It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than to share a house with a contentious woman.
Parallel translations
- KJV It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.
- BSB Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
- NKJV Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
- NASB It is better to live on a corner of a roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
- NLT It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.
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
Better to live in a cramped rooftop corner than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. It matters as a vivid warning about the misery of constant strife at home.
Overview
Repeated in Proverbs 25:24, this proverb dramatizes how domestic contention can make even comfort unbearable, prizing peace over space. It speaks to both spouses about the value of a peaceable home (Proverbs 17:1). Peace and harmony are gifts to be cultivated under God in family life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Prov 21:19It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman.
- Prov 19:13A 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:
- Prov 25:24It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than to share a house with a contentious woman.
- Prov 12:4A worthy woman is the crown of her husband, but a disgraceful wife is as rottenness in his bones.
- Prov 17:1Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.
- Prov 15:17Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, than a fattened calf with hatred.
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 21:9 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.