Less Is More

(Pro 17:1 KJV) Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.

This is one of a series of comparisons given in Proverbs. Several times the comparison is to a nagging wife, here it is simply “strife” (7379).

Life has choices or at least alternatives. Some are “better” (2896a). I think this is advice to people who are still starting out or early in their chosen path. Sometimes we look at the apparent good side of things and don’t see the drawbacks. What Solomon is saying is that the simply way of living is often better because it has less conflicts. We strive and strain and then find out what we earned is not as enjoyable as we expected.

This is a case where it seems the KJV gives a better understanding than the NASB which talks about "feasting" instead of "sacrifices" (2077). I think the idea is a house where all kinds of formal religious rituals go on that involve anything from feasting to fasting. Quiet simplicity is what is better.