Posted by Jeff Short on March 31, 2022 · Leave a Comment
The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.
– Proverbs 30:16
Verse 16 lists the four mentioned in the previous verse that are never satisfied. The common link is insatiability, or persistent hunger that is never satisfied. The
grave refers to the place of the dead, which never turns a corpse away because it is full (Proverbs 27:20; Isaiah 5:14; Habakkuk 2:5). The
barren womb cannot be satisfied apart from bearing children, which it cannot do (Genesis 30:1). In a dry land, the rain is never enough, and
fire will burn as long as it has any fuel at all.
The saying forms a warning against uncontrolled appetites, echoing the many wisdom warnings in the book (Proverbs 11:28; 15:27; 20:21; 28:22, 25). The connection with verse 15 and the previous generation sayings also gives the warning to reject the greed of the previous generation. This sort of warning is echoed in the prophets in their warnings to Israel and Judah (Ezekiel 16:44-45).
Posted by Jeff Short on March 30, 2022 · Leave a Comment
The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:
– Proverbs 30:15
Verses 15-16 return to the numerical sayings of this collection, with five of the six sayings contained in verses 15-31. These sayings present mostly in the form of three, then three plus one, or four. This numerical device is a compositional structure that gives a representative rather than exhaustive list. The listed items may seem to be unrelated, but they share some important connection.
The saying opens with a figure of the leech, or particularly the horseleach, that has two daughters. The precise meaning of this figure has been debated for centuries. Why two daughters? Does two indicate twins? Is Give, give the names of the daughters or what they say, since there is no word for crying in the underlying Hebrew Masoretic text? Sometimes, wisdom sayings work by ambiguities and trying to button up every detail could miss the point.
The second part of the saying makes the point of the figure clear. The point is to illustrate never being satisfied, never having enough. The leech is a parasite that consumes insatiably and does not produce. We also see a subtle connection to the generation sayings previous to this one, because the figure is not just a leech, but the daughters of a leech. The sayings prior to this have condemned pride and greed within generations, and here the warning goes both ways. We can be quick to point out the faults of the younger generations to us, but wisdom bids us remember that the older generations produced the younger, and so they are a reflection. To the younger generation, the warning is to be aware and careful not to repeat the follies of the older generations.
Posted by Jeff Short on February 25, 2020 · Leave a Comment
He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
– Proverbs 28:27
Generosity counters greed. The general tenor of wisdom sayings runs to the blessing of generosity so that the giver needn’t worry about want (Proverbs 11:24-26; 19:17; 22:9). The hiding of the eyes to the plight of the poor reveals selfish indifference of the covetous. Such greed earns curses, from the people (Proverbs 11:26; 24:24) and from the Lord (Proverbs 1:23-33; 3:33; 21:13; Deuteronomy 15:7-11).
Posted by Jeff Short on February 4, 2020 · Leave a Comment
He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.
– Proverbs 28:25
Verses 25-27 are sayings touching on issues of self-sufficiency, such as pride and greed. A
proud heart is here contrasted with
trust in the Lord. The word for
proud is more often translated large and broad. Being
made fat is typically a figure of prosperity, or abundance. Contrasting the two gives the first phrase the sense of a large heart, or large appetite, and so means greedy. The saying amounts to greed bringing contention and trust in the Lord bringing prosperity. This saying would add greed to list of what stirs up strife: lying (Proverbs 6:14, 19), hatred (Proverbs 10:12), quick anger (Proverbs 15:18; 29:22), and froward gossip (Proverbs 16:27-28).
Posted by Jeff Short on January 8, 2020 · Leave a Comment
He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.
– Proverbs 28:22
This saying continues the theme of greed from the previous one. The phrase
evil eye literally means bad of eye and is contrasted with the
bountiful eye, or good of eye in Proverbs 22:9. Here,
hasteth to be rich is a consequence of having an
evil eye. The evil eye is a recurring figure that refers to greed, covetousness, and stinginess. It is contrasted with kind generosity (Proverbs 22:9; 23:6).
The figure is first used in the books of the law in Deuteronomy 28:54-55. The wider context there are the curses upon Israel for covenant disobedience and the more immediate context is talking about famine conditions. The verses describe the severity of the judgments such that a tender man becomes hardened and stingy (evil eye) with his own wife and children in refusing to share food with them. Jesus also used this figure of greed and stinginess during his ministry (Matthew 6:23; 20:15; Mark 7:22; Luke 11:34).
