of an insatiable pursuit of material possessions.
pooleProverbs 30:15: "The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:"
The horseleech, an insatiable creature, sucking blood till it be ready to burst, hath two daughters; which are either, 1. The two forks into which her tongue is divided, and wherewith she sucks: but those who have more accurately observed and described the frame of that creature tell us that they have no tongue, and that they suck eith…
ellicottProverbs 30:15: "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 horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give.— The word “crying” is not in the Hebrew. The leech is here chosen as the emblem of insatiable greed; if it could speak, its “daughters,” i.e., the words it would utter, would be “Give, give.” So it forms an introduction to the quartette of “insatiable things” which follow.
The verse doesn't just list insatiable things; it uses the image of a leech with two "daughters" to introduce a crescendo of desire, starting with two cravings, then expanding to three, and finally four. This subtle numerical progression mirrors how greed can escalate, pulling us deeper into a cycle of never having enough.
The speaker, Agur, uses the image of a blood-sucking leech and its insatiable hunger to introduce a list of things that can never be satisfied. This sets the stage for a series of observations about extreme greed and craving that will follow, highlighting a persistent theme of discontent in the world.
The speaker, Agur, uses the image of a blood-sucking leech and its insatiable hunger to introduce a list of things that can never be satisfied. This sets the stage for a series of observations about extreme greed and craving that will follow, highlighting a persistent theme of discontent in the world.
"The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”: Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, “Enough.”" — The verse doesn't just list insatiable things; it uses the image of a leech with two "daughters" to introduce a crescendo of desire, starting with two cravings, then expanding to three, and finally f…
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Last reviewed October 2026
