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Monday, September 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Read the Bible

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

Proverbs 21:19

Better to dwell in a desert land, than with a woman, quarrelsome and provoking.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Family;   Marriage;   Strife;   Wife;   Women;   Thompson Chain Reference - Family;   Home;   Strife;   Trouble;   Unity-Strife;   The Topic Concordance - Contention;   Women;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Anger;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Marriage;   Proverbs, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Wilderness;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fret, Fretting;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Better to live in a wildernessthan with a nagging and hot-tempered wife.
Hebrew Names Version
It is better to dwell in a desert land, Than with a contentious and fretful woman.
King James Version
It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.
English Standard Version
It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
New American Standard Bible
It is better to live in a desert land Than with a contentious and irritating woman.
New Century Version
It is better to live alone in the desert than with a quarreling and complaining wife.
Amplified Bible
It is better to dwell in a desert land Than with a contentious and troublesome woman.
World English Bible
It is better to dwell in a desert land, Than with a contentious and fretful woman.
Geneva Bible (1587)
It is better to dwell in the wildernesse, then with a contentious and angry woman.
Legacy Standard Bible
It is better to live in a desert landThan with a contentious and vexing woman.
Berean Standard Bible
Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.
Contemporary English Version
It's better out in the desert than at home with a nagging, complaining wife.
Complete Jewish Bible
It is better to live in the desert than with a nagging, irritable wife.
Darby Translation
It is better to dwell in a desert land. than with a contentious and irritable woman.
Easy-to-Read Version
It is better to live alone in the desert than with a quick-tempered wife who loves to argue.
George Lamsa Translation
It is better to dwell in the wilderness than with a quarrelsome and an angry wife.
Good News Translation
Better to live out in the desert than with a nagging, complaining wife.
Lexham English Bible
Better to live in a land of wilderness than with a wife of quarrels and provocation.
Literal Translation
It is better to live in a land of the wilderness than with a woman of strivings and anger.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
It is better to dwell in a wyldernesse, the with a chydinge and an angrie woman.
American Standard Version
It is better to dwell in a desert land, Than with a contentious and fretful woman.
Bible in Basic English
It is better to be living in a waste land, than with a bitter-tongued and angry woman.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman.
King James Version (1611)
It is better to dwell in the wildernesse, then with a contentious and an angry woman.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
It is better to dwell in the wyldernesse, then with a chydyng and an angrye woman.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
It is better to dwell in a wilderness than with a quarrelsome and talkative and passionate woman.
English Revised Version
It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
It is betere to dwelle in a desert lond, than with a womman ful of chidyng, and wrathful.
Update Bible Version
It is better to dwell in a desert land, Than with a contentious and fretful woman.
Webster's Bible Translation
[It is] better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.
New English Translation
It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and easily-provoked woman.
New King James Version
Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and angry woman.
New Living Translation
It's better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.
New Life Bible
It is better to live in a desert land than with a woman who argues and causes trouble.
New Revised Standard
It is better to live in a desert land than with a contentious and fretful wife.
Douay-Rheims Bible
It is better to dwell in a wilderness, than with a quarrelsome and passionate woman.
Revised Standard Version
It is better to live in a desert land than with a contentious and fretful woman.
Young's Literal Translation
Better to dwell in a wilderness land, Than [with] a woman of contentions and anger.
THE MESSAGE
Better to live in a tent in the wild than with a cross and petulant spouse.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
It is better to live in a desert land Than with a contentious and vexing woman.

Contextual Overview

19 Better to dwell in a desert land, than with a woman, quarrelsome and provoking.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

better: Proverbs 21:9, Psalms 55:6, Psalms 55:7, Psalms 120:5, Psalms 120:6, Jeremiah 9:2

wilderness: Heb. land of the desert

Reciprocal: Proverbs 9:13 - General Proverbs 12:4 - she Proverbs 14:1 - the foolish Proverbs 15:17 - General Proverbs 17:1 - with Proverbs 19:13 - the contentions Proverbs 25:24 - General Proverbs 27:15 - A continual Proverbs 30:23 - an odious Matthew 19:10 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 21:5
Now Abraham was a hundred years old, - when Isaac his son was born to him.
Genesis 21:6
And Sarah said, A laughing, hath God made for me, - Everyone that heareth will laugh with me.
Genesis 21:16
and went and sat her down over against him at a distance like as of such as draw the bow, for she said Let me not look upon the death of the child, - So she sat down over against him, and the boy lifted up his voice, and wept
Genesis 21:17
And God heard the voice of the boy, and a messenger of God called unto Hagar out of the heavens; and said to her, What aileth thee, Hagar? Do not fear, for God hath hearkened unto the voice of the boy where he is.
Genesis 21:20
And it came to pass that God was with the boy, and he grew, - and dwelt in the desert, and he became as he grew up, an archer,
Genesis 21:31
On this account, was the name of that place called Beer-sheba, - because there, had they two sworn.
Numbers 22:31
Then did Yahweh unveil the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the messenger of Yahweh stationed in the road, with his sword drawn in his hand, - so he bent his head and bowed down before him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

[It is] better to dwell in the wilderness,.... Where persons live without shelter, and are not only exposed to storms and tempests, but to beasts of prey; where is want of the necessaries of life, and no society; where no "speech" is, as the word e for wilderness may signify; yet it is better to dwell in such a place, where no human voice is heard,

than with a contentious and an angry woman; that is always brawling and scolding, ever in a quarrelsome and angry disposition, and provoking to anger all about her; :-. In a mystical sense, it is better to be with the church in the wilderness, Revelation 12:14; than with the furious, bloodthirsty, and persecuting church of Rome, in all its worldly glory and splendour.

e מדבר "a" דבר "loqui".


 
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