We need 2 cookies to store this setting. i. From her profits she plants a vineyard. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. You can check these in your browser security settings. Them are two ways of understanding this verse. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. d. She extends her hand to the poor: The virtuous wife is much more than a skillful manager or homemaker; she is also a woman of great compassion. The sense is that her goodness and faithful character becomes deeper and greater through the passing years. And willingly works with her hands. Her clothing is fine linen and purple. She does him good and not evil The proverb definition, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a brief popular epigram or maxim.”Read on for these proverbs about life, proverbs … Evangel. In a sense, the complete profile of the “Proverbs 31 Woman” is an ideal goal, much as the listing of the character of the godly man for leadership in both 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. A virtuous woman [braves Weib] is not found by every one, she is found by comparatively few. In her tongue is the law of kindness: “This is the most distinguishing excellence of this woman. Coming at the end of the collection of proverbs, one might say that this is a strong woman – and her greatest strength is her wisdom, rooted in the fear of the Lord. It is her fear of Yahweh that enables her to see that real greatness will come to her, not through self-centered aggressiveness, and not through merely external beauty, but through godly devotion and the wholehearted commitment to God’s creational intention for her.” (Philips). “And all her labour is a cheerful service; her will, her heart, is in it.” (Clarke). The fruit of her hands: “She is no less than Woman Wisdom made real. She considers a field and buys it; i. But you excel them all.”. Who can find a virtuous woman? “In an age long before the industrial revolution, women had to work at spinning wool and making clothes in every spare moment; fidelity in this labor was a mark of feminine virtue.” (Garrett), ii. Give her of the fruit of her hands, One psalm, at all events, of which there seems no reason to doubt the Davidic authorship—the 9th—is cast in this form. The spinning-wheel superseded them in these countries; but still they were in considerable use till spinning machinery superseded both them and the spinning-wheels in general.” (Clarke), iii. She was not only a Martha, busy with service; she was also Mary, walking in fear and reverence toward the Lord. Strength and honor: “The praise of the woman can hardly be higher: it attributes to her the advantages of both youth and old age (i.e., ‘power and splendor,’ Proverbs 20:29).” (Waltke). She girds herself with strength, So he will have no lack of gain. Verse 31. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. (x) "Conjux dea contigit uni", Ovid. Blessed woman!” (Clarke), iv. c. She stretches out her hands to the distaff: The virtuous wife knows how to use the tools and technology available to manage the home well. O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense. “Clothe yourselves with the silk of piety, with the satin of sanctity, with the purple of modesty, etc. It would be rare to find a woman who excels in every aspect of the list, so it should not be used to compare or condemn, either one’s self or another woman. “She does not restrict herself to the bare necessaries of life; she is able to procure some of its comforts. c. Her worth is far above rubies: Precious gems like rubies are both valued and rare. Both her deliberate speech (she opens her mouth) and her spontaneous words (on her tongue) are marked by wisdom and kindness. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. It is possible that this does not describe a color, but doubly thick garments. Her household is clothed in scarlet: Some wonder why scarlet clothing would be connected to the fact that she is not afraid of snow for her household. A woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised: Proverbs begins with a strong connection between wisdom and the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). She works in simple and practical ways for her family and home. This is one reason why some think this description of the virtuous wife in Proverbs is more a poetic description of wisdom as woman (as in Proverbs 1:20-33 and 7:4-5). In his remarks on this verse, Adam Clarke thought of a woman who perhaps truly did excel them all – Susanna Wesley. She avoids what might enervate her body, or soften her mind-she is ever active, and girt ready for every necessary exercise. And strengthens her arms. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. That’s the trust that was shown to be a great contrast to those who worshipped idols – as we already heard about in verse 7. i. Yet, we perfectly understand the sense of this. “The greatest gift of God is a pious amiable spouse who fears God and loves his house, and with whom one can live in perfect confidence.” (Martin Luther’s description of his wife, cited in Bridges). for her price. Learn more. