The study we mentioned earlier found that “35 per cent [of wife-beatings] were connected to jealousy.” Proverbs 6:34 and its context show that, when there is a real basis for jealousy, rage and a desire for vengeance are common. But those same feelings, with accompanying violence in the family, can result even from jealousy that has little or no basis.

One investigator found that “28 per cent of the wife beatings were connected to money problems.” Especially do many violent fights arise when a wife again and again indicates to her husband that he isn’t able to keep her on a financial par with neighbors or does not enable her to buy the things she wants. This tends to make the husband feel inferior, to feel that he is inadequate as a breadwinner.