See verse 9 and the comments on that saying; the imagery of this saying is a bit different, but its structure and essential thought are the same.

“It is better to live in a desert land”: “A desert land” is a literal rendering of the Hebrew expression; but in English and some other languages as well, the word “land” really adds nothing in this context. A good number of English versions simply have “in the desert.” A “desert” is a place where few or no people live—in this case a place of peace away from the noise of talk and complaints. It is also regarded as a place where it is harsh and uncomfortable to live, in contrast to the comforts of home. Both of these senses are present in this saying. It is not stated but we must assume that the picture is of the husband being alone in the desert. This may be stated in a translation if it will not be clear for readers; for instance, “Better to live alone in the desert” (Revised English Bible).

“Than with a contentious and fretful woman”: See verse 9 for comments on most of this line. The word “fretful” is added here to the description of the wife who is impossible to live with. The sense of the Hebrew term is “angry” or “bad-tempered”; in English it is expressed as “ill-tempered” (New International Version, Revised English Bible), “irritable” (New Jerusalem Bible), or “complaining” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). In other languages the line may be expressed, for example, “. . . is better than staying with a wife who always talks too much and complains about everything.”

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 .