It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
Parallel translations
- WEB It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than to share a house with a contentious woman.
- KJV It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.
- BSB Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
- NASB It is better to live on a corner of the 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 cramped on a rooftop corner than share a house with a quarrelsome spouse. Peace is worth more than comfort.
Overview
Repeating Proverbs 21:9, this vivid saying prizes peace over spacious living when home is filled with strife. It underscores how destructive constant contention is to domestic life. The verse commends pursuing harmony and gentleness within the household above mere ease.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 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 27:15–16A continual dropping on a rainy day and a contentious wife are alike:
- Prov 19:13A foolish son is the calamity of his father. A wife’s quarrels are a continual dripping.
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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 25:24 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
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