H4090 H4090
strife, contention, quarreling
A noun denoting strife, contention, and quarrelsome behavior, appearing primarily in Proverbs. The book uses it to warn against contentious people—the 'man of strife' who stirs up conflict, and especially the 'woman of strife' mentioned repeatedly as unbearable to live with. The term often appears paired with related words for dispute and conflict, emphasizing the destructive nature of chronic quarreling. Proverbs presents strife as fire-like, needing only fuel to keep burning (26:20-21).
Senses
1. sense 1 — Cross-linguistic evidence uniformly points to interpersonal conflict: Spanish 'contiendas, discordias' (quarrels, discord), English 'strife.' Proverbs uses this term to characterize those who 'send out' strife (6:14, 19), stir it up constantly (15:18, 28:25, 29:22), and live in perpetual conflict. The 'contentious woman' becomes proverbial (21:9, 25:24, 27:15), as does the 'man of contentions' (26:21). Strife is presented as actively harmful to community peace. 3×
AR["[خِصَامَاتٍ]", "خِصَامَاتٍ"]·ben["কেরী", "বিবাদ"]·DE["[[מדנים]]", "[מדנים]"]·EN["[ketiv]", "strife"]·FR["[מדנים]", "מדנים"]·heb["מדונים", "מדינים", "מדנים"]·HI["झगड़े", "झगड़ों-को"]·ID["[ketiv]", "perselisihan"]·IT["[ketiv]", "strife"]·jav["pasulayan"]·KO["[크타브]", "다투-들-을"]·PT["[ketiv]", "contendas"]·RU["[ктив:маданим]", "раздоры"]·ES["[contiendas]", "contiendas", "discordias"]·SW["mafarakano", "ugomvi"]·TR["[kavgalar]", "kavgalar", "kavgaları"]·urd["[جھگڑے]", "جھگڑے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. מָדוֹן n.m. Pr 22:10 strife, contention—ψ 80:7 + 9 times; pl. מִדְיָנִים Pr 18:18, מִדְ֯וָנִים Pr 18:19 + 7 times; contracted into מְדָנִים Pr 6:19; 10:12, מִדֳ֯נִים Pr 6:14; cstr. מִדְיְנֵי Pr 19:13. 1. strife, contention, alm. wholly Pr:—Pr 18:19; 23:29; 26:20; also 17:14 (‖ רִיב), 22:10 (‖ דִּין וְקָלוֹן); מ׳ יִשָּׂא Hb 1:3 contention ariseth (‖ ריב); שׁלּח מ׳ let loose strife Pr 6:14,…