'Better' in the Bible

Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay with me.”

Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and little children will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

So he said to them, “What have I done now compared to you? Is not the gleaning of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

“Please speak in the presence of all the lords of Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that 70 men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you or that one man rule over you?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and blood.”

Now are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them?

They told him, “Be quiet. Keep your mouth shut. Come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or for you to be a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”

He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

“Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why are you troubled? Am I not better to you than 10 sons?”

How much better if the troops had eaten freely today from the plunder they took from their enemies! Then the slaughter of the Philistines would have been much greater.”

Then Samuel said:Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrificesas much as in obeying the Lord?Look: to obey is better than sacrifice,to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.

Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingship of Israel away from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.

Let our lord command your servants here in your presence to look for someone who knows how to play the lyre. Whenever the evil spirit from God troubles you, that person can play the lyre, and you will feel better.”

Whenever the spirit from God troubled Saul, David would pick up his lyre and play, and Saul would then be relieved, feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

David said to himself, “One of these days I’ll be swept away by Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape immediately to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me everywhere in Israel, and I’ll escape from him.”

The Philistine commanders, however, were enraged with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him. He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the battle. What better way could he regain his master’s favor than with the heads of our men?

“Look,” Absalom explained to Joab, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? I’d be better off if I were still there.’ So now, let me see the king. If I am guilty, let him kill me.”

Since the Lord had decreed that Ahithophel’s good advice be undermined in order to bring about Absalom’s ruin, Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than Ahithophel’s advice.”

“You must not go!” the people pleaded. “If we have to flee, they will not pay any attention to us. Even if half of us die, they will not pay any attention to us because you are worth 10,000 of us. Therefore, it is better if you support us from the city.”

The Lord will bring back his own blood on his head because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, without my father David’s knowledge. With his sword, Joab murdered Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army.

but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough! Lord, take my life, for I’m no better than my fathers.”

So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard so I can have it for a vegetable garden, since it is right next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.”

Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and left in a rage.

but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves like the house of Ahab prostituted itself, and also have killed your brothers, your father’s family, who were better than you,

The little that the righteous man has is betterthan the abundance of many wicked people.

My lips will glorify Youbecause Your faithful love is better than life.

Better a day in Your courtsthan a thousand anywhere else.I would rather be at the door of the house of my Godthan to live in the tents of wicked people.

It is better to take refuge in the Lordthan to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the Lordthan to trust in nobles.

Instruction from Your lips is better for methan thousands of gold and silver pieces.

for she is more profitable than silver,and her revenue is better than gold.

For wisdom is better than jewels,and nothing desirable can compare with it.

My fruit is better than solid gold,and my harvest than pure silver.

Better to be dishonored, yet have a servant,than to act important but have no food.

Better a little with the fear of the Lordthan great treasure with turmoil.

Better a meal of vegetables where there is lovethan a fattened ox with hatred.

Better a little with righteousnessthan great income with injustice.

Get wisdom—how much better it is than gold!And get understanding—it is preferable to silver.

Better to be lowly of spirit with the humblethan to divide plunder with the proud.

Patience is better than power,and controlling one’s temper, than capturing a city.

Better a dry crust with peacethan a house full of feasting with strife.

Better for a man to meet a bear robbed of her cubsthan a fool in his foolishness.

Better a poor man who lives with integritythan someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool.

What is desirable in a man is his fidelity;better to be a poor man than a liar.

Better to live on the corner of a roofthan to share a house with a nagging wife.

Better to live in a wildernessthan with a nagging and hot-tempered wife.

A good name is to be chosen over great wealth;favor is better than silver and gold.

A wise warrior is better than a strong one,and a man of knowledge than one of strength;

for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here!”than to demote you in plain view of a noble.

Better to live on the corner of a roofthan to share a house with a nagging wife.

Better an open reprimandthan concealed love.

Oil and incense bring joy to the heart,and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel.

Don’t abandon your friend or your father’s friend,and don’t go to your brother’s housein your time of calamity;better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

Better a poor man who lives with integritythan a rich man who distorts right and wrong.

There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work. I have seen that even this is from God’s hand,

I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the good life.

I have seen that there is nothing better than for a person to enjoy his activities because that is his reward. For who can enable him to see what will happen after he dies?

But better than either of them is the one who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

Better one handful with restthan two handfuls with effort and a pursuit of the wind.

Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts.

Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer pays attention to warnings.

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Better to draw near in obedience than to offer the sacrifice as fools do, for they ignorantly do wrong.

Better that you do not vow than that you vow and not fulfill it.

A man may father a hundred children and live many years. No matter how long he lives, if he is not satisfied by good things and does not even have a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.

Better what the eyes see than wandering desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

A good name is better than fine perfume,and the day of one’s death than the day of one’s birth.

It is better to go to a house of mourningthan to go to a house of feasting,since that is the end of all mankind,and the living should take it to heart.

Grief is better than laughter,for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad.

It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise personthan to listen to the song of fools,

The end of a matter is better than its beginning;a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.

Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?”since it is not wise of you to ask this.

So I commended enjoyment because there is nothing better for man under the sun than to eat, drink, and enjoy himself, for this will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.

But there is hope for whoever is joined with all the living, since a live dog is better than a dead lion.

And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

Wisdom is better than weapons of war,but one sinner can destroy much good.

How delightful your love is, my sister, my bride.Your love is much better than wine,and the fragrance of your perfume than any balsam.

Y What makes the one you love better than another,most beautiful of women?What makes him better than another,that you would give us this charge?

I will give them, in My house and within My walls,a memorial and a namebetter than sons and daughters.I will give each of them an everlasting namethat will never be cut off.

“Come, let me get some wine,let’s guzzle some beer;and tomorrow will be like today,only far better!” >

ט TetThose slain by the sword are better offthan those slain by hunger,who waste away, pierced with painbecause the fields lack produce.

I will fill you with people and animals, and they will increase and be fruitful. I will make you inhabited as you once were and make you better off than you were before. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

At the end of 10 days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king’s food.

In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them 10 times better than all the diviner-priests and mediums in his entire kingdom.

She will pursue her lovers but not catch them;she will seek them but not find them.Then she will think,“I will go back to my former husband,for then it was better for me than now.”

Israel is a lush vine;it yields fruit for itself.The more his fruit increased,the more he increased the altars.The better his land produced,the better they made the sacred pillars.

Cross over to Calneh and see;go from there to great Hamath;then go down to Gath of the Philistines.Are you better than these kingdoms?Is their territory larger than yours?

And now, Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind. The sun beat down so much on Jonah’s head that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, “It’s better for me to die than to live.”

Are you better than Thebesthat sat along the Nilewith water surrounding her,whose rampart was the sea,the river her wall?