Under an unloved woman when she gets a husband, And a female servant when she dispossesses her mistress.
Parallel translations
- WEB for an unloved woman when she is married; and a servant who is heir to her mistress.
- KJV For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
- BSB an unloved woman who marries, and a maidservant who supplants her mistress.
- NKJV A hateful woman when she is married, And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.
- NLT a bitter woman who finally gets a husband, a servant girl who supplants her mistress.
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 unloved woman who finally marries and a maidservant who supplants her mistress complete the list of disruptive reversals.
Overview
These cases picture sudden shifts in status that can breed resentment, pride, or domestic strife when handled without grace. The proverb observes how abrupt changes of fortune test character and can upset proper relationships. It commends humility and contentment in whatever station God assigns, virtues that the gospel deepens through a renewed heart.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Prov 21:19It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman.
- Prov 27:15A continual dropping on a rainy day and a contentious wife are alike:
- Prov 21:9It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than to share a house with a contentious woman.
- Prov 29:21He who pampers his servant from youth will have him become a son in the end.
- Prov 19:13A foolish son is the calamity of his father. A wife’s quarrels are a continual dripping.
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 30:23 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.