New Living Translation
Proverbs 14:1
1A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.
Proverbs 14:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
- New International Version (NIV)The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.
Context of Proverbs 14:1
A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. 2Those who follow the right path fear the Lord; those who take the wrong path despise him. 3A fool’s proud talk becomes a rod that beats him, but the words of the wise keep them safe.
Read all of Proverbs 14Proverbs 14:1 word by word
חַכְמ֣וֹת נָ֭שִׁים בָּנְתָ֣ה בֵיתָ֑הּ וְ֝אִוֶּ֗לֶת בְּיָדֶ֥יהָ תֶהֶרְסֶֽנּוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 14:1
- Proverbs 9:13The woman named Folly is brash. She is ignorant and doesn’t know it.
- Proverbs 19:13A foolish child is a calamity to a father; a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.
- Proverbs 21:9It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.
- 1 Kings 16:31And as though it were not enough to follow the sinful example of Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal.
- 1 Kings 21:24“The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”
- 2 Kings 11:1When Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah of Judah, learned that her son was dead, she began to destroy the rest of the royal family.
Commentaries on Proverbs 14:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Every wise woman buildeth her house - By her prudent and industrious management she increases property in the family, furniture in the house, and food and raiment for her household. This is the true building of a house. The thriftless wife acts differently, and the opposite is the result. Household furniture, far from being increased, is dilapidated; and her household are ill-fed, ill-clothed, and worse educated.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Every wise woman - literally, Wise women. The fullest recognition that has as yet met us of the importance of woman, for good or evil, in all human society.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Verse 1 A woman who has no fear of God, who is wilful and wasteful, and indulges her ease, will as certainly ruin her family, as if she plucked her house down.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Building or tearing down a home is a metaphor for making a family stronger or weaker.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-35Pr 14:1-35. 1. Every wise, &c.--literally, "The wisdoms" (compare Pr 9:1) "of women," plural, a distributive form of speech. buildeth ... house--increases wealth, which the foolish, by mismanagement, lessen.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 14:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 14
- 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
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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