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Proverbs 30:15
New Catholic Bible
Proverbs 30:15
New Catholic Bible
VIII: Numerical Proverbs[a]
Insatiable Things[b]
15 The leech has two daughters,
each of whom demands, “Give! Give!”
There are three things that are never satisfied,
four that never say “Enough!”:
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:15 These are termed “numerical proverbs” because they use numbers: There are three things . . . four . . .; these figures stand for a quantity that cannot be exactly counted. They propose a truth in a witty way that constitutes their charm (see also note on Prov 6:16-19). Some proverbs of another kind (vv. 17-20, 32-33) have slipped in like intruders in this short collection.
- Proverbs 30:15 Here we see presented the leech, model of the parasite. Then the proverb evokes the power of a desire that is never fulfilled. The netherworld is the abyss of death that ceaselessly swallows up human generations.
