A worthy woman is the crown of her husband, but a disgraceful wife is as rottenness in his bones.
Parallel translations
- KJV A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.
- BSB A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay 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 31:10–25Who can find a worthy woman? For her price is far above rubies.
- Prov 14:30The life of the body is a heart at peace, but envy rots the bones.
- Prov 14:1Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
- 1 Cor 11:11Nevertheless, neither is the woman independent of the man, nor the man independent of the woman, in the Lord.
- Prov 21:19It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman.
- Prov 21:9It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than to share a house with a contentious woman.
- Prov 19:13–14A foolish son is the calamity of his father. A wife’s quarrels are a continual dripping.
- Prov 27:15–16A continual dropping on a rainy day and a contentious wife are alike:
- 1 Cor 11:7For a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man.
- Hab 3:16I heard, and my body trembled. My lips quivered at the voice. Rottenness enters into my bones, and I tremble in my place, because I must wait quietly for the day of trouble, for the coming up of 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.