Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife. New Living Translation It’s better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife. English Standard Version It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman. Berean Standard Bible Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife. King James Bible It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman. New King James Version Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and angry woman. New American Standard Bible It is better to live in a desert land Than with a contentious and irritating woman. NASB 1995 It is better to live in a desert land Than with a contentious and vexing woman. NASB 1977 It is better to live in a desert land, Than with a contentious and vexing woman. Legacy Standard Bible It is better to live in a desert land Than with a contentious and vexing woman. Amplified Bible It is better to dwell in a desert land Than with a contentious and troublesome woman. Christian Standard Bible Better to live in a wilderness than with a nagging and hot-tempered wife. Holman Christian Standard Bible Better to live in a wilderness than with a nagging and hot-tempered wife. American Standard Version It is better to dwell in a desert land, Than with a contentious and fretful woman. Contemporary English Version It's better out in the desert than at home with a nagging, complaining wife. English Revised Version It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman. GOD'S WORD® Translation Better to live in a desert than with a quarreling and angry woman. Good News Translation Better to live out in the desert than with a nagging, complaining wife. International Standard Version It's better to live in the wilderness than to live with a contentious and irritable woman. Majority Standard Bible Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife. NET Bible It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and easily-provoked woman. New Heart English Bible It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman. Webster's Bible Translation It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman. World English Bible It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionBetter to dwell in a wilderness land, "" Than [with] a woman of contentions and anger. Young's Literal Translation Better to dwell in a wilderness land, Than with a woman of contentions and anger. Smith's Literal Translation Good to dwell in the land of the desert rather than with a woman of contentions and anger. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleIt is better to dwell in a wilderness, than with a quarrelsome and passionate woman. Catholic Public Domain Version It is better to live in a deserted land, than with a quarrelsome and emotional woman. New American Bible It is better to dwell in a wilderness than with a quarrelsome wife and trouble. New Revised Standard Version It is better to live in a desert land than with a contentious and fretful wife. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleIt is better to dwell in the wilderness than with a quarrelsome and an angry wife. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Better to stay in the land of the wilderness than to dwell with a contentious and angry woman. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917It is better to dwell in a desert land, Than with a contentious and fretful woman. Brenton Septuagint Translation It is better to dwell in a wilderness than with a quarrelsome and talkative and passionate woman. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The King's Heart…18The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the faithless for the upright. 19Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife. 20Precious treasures and oil are in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man consumes them.… Cross References Proverbs 19:13 A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping. Proverbs 27:15 A constant dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike— Ecclesiastes 7:26 And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared. Proverbs 25:24 Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife. Proverbs 12:4 A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones. 1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. / For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. / Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. 1 Corinthians 7:10-11 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. / But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. 1 Timothy 2:11-12 A woman must learn in quietness and full submissiveness. / I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; she is to remain quiet. Genesis 2:18 The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.” Genesis 3:16 To the woman He said: “I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” 1 Samuel 25:24-25 She fell at his feet and said, “My lord, may the blame be on me alone, but please let your servant speak to you; hear the words of your servant. / My lord should pay no attention to this scoundrel Nabal, for he lives up to his name: His name means Fool, and folly accompanies him. I, your servant, did not see my lord’s young men whom you sent. 1 Kings 21:25 (Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel. Matthew 5:31-32 It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ / But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, brings adultery upon her. And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Treasury of Scripture It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman. better Proverbs 21:9 It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house. Psalm 55:6,7 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest… Psalm 120:5,6 Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! … wilderness or the land of the desert Jump to Previous Anger Angry Better Bitter-Tongued Contentions Contentious Desert Dwell Ill-Tempered Irritable Live Quarrelsome Vexing Waste Wife WildernessJump to Next Anger Angry Better Bitter-Tongued Contentions Contentious Desert Dwell Ill-Tempered Irritable Live Quarrelsome Vexing Waste Wife WildernessProverbs 21 1. The king's heart in the hand of the LordBetter to live in the desert This phrase emphasizes the extreme conditions of the desert, which in biblical times was a place of isolation, scarcity, and danger. The desert, or wilderness, is often depicted in Scripture as a place of testing and purification, as seen in the Israelites' 40 years of wandering (Exodus 16:1-35) and Jesus' temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). The comparison here underscores the severity of the situation being described. The desert represents a place of solitude and hardship, yet it is portrayed as preferable to the alternative, highlighting the value of peace over comfort. than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife Persons / Places / Events 1. The DesertIn biblical times, the desert was often seen as a place of solitude, desolation, and hardship. It represents a stark contrast to the comfort of a home, emphasizing the severity of the situation described in the proverb. 2. Contentious Wife The term "contentious" refers to someone who is quarrelsome or argumentative. In the context of this proverb, it highlights the disruptive nature of constant conflict within a household. 3. Ill-tempered Wife This describes someone who is easily angered or irritable. The proverb uses this characterization to underscore the emotional turmoil that can arise from living with such a person. Teaching Points The Value of PeaceThe proverb emphasizes the importance of peace in the home. It suggests that peace is so valuable that it is better to endure physical discomfort than to live in constant conflict. The Impact of Behavior Our behavior, especially within the family, has a profound impact on those around us. The proverb serves as a warning against allowing contentiousness and ill-temper to dominate our interactions. The Call to Self-Examination This verse encourages self-reflection on how our actions and attitudes affect our relationships. It challenges us to cultivate a spirit of gentleness and patience. The Pursuit of Godly Character The Bible calls us to develop a character that reflects Christ, marked by love, patience, and kindness, as opposed to contentiousness and anger.Verse 19. - A variant of ver. 9. Here, instead of the "corner of the roof," we have a wilderness, a desert land, as the refuge to which the persecuted man must flee. Than with a contentious and an angry (fretful) woman. So the Vulgate. But it seems better, with many modern commentators, to take וָכָעַם, not as another epithet, but as equivalent to "and vexation," i.e. a quarrelsome wife, and the vexation that accompanies such an infliction. The LXX. adds a word to the text, as being at the root of the matter, "Than with a quarrelsome, talkative, and passionate woman." Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Betterט֗וֹב (ṭō·wḇ) Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good to live שֶׁ֥בֶת (še·ḇeṯ) Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry in the desert בְּאֶֽרֶץ־ (bə·’e·reṣ-) Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 776: Earth, land than with a contentious מִדְיָנִ֣ים (miḏ·yā·nîm) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 4066: A contest, quarrel and ill-tempered וָכָֽעַס׃ (wā·ḵā·‘as) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3708: Vexation, anger wife. מֵאֵ֖שֶׁת (mê·’ê·šeṯ) Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female Links Proverbs 21:19 NIVProverbs 21:19 NLT Proverbs 21:19 ESV Proverbs 21:19 NASB Proverbs 21:19 KJV Proverbs 21:19 BibleApps.com Proverbs 21:19 Biblia Paralela Proverbs 21:19 Chinese Bible Proverbs 21:19 French Bible Proverbs 21:19 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Proverbs 21:19 It is better to dwell (Prov. Pro Pr) |
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