Katherine Stanley

Dr. Abernethy

BITH – 211

8 December 2021

Interpretation Paper: Proverbs 31:10-31

For centuries, Proverbs 31 has been commonly used to define the ideal wife,

consequently; many women aspire to be a “Proverbs 31” woman. Strategically placed by the

Greek Septuagint at the end of Proverbs, Proverbs 31 is said to be the final masterful portrait of

wisdom in Proverbs (Murphy, 246). As the book addresses many examples in the beginning

chapters of a woman not to pursue, the placement of the “Valiant Woman” as the final chapter of

Proverbs is by no means accidental. The portrait that is outlined throughout the chapter is much

more than a depiction of an outwardly beautiful woman. In fact, the woman that is depicted is

void of a physical description. Yet, the end of the Proverbs 31 highlights that beauty begins with

the “fear of Yaweh” and is ultimately acquired not bestowed. In rejecting innate beauty, Proverbs

31 brings conclusion to this book by personifying the divine gift of wisdom through the woman’s

actions, which displays her character.

In relation to the Psalms, Proverbs is written by multiple authors. However, Solomon

serves as the book’s principal author as Solomon himself presents his name in most of the

chapters. Furthermore, “His name appears at the beginning of three distinct sections Proverbs

1:1, 10:1, and 25:1—covering almost all of the first twenty-nine chapters of the book,”

(Swindoll). Although, there is uncertain evidence of whether Proverbs 31 was written by

Solomon or King Lemuel. Some have claimed that Lemuel means Solomon, but there is no hard
evidence (merely legends). Despite the author not being definite, it is for certain that Proverbs 31

is an utterance, a prophecy.

In being labeled as Wisdom Literature, Proverbs has been historically hard to understand, but

is generally defined as a book that depicts upright and moral living that stem from a right

relationship with God. As stated in The MacArthur study bible, “Proverbs contains the principles

and applications of Scripture that the godly characters of the Bible illustrate in their lives, (ESV,

863). With this, King Solomon, who ruled in Israel from 971 to 931 B.C. and was granted great

wisdom by God, authored most of the book before his heart was led astray from God in the post-

exilic era. The book was then compiled and finally assembled during Hezekiah’s day. Moving

forward, the book was conducted in a way to reach an audience of young men. Although many

young women read it today to discover “how to be a good wife”, the book (not just Proverbs 31)

addresses the young man and not the young woman. As one commentator wrote, “There is no

double-standard; the gender slant in Proverbs is a matter of audience orientation rather than

ideological bias,” (Murphy, 248). Essentially, there is no need to read in between the lines of

why the audience is that of young men and not young women.

Chapters 1 through 9 address the contrast of the woman in chapter 31 through a woman

that is to be avoided by young men. The woman presented in these chapters is known as “Lady

Folly” who is, “…bitter, like wormwood; sharp, like a double-edged sword. Her feet are going

down to death, her steps are lay hold of the grave,” (Proverbs 5:4-5). Knowing this context of the

beginning of Proverbs presents a greater depth to the woman described in Proverbs 31 and how

starkly she contrasts the characteristics and actions of “Lady Folly”. Proverbs 31 ultimately

provides the “…positive human counterpoint to these depictions and balances the gap created by

the depictions of Proverbs 1-9,” (Vayntrub). Consequently, it can be inferred that Proverbs 31
was intentionally placed at the end of the book to bring full fruition of the definition of divine,

God-given wisdom and to present the ideal wife for young men to pursue.

The frame of this chapter brings its aim into focus around the value of wise living through a

woman who displays that. Verses 10 through 31 display a woman whose actions display her

character through her diligence and planning, selfless and sacrificial love by helping others in

need, and her humble confidence in who the Lord calls her to be. In demonstrating her diligence

and planning, verse 15 states, “She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household

and portions for her maidens,” (ESV). In diligent preparation, the woman would need to rise

before the dawn to begin working on the food that was needed to be prepared for her family each

day. It is important to note that she did not do this with a bitter or resentful posture of heart, but

rather one that was willing and glad to serve her family. Thus, this verse along with verses 13,

14, and 16 demonstrate the woman’s “willing hands” to diligently prepare for and serve her

family to the best of her ability. As one commentator noted, “The hands are semipersonified as

taking pleasure in their creation and going about their work with a set purpose,” (Waltke, 249).

In the woman’s actions, she emulates the wisdom the Lord has bestowed upon her. In addition,

the woman displays her selfless and sacrificial love by helping others in need in as best displayed

in verses 19, 20, and 27. In each of these verses, the woman opens her hands and reaches out to

those in need, puts her family’s needs above her own, and is in constant pursuit of working for

her family. She does not lay “idle” as verse 27 would support, yet she continues to look for tasks

to complete for the benefit of her family and those in need. Lastly, the woman’s confidence in

who the Lord calls her is presented in verses 25 and 26, “Strength and dignity are her clothing,

and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and teaching of kindness

is on her tongue,” (MacArthur, ESV). The woman’s inward clothing displays the divine wisdom
the Lord has bestowed upon her in her as she confidently faces the future with a lack of care and

anxiety of the unknown that is to come. Her words are “tempered” with mercy and display the

character that is reflective of a woman of unadulterated wisdom.

In the beginning and ending of this passage, there is talk of how “excellent”, “precious”, and

“blessed” a woman is who fears the Lord. For example, verse 10 presents the question, “An

excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels,” (ESV). This question does

not suggest that it is impossible to find a good wife, rather it suggests that “…she is of surpassing

value to those who do find her,” (Waltke, 249). With this value, the woman ultimately brings

immense benefit to her home through her good sense and her fidelity. Again, the woman’s

character is representative of her divine, God-given, wisdom. Following in verse 12, the

woman’s treatment of her husband displays her character as the verse goes on to say, “She does

him good, and not harm, all the days of her life,” (ESV). There is an implicit sense that the

husband would have “full confidence” in his wife, as she is a woman who brings a multitude of

good things into their home. Again, the women’s “surpassing” status is brought up in verse 29,

“Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all,” (ESV). As similarly shown in

verse 12, the family and husband of a woman as described in this passage would have “full

confidence” in the excellence that she brings wherever she goes as supported in verse 29. She is

a woman that is well-acquainted with wisdom and is in close relationship with the Lord. The

verses following continue to praise the woman in concluding, “Give her the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the gates,” (MacArthur, v31). She is a woman of action. With this,

her actions display her character that reveal her divine wisdom; hence, she is a woman to be

praised. It is of high importance that this woman is not sought after merely because of her beauty

and charm as they are deceiving and inadequate reasons for pursuit (Waltke, 251). Although
these are not inherently bad reasons for pursuit, there is an emphasis placed on the woman’s fear

of the Lord being the very best part of her.

Although Proverbs was written centuries ago and there are several examples of the

woman hard at work in the vineyards or sitting at the spindle and the distaff, there is relevancy in

the content to be applied to the modern-day women. As supported in the book Ecclesiastes

chapter 1, verse 9, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is

nothing new under the sun.” In expectