Proverbs 17:1
New International Version
Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

New Living Translation
Better a dry crust eaten in peace than a house filled with feasting—and conflict.

English Standard Version
Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.

Berean Standard Bible
Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.

King James Bible
Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.

New King James Version
Better is a dry morsel with quietness, Than a house full of feasting with strife.

New American Standard Bible
Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it Than a house full of feasting with strife.

NASB 1995
Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it Than a house full of feasting with strife.

NASB 1977
Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it Than a house full of feasting with strife.

Legacy Standard Bible
Better is a dry morsel and tranquility with it Than a house full of feasting with strife.

Amplified Bible
Better is a dry morsel [of food served] with quietness and peace Than a house full of feasting [served] with strife and contention.

Christian Standard Bible
Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting with strife.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting with strife.

American Standard Version
Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, Than a house full of feasting with strife.

Contemporary English Version
A dry crust of bread eaten in peace and quiet is better than a feast eaten where everyone argues.

English Revised Version
Better is a dry morsel and quietness therewith, than an house full of feasting with strife.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Better a bite of dry bread [eaten] in peace than a family feast filled with strife.

Good News Translation
Better to eat a dry crust of bread with peace of mind than have a banquet in a house full of trouble.

International Standard Version
Dry crumbs in peace are better than a full meal with strife.

Majority Standard Bible
Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.

NET Bible
Better is a dry crust of bread where there is quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.

New Heart English Bible
Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.

Webster's Bible Translation
Better is a dry morsel, and quietness with it, than a house full of sacrifices with strife.

World English Bible
Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Better [is] a dry morsel, and rest with it, "" Than a house full of the sacrifices of strife.

Young's Literal Translation
Better is a dry morsel, and rest with it, Than a house full of the sacrifices of strife.

Smith's Literal Translation
Good a dry morsel and peace with it, above a house full of sacrifices of contention.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Better is a dry morsel with joy, than a house full of victims with strife.

Catholic Public Domain Version
A dry morsel with gladness is better than a house full of sacrifices along with conflict.

New American Bible
Better a dry crust with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.

New Revised Standard Version
Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
BETTER is dry bread, and quietness with it, than a house full of feasting with strife.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Dry bread in quietness is better than a house full of the sacrifices of judgment.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Better is a dry morsel and quietness therewith, Than a house full of feasting with strife.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Better is a morsel with pleasure in peace, than a house full of many good things and unjust sacrifices, with strife.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Better a Dry Morsel in Quietness
1Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife. 2A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers.…

Cross References
Ecclesiastes 4:6
Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.

Psalm 37:16
Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many who are wicked.

Proverbs 15:16-17
Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure with turmoil. / Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred.

1 Timothy 6:6
Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain.

Matthew 6:31-33
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ / For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. / But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

Philippians 4:11-12
I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances. / I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound. In any and every situation I have learned the secret of being filled and being hungry, of having plenty and having need.

Luke 12:15
And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

1 Peter 3:3-4
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes, / but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.

James 3:16-18
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice. / But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. / Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.

Proverbs 21:9
Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

Proverbs 21:19
Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.

Proverbs 25:24
Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

Proverbs 15:27
He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household, but he who hates bribes will live.

Psalm 133:1
A song of ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!


Treasury of Scripture

Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.

an house

Proverbs 7:14
I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

sacrifices

Proverbs 21:9,19
It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house…

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Proverbs 17
1. Contrasts between the Righteous and the Wicked














Better a dry morsel
The phrase "Better a dry morsel" suggests a simple, humble meal. The Hebrew word for "better" (טוֹב, tov) implies a sense of goodness or moral superiority. A "dry morsel" (פַּת חֲרֵבָה, pat harevah) refers to a piece of bread without any accompaniment, symbolizing minimal sustenance. In ancient Israel, bread was a staple, and a dry piece would indicate a lack of abundance. This phrase sets the stage for a comparison, emphasizing that simplicity with peace is preferable to abundance with conflict.

with quietness
The Hebrew word for "quietness" (שַׁלְוָה, shalvah) conveys a sense of peace, tranquility, and security. In the context of ancient Israel, where family and community life were central, quietness would mean a harmonious household free from discord. This peace is not just the absence of noise but a deeper, spiritual calm that reflects a right relationship with God and others. The verse suggests that such peace is of greater value than material wealth.

than a house full of feasting
"A house full of feasting" (בַּיִת מָלֵא זִבְחֵי רִיב, bayit malei zivchei riv) paints a picture of abundance and celebration. In biblical times, feasting was associated with joy, prosperity, and community gatherings. However, the phrase implies that such abundance can be superficial if it lacks the foundation of peace. The "house" symbolizes the family unit or community, and its fullness indicates material wealth and social status.

with strife
The Hebrew word for "strife" (רִיב, riv) denotes contention, conflict, or dispute. In the biblical context, strife disrupts relationships and community harmony, often leading to division and enmity. The verse contrasts the external appearance of prosperity with the internal reality of discord. It serves as a warning that material wealth and social festivities are hollow if they coexist with relational turmoil. The underlying message is that true contentment and blessing come from peace and unity, not from external abundance.

XVII.

(1) A house full of sacrifices.--Possibly the same as the "peace offerings" of Proverbs 7:14 (where see note). The consumption of these may have at times degenerated into licence (comp. 1Samuel 1:13), and quarrelling have ensued.

Verse 1. - (Comp, Proverbs 15:16, 17; Proverbs 16:8.) Better (sweeter) is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith. Dry bread was soaked in wine or water before it was eaten. Thus Boaz bid Ruth "dip her morsel in the vinegar" (Ruth 2:14); thus Jesus gave the sop to Judas when he had dipped it (John 13:26). The Septuagint is pleonastic, "Better is a morsel with joy in peace." Aben Ezra connects this verse with the last two of ch. 16, confining the application to the patient man; but the sentence seems rather to be independent and general. Than an house full of sacrifices with strife. Of the thank or peace offerings part only was burnt upon the altar, the rest was eaten by the offerer and his family; and as the victims were always the choicest animals, "a house full of sacrifices" would contain the materials for sumptuous feasting (see on Proverbs 7:4). The joyous family festival often degenerated into excess, which naturally led to quarrels and strife (see 1 Samuel 1:5, 6, 13; 1 Samuel 2:13, etc.). So the agapae of the early Church were desecrated by licence and selfishness (1 Corinthians 11:20, etc.). Septuagint, "than a house full of many good things and unrighteous victims with contention." With this verse compare the Spanish proverb, "Mas vale un pedazo de pan con amor, que gallinas con dolor."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Better
ט֤וֹב (ṭō·wḇ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

a dry
חֲ֭רֵבָה (ḥă·rê·ḇāh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 2720: Parched, ruined

morsel
פַּ֣ת (paṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6595: Fragment, bit, morsel

in quietness
וְשַׁלְוָה־ (wə·šal·wāh-)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7962: Quietness, ease

than a house
מִ֝בַּ֗יִת (mib·ba·yiṯ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

full of
מָלֵ֥א (mā·lê)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 4392: Full, filling, fulness, fully

feasting
זִבְחֵי־ (ziḇ·ḥê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 2077: A slaughter, the flesh of an animal, a sacrifice

with strife.
רִֽיב׃ (rîḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7379: Strife, dispute


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 17:1 Better is a dry morsel with quietness (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 16:33
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