“Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.”
A number of commentaries soften this verse a bit by telling us, “to think of the flat roof of an Eastern house, which was used as an apartment for many purposes: e,g. for sleeping and conference (1 Samuel 9:25, 26), for exercise (2 Samuel 11:2), for domestic matters (Joshua 2:6), for retirement and prayer (Psalm 102:7; Acts 10:9). This, though exposed to the inclemency of the weather, would be not an uncomfortable situation during a great part of the year.” However, they all go on to make it clear that it is not preferable to being inside away from possible inclement weather. Others go on to let us know that any quarrelsome or unrighteousness person is hard to live with. It would be much better to find a place to avoid interaction with these kinds of folks. I don’t want to avoid the clear message that a difficult spouse is best to keep some distance from but this is not a verse about avoiding the hard work of marriage. Hybols called it the “tunnel of Chaos”. That’s where you discuss those issues that are causing tension in your marriage and work through them. This verse, more specifically, is dealing with a wicked spouse or person. Today be sure you are not that person in another’s life. #BeTheEdge
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”Romans 12:18 NIV