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. b. Warning Against the Adulterous Woman - My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. i. She thoughtfully (considers) invests and uses the profits to better her family and their future, in this case by planting a vineyard. I am constrained to add this testimony, after having traced her from her birth to her death, through all the relations that a woman can bear upon earth. Who … woman—The question implies that such are rare, though not entirely wanting (compare Pr 18:22; 19:14). See 1 Peter 3:3-4.” (Trapp). And provides food for her household, “She is neither sullenly silent, nor full of vain and impertinent talk, as many women are, but speaks directly and piously, as occasion offereth itself.” (Poole), ii. • Lemuel Wrote chapter 31 about the worthy woman. And on her tongue is the law of kindness. She cares even more about the display of her character than the outward display of her clothing. Rather, this character should reflect the values and aspirations of the woman who walks in the fear of the Lord and godly wisdom. i. (t) Demonstrat. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. i. b. i. i. a. Proverbs 31:10. Who can find a virtuous woman? She perceives that her merchandise is good: She is wise and experienced enough to get good materials and merchandise for her home. The flurry of activity described in these verses doesn’t mean that she does all these things in a day or even a week, but it does point to how much work and how many different kinds of work are involved in wisely and properly managing a home. “The poet did not think it strange or unworthy for a woman to engage in honest trade. This may have been done, as in the case of several of the psalms, which are of a didactic character (e.g., 25, 34, 37, 119), to render it more easy for committal to memory. She perceives that her merchandise is good, She cares deeply for her family, but her mind and vision go beyond them to the outside world where she does good for herself and her family. Ewald, Elster, and Zckler incorrectly render the ו by "although" or "and yet." The qualities of this virtuous wife as described in Proverbs 31:11-31 are often mentioned in previous proverbs. a. i. She brings her food from afar. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. The consonants allow the reading double…i.e. She plants a vineyard, that she may have wine for a beverage, for medicine, and for sacrifice. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. In the connection אושׁת חיל and the like, the idea of bodily vigour is spiritualized to that of capacity, ability, and is generalized; in virtus the corresponding transition from manliness, and in the originally Romanic "Bravheit," valour to ability, is completed; we have translated as at Proverbs 12:4, but also Luther, "a virtuous woman," is suitable, since Tugend (virtue) has with Tchtigkeit [ability] the same root-word, and according to our linguistic [German] usage designates the property of moral goodness and propriety, while for those of former times, when they spoke of the tugend (tugent) of a woman, the word combined with it the idea of fine manners (cf. 37:1 Do not envy # Ps. A woman who felt burdened to complete each of these tasks in a day, week, or even month would be exhausted and probably discouraged. For the woman (and man) of wisdom, this reward is not their primary motivation, but the fitting result of their life lived in fear of the Lord. And she finds that while she pleases her customers, she increases her own profits.” (Clarke). “But in the whole delineation there is hardly any trait more beautiful than this—absolute trustworthiness…he seeks her confidence and advice. It is important not to miss any of the words in most proverbs because the meaning can be lost if even one word is changed or left out. Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. It is honorable for a man to stop striving, Since any fool can start a quarrel. Check out this deep dive into the surprising, hidden meaning of the text. “By definition, the fear of the Lord means in part living according to the wisdom revealed in this book. Her value or worth should not be reduced to the performance of these qualities; she will be virtuous before she acts in a virtuous manner. c. Give her the fruit of her hands: This virtuous woman will be rewarded by the God she fears and rewarded by what she has accomplished for her family and herself, as they publicly speak of her godliness and wisdom (let her own works praise her in the gates). She shall rejoice in time to come. The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing. Click on the different category headings to find out more. She brings gain to her husband on many levels, and in great measure (no lack). Proverbs give some form of life advice. The virtuous wife has what is often described and valued in the Book of Proverbs – wise speech and words that show the law of kindness. It was a lot of work. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. i. Rubies: “The precise meaning of the word translated ‘rubies’ is unknown; other suggested translations are ‘pearls’ and ‘corals.’ The reference is to some kind of precious stone.” (Garrett). * A tree of life: in the Old Testament this phrase occurs only in Proverbs (11:30; 13:12; 15:4) and Genesis (2:9; 3:22, 24). “But shanim, from shanah, to iterate, to double, signifies not only scarlet, so called from being twice or doubly dyed, but also double garments, not only the ordinary coat but the surtout or great-coat also, or a cloak to cover all. The choice to watch so carefully means that she does not choose to eat the bread of idleness. Fleischer rightly: the second clause, if not in form yet in sense, runs parallel to the first. The form of an acrostic, the twenty-two verses composing it each commencing with a letter of the greatest given! Not entirely wanting ( compare Pr 12:4 ; Ru 3:11 ) the description of her chastity secrecy. 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