Proverbs 21:19

Proverbs 21:19 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.
• New International Version (NIV)Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.
• English Standard Version (ESV)It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and angry woman.

Context of Proverbs 21:19

17He who loves [only selfish] pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves and is devoted to wine and [olive] oil will not become rich. 18The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, And the treacherous in the place of the upright [for they fall into their own traps]. It is better to dwell in a desert land Than with a contentious and troublesome woman. 20There is precious treasure and oil in the house of the wise [who prepare for the future], But a short-sighted and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it. 21He who earnestly seeks righteousness and loyalty Finds life, righteousness, and honor.

Proverbs 21:19 word by word

ט֗וֹב שֶׁ֥בֶת בְּאֶֽרֶץ־מִדְבָּ֑ר מֵאֵ֖שֶׁת מִדְיָנִ֣ים וָכָֽעַס׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• betterטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• to dwellיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• in the wildernessמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
• in the wildernessאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• than with a contentiousמָדוֹןmâdôn · strifeH4066
• than with a contentiousמִדְיָןmidyân · contentionH4079
• and an angryכַּ֫עַסka‛as ka‛aώ · vexationH3708
• womanאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802

Cross-references for Proverbs 21:19

• Proverbs 21:9It is better to live in a corner of the housetop [on the flat roof, exposed to the weather] Than in a house shared with a quarrelsome (contentious) woman.
• Psalms 55:6And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.
• Psalms 120:5Woe to me, for I sojourn in Meshech, and I live among the tents of Kedar [among hostile people]!
• Jeremiah 9:2Oh that I had in the wilderness A lodging place (a mere shelter) for wayfaring men, That I might leave my people And go away from them! For they are all adulterers [worshiping idols instead of the Lord], [They are] an assembly of treacherous men [of weak character, men without integrity].

Commentaries on Proverbs 21:19

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19Verse 19 Unbridled passions spoil the comfort of all relations.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19Better to live in the desert: Compare Proverbs 21:9; 25:24.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. (Compare Pr 21:9). wilderness--pasture, though uninhabitable ground (Psa 65:12).Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 21:19

• Family
• Marriage
• Strife
• Wife
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Mind
• Ponder
• Toss
• Fret, Fretting
• Proverb
• Proverbs, the Book of

Commentaries on Proverbs 21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings