Proverbs 27:15, 16 commentary; the terrible wife

15 ¶ A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. 16 Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself.

Proverbs 19:13 A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.

Contentious people are angry and start trouble.

Proverbs 21:19 It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.

Proverbs 26:21 As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.

They are argumentative as Paul uses the word here in his final word on whether women should have long hair or not. He gives a long set of reasons why the Corinthian conviction that women should have long hair is a good one and then ends up with this to overthrow any divisiveness, which is, of course, left out of most preaching by people who insist women must have long hair to be Godly women.

1Corinthians 11:16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

Living with an angry, drama loving, argumentative woman is a very unhappy circumstance to find oneself in. You can try to hide her but you might as well try to hide the wind. As Dr. Ruckman says in his commentary, “every time she opened her mouth, the morning shift at the plant knocked off for lunch.” Hiding her would be like trying to hide the Icy Hot muscle pain cream you’ve got on your hand when the smell of it gives you away.

The Proverbs also tell us twice;

Proverbs 21:9 & 25:24 It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.

Let this be a lesson to young, Christian men. Choosing a wife is perhaps the most important decision you’ll make in your life next to trusting in Christ. Traits that are cute or humorous when you’re learning about each other become monstrous problems once you’re married. Ruckman also quotes an old saw, “a sweetheart is like a bottle of wine, while a wife is like a wine bottle.” And, of course, many an unsaved boy who chose a woman for how much of a “hottie” she was lived to regret it for the rest of their lives.

Stay away from women, and the same applies to young girls choosing a husband to stay away from men, who are angry, love drama, and are argumentative. They will be like a steady drip, drip, drip on your head for the rest of your life.

And women and men who insist on contradicting every word that comes out of their husband or wife’s mouth in a little power game of oneupsmanship are fools. I’ve known guys who, no matter what their spouse had accomplished or done, simply had to point out that it was nothing like what they had accomplished or done. They are fools and men of little consequence, usually, just little boys insecure in their manhood. I’ve known women that would never let a moment go by in which they didn’t take the opportunity to belittle or demean their husbands. These women, too, are fools and people who “ain’t ‘bout nothin’” as we said down South.

Are you a contentious spouse sarcastically putting down everything your husband or wife says? You need to ask for Christ’s forgiveness. You’re just wicked.