Proverbs 30:16

Modern

Sheol, the barren womb, land never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’

Traditional

The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.

Literal

Sheol, and the barren womb, earth not satisfied with water, and the fire never having said, ‘Enough!’

Latin

Infernus, et os vulvæ, et terra quæ non satiatur aqua: ignis vero numquam dicit: Sufficit.

Hebrew

English

Sheol, the barren womb, land never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’

The number parallelism (three...four) is a method to list poetic examples. This list shows powers that are never satisfied and often dangerous. See also Proverbs 30:18–19, 21–23, 29–31.
The grave, representing death, never seems to have enough—people keep dying (Proverbs 27:20).
barren womb: Women unable to have children often long for them, like Sarah before Isaac, Rebekah before Esau and Jacob, and Hannah before Samuel.
The thirsty desert and a fire consume everything in their path.

Theme notes and profiles

Proverbs 27:20
Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Habakkuk 2:5
…and wealth indeed betrays him. He is an arrogant man never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself and collects all the peoples as his own.
Genesis 30:1
When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.