Bible Strands
Proverbs 21:19
Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The wise teacher addresses readers within a collection of practical instructions, positioning this proverb between a statement on wicked substitution and a warning about foolish consumption.
The words — מִדְבָּ֑ר (mid.Bar) denotes a barren wilderness, while מִדְיָנִ֣ים (me.do.nim) refers to ongoing contentions or strife.
The thread — The preference for fleeing conflict runs through Proverbs 21:9 and Psalms 55:6, and aligns with Psalms 120:5, which laments dwelling in hostile territory rather than prescribing withdrawal as a solution.
Why it lands — It demands a pragmatic choice to accept harsh isolation rather than endure unrelenting domestic strife.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 21:9 Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
- Psalms 55:6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and find rest.
- Psalms 120:5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!
- Jeremiah 9:2 If only I had a traveler’s lodge in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a crowd of faithless people.