Repetition

(Pro 25:24 NAS77) It is better to live in a corner of the roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

I don’t know when I first noticed that this thought was expressed several times in Proverbs.  Once I saw it, I kept seeing it.  I am using the NASB here because the Greek link is more clear.  In my software the “brawling woman” of the KJV is a combination of three words.  Be that as it may, the thing that hit me today was how certain themes get repeated in Proverbs.  I find myself wondering why once is not enough.

Probably for the same reasons that kids need to be continually reminded to pick up their sox.  We are slow and reluctant learners.  The idea expressed here in “contentious” (4066) tends to be more common than it appears if that is the word that stands out.  It is used 20 times in the Old Testament and 17 of them are in Proverbs.  I would say it is a topic that needs to be repeated.

So?  Pay attention and keep in mind that a verse like this is not here just to advise you on marriage but to help you to avoid being the contentious one.