Bible Strands
Proverbs 25:24
Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The compiler of Proverbs 25 addresses readers seeking practical wisdom, placing this comparison immediately after a warning about backbiting and before a promise of refreshing news.
The words — The phrase פִּנַּת גָּ֑ג (pi.nat gag) literally means "corner of a roof," contrasting with מִ֝דְיָנִ֗ים (mi.do.nim), meaning "contentions."
The thread — This household warning recurs in Proverbs 21:9, 21:19, and 27:15, each pairing a desolate dwelling with a contentious spouse.
Why it lands — The text demands a practical cost-benefit analysis, instructing the reader to choose physical discomfort over the psychological toll of constant 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 corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 21:19 Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.
- Proverbs 21:9 Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
- Proverbs 27:15 A constant dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike—
- Proverbs 19:13 A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.