Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

Although it would certainly be possible for both men and women to engage in nagging, the Bible's primary focus seems to be on the conduct of women in this regard.

The primary source of Biblical references to the practice of nagging is the book of Proverbs. This is not surprising, since Proverbs was intended to contain wisdom for day-to-day living, and it was also written by Solomon, who (according to 1 Kings 11:3) had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. It is not clear whether all these women nagged Solomon, but he apparently experienced enough nagging to have a low opinion of it, as illustrated in the following verses:

Proverbs 19:13

Proverbs 21:9

Proverbs 21:19

Proverbs 25:24

Proverbs 27:15-16

(It may also have been as a result of nagging that Solomon turned away from God in his later years (as noted in 1 Kings 11) in order to placate his many foreign (and pagan) wives by building shrines or altars to his wives' gods, whose worship included such abhorrent practices as the sacrifice of children.)

(However, Solomon apparently also had some positive insights into how women should act, which served as the basis for his description in Proverbs 31:10-31 of the qualities of a good wife.)

Another Biblical instance of nagging that comes to mind (again, with negative reflections on the one doing the nagging) would be the story of Samson in Judges 14 and Judges 16 in which Samson was nagged by two different women whom he loved, the second instance of which (when Delilah continually badgered Samson to tell her the source of his great physical strength) resulted in Samson being taken prisoner by the Philistines and having his eyes put out.

Also, in Genesis 30:1-2, Jacob is mentioned at being angered by the nagging of his wife Rachel, who was jealous of her sister Leah (to whom Jacob was also married). Because Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, God had enabled Leah to have children by Jacob, but Rachel had not had any children of her own. She therefore said to Jacob, "Give me children or I die!", which angered Jacob and caused discord in their marriage.

In the New Testament, however, Jesus put "nagging" (or, to use a more positive word, persistence) in a somewhat better light in his parable of the woman who had a legal case pending before a judge who was known to be unrighteous (Luke 18:1-8). The woman continually kept pestering the judge to make a ruling in her favor. Eventually, even though the judge was unrighteous, he decided to rule in the woman's favor simply so that she would stop bothering him and taking up his time. Jesus said that if even an unrighteous man such as the judge could be influenced by such persistence, then God (being holy) will be even more willing to help those who persist in prayer to Him, and who do not give up hope that their petitions will be answered.

June 28 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report