Jesus spoke of the evil eye, which distorted a person’s ability to see reality clearly and the second phrase of the saying agrees with this. The stingy, greedy man is in a hurry to get rich and considereth not, or does not know, the consequences of poverty to come. On the one hand, wisdom has cried out in the streets a warning for the covetous in a hurry to be rich (Proverbs 10:22; 19:2; 20:21; 21:15). The evil eye is darkened and turned away from wisdom and so does not know or consider the end (Proverbs 7:23; 9:18).
Posted by Jeff Short on January 3, 2020 · Leave a Comment
A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.
– Proverbs 28:20
This saying continues the the theme of rewards for diligence and the condemnation of greed. The word for
faithful means steadfast, stable, reliable. Contextually, it refers to honest and diligent work. The rewards are multiplied
blessings. Read in the context of wisdom sayings and inferred from the meaning of
faithful, the rewards come over time so that patience in implicit in the first phrase as well.
The contrasting phrase contains an irony by speaking of the haste to be rich. The saying doesn’t contrast the diligent with the slothful, though many sayings do just that. The saying contrasts faithful work over time with a hurry to get rich. The former will be rewarded and the latter will be punished, for that is the indication of not be innocent. This saying accords with the general tenor of wisdom (Proverbs 13:11, 22-23; 20:21; 21:5, 25).
Posted by Jeff Short on January 24, 2019 · Leave a Comment
Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
– Proverbs 27:20
The words for
hell and
destruction are
sheol and
abaddon in the Hebrew, and occur in Proverbs 15:11 (
see comments for discussion of meaning). Here, they are
never full and that refers to the grave as insatiable. We might say something like the funeral home and cemetery are always in business. Proverbs 30:15-16 has the same sense where
sheol is translated
grave. The figure is: the grave is always hungry and ready to swallow up lives.
The parallel comparison is to the insatiable desires of men. Man’s insatiable desires also destroy lives and that is a subtext in the comparison.
Posted by Jeff Short on February 22, 2018 · Leave a Comment
He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.
– Proverbs 21:26
This proverb continues from the previous one and describes the
desire of the slothful. Greed marks the slothful and unrighteous. Greed contributes to their ruin (Proverbs 15:27; 28:22, 25). The antithesis in the second phrase shows generosity a mark of the
righteous. Generosity is set against greedy coveting by showing the righteous giving without restraining their giving (Proverbs 11:24-26; 14:21, 31; 19:17; 22:9; 28:27).
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Posted by Jeff Short on July 18, 2017 · Leave a Comment
He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.
– Proverbs 15:27
The word for
greedy means covetous, but also violence. The
greedy want gain at all costs, even to death (Proverbs 1:19). They are in a hurry to get rich (Proverbs 28:22). Greed is a driving force rather than wisdom and brings trouble, or disturbance, to
his own house (Proverbs 11:29). The contrasting phrase juxtaposes life, so we infer pursuing greed leads to death (Proverbs 11:19). The way of wisdom and way of life is to hate
gifts (Proverbs 8:13). The word for
gifts means a present. The word sometimes means a bribe and Proverbs warns against bribes to pervert justice (Proverbs 28:16; 29:4).
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Proverbs 30:16
Posted by Jeff Short on March 31, 2022 · Leave a Comment
The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.
Verse 16 lists the four mentioned in the previous verse that are never satisfied. The common link is insatiability, or persistent hunger that is never satisfied. The grave refers to the place of the dead, which never turns a corpse away because it is full (Proverbs 27:20; Isaiah 5:14; Habakkuk 2:5). The barren womb cannot be satisfied apart from bearing children, which it cannot do (Genesis 30:1). In a dry land, the rain is never enough, and fire will burn as long as it has any fuel at all.– Proverbs 30:16
The saying forms a warning against uncontrolled appetites, echoing the many wisdom warnings in the book (Proverbs 11:28; 15:27; 20:21; 28:22, 25). The connection with verse 15 and the previous generation sayings also gives the warning to reject the greed of the previous generation. This sort of warning is echoed in the prophets in their warnings to Israel and Judah (Ezekiel 16:44-45).
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