Bible Strands
Proverbs 30:23
an unloved woman who marries, and a maidservant who supplants her mistress.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Agur writes these lines as part of a collection of sayings cataloging unexpected social reversals. He addresses the passage to readers observing how sudden changes in household or societal position reveal underlying character.
The words — The Hebrew תִירַ֥שׁ (ti.Rash) literally means "she will dispossess" or "supplant," describing a maidservant who takes the place of her mistress. This verb anchors the verse's warning about status inversion when an unloved woman marries.
The thread — This pattern of social upheaval and the perils of contentious domestic life runs through Proverbs 21:9, Proverbs 21:19, and Proverbs 27:15. These passages collectively frame sudden elevation or marital discord as indicators of instability rather than blessing.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to evaluate character and household order before accepting sudden changes in status as favorable. It demands a sober assessment of whether new positions expose hidden flaws or genuine wisdom.
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
For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 21:19 Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.
- Proverbs 27:15 A constant dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike—
- Proverbs 21:9 Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
- Proverbs 29:21 A servant pampered from his youth will bring grief in the end.
- Proverbs 19:13 A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.