A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones.
Parallel translations
- WEB A worthy woman is the crown of her husband, but a disgraceful wife is as rottenness in his bones.
- KJV A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.
- NKJV An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.
- NASB An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.
- NLT A worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
An excellent wife is her husband's crown, but a shameful one is like decay in his bones. A spouse's character deeply affects the whole household.
Overview
The proverb honors the worthy wife as a source of dignity and joy, while a disgraceful one brings inner, wasting grief. It highlights how marriage profoundly shapes well-being for good or ill. Scripture's vision of godly marriage ultimately points to the union of Christ and His church, marked by faithfulness and honor.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Prov 31:10–25A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies.
- Prov 14:30A tranquil heart is life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
- Prov 14:1Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
- 1 Cor 11:11In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
- Prov 21:19Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.
- Prov 21:9Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
- Prov 19:13–14A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.
- Prov 27:15–16A constant dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike—
- 1 Cor 11:7A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
- Hab 3:16I heard and trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Decay entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Yet I must wait patiently for the day of distress to come upon the people who invade us.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 12:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.