Bible Dictionary
Horse-leech
The horse-leech is a blood-sucking leech found in the waters of the region. Proverbs uses it as an image of persistent, insatiable desire.
Definition
The horse-leech is a blood-sucking aquatic annelid. The term is used generically for leeches, including species found in marshes and pools. The kind described has a coarse bite and was not used for medical purposes.
Biblical Usage
The horse-leech occurs in Proverbs as an image of persistent, insatiable appetite. Its repeated cry illustrates desire that is not satisfied.
Historical Background
Leeches were common in the waters of Palestine and Syria. The horse-leech was especially dreaded because it could fasten onto the tongue and nostrils of horses when they drank.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Occurs only in Prov. 30:15 (Heb. ‘alukah); the generic name for any blood-sucking annelid. There are various species in the marshes and pools of Palestine. That here referred to, the Hoemopis, is remarkable for the coarseness of its bite, and is therefore not used for medical purposes. They are spoken of in the East with feelings of aversion and horror, because of their propensity to fasten on the tongue and nostrils of horses when they come to drink out of the pools. The medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis), besides other species of leeches, are common in the waters of Syria.