Verses 15-16 form a single saying.
«A continual dripping on a rainy day»: For «A continual dripping» see 19.13. «A rainy day» is a day on which it rains continually.
«And a contentious woman are alike»: For «a contentious woman» see 21.9, 19. This saying does not make clear what aspect of the «continual dripping» is to be compared to the ill-tempered or quarrelsome woman. Good News Translation “nagging” and “drip-drip-drip” suggest constant or repeated complaints. This is sometimes expressed as “she never closes her mouth.” In many languages it will be a good idea to reverse the order of the lines in this saying, as Good News Translation has done.
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
