Proverbs 19:14 - Meaning and Application

A discreet and virtuous wife is a special gift from God’s providence to a man. This is a wife who is wise and thoughtful, unlike the quarrelsome wife mentioned in Proverbs 19:13. A woman may think constant fault-finding shows her sharp mind, but it is really foolishness. A prudent wife is gentle and calm, and she makes the best of things.

If a man has such a wife, he should not credit his own skill or good judgment for it. Even the wisest people have been deceived in this matter, and sometimes because of a woman. Instead, he should thank God, who made her a suitable helper for him and may have brought them together through what seemed like ordinary events. All created things are what God makes them to be, and happy marriages are made in heaven, as Abraham’s servant believed when he prayed for Isaac’s wife (Genesis 24:12).

A good wife is a more valuable gift than a house and riches. She adds more to a man’s comfort, honor, and family well-being, and she shows a greater sign of God’s favor. God’s providence is especially at work in such a gift. A large estate may come to a man as a family inheritance, through the normal course of life, but no one gets a good wife by birthright or legal inheritance. Worldly parents often think only of matching their children with wealth and property, but if they also secure a prudent wife, they should give God the glory.