Frankly, these three proverbs are the funniest in the entire book. They express the same sentiment about what would be better for a husband if his wife is quarrelsome and ill-tempered. They are saying he should resign to confine his living habits to either the corner of the roof or a desert thus surrendering the rest of the house to his wife for the rest of their married life. What happens when he is thirsty, hungry, and has to go to the restroom? “Oh well, I wonder if my neighbor will allow me to use his range and commode this afternoon? If not I’ll have to seek into the fast food restaurant again.”
As is usual with proverbs this triad wedlock aphorism is more than what is apparent, especially since they are humorous, even ridiculous.
Roofs in the ancient Middle East were flat. Small rooms were sometimes built on them. Cloth coverings and sides made the roof a tent that contained weather-resistant furniture. (Deuteronomy 22:8; 2 Kings 4:10; Acts 10:9-11, 13) Someone could and did spend time up there in the fair weather months. Families however wouldn’t make it a permanent residence because winters are too cold and summers are too hot. The point of the proverbs isn’t that a man should allow his marriage to be so dysfunctional and unpassionate as to live in solitude.
Though sometimes most husbands want to humorously agree that they should just walk away and hide that is not the point. These three proverbs are saying, “Do not live foolishly. Work it out with your wife. Why is she quarreling and ill-tempered? What is she trying to say when she is like this? What can we do to eliminate the impasse?” Though repeated three times never once does proverbs say how a husband and wife are to work it out. Proverbs 31:11, 23, and 28 give clues. They proclaim that a husband has full confidence in his wife, keeps a respected job and life, calls her blessed, and praises her. Isn’t this part of loving my wife as Christ loves me as Ephesians 5:24-25 instructs?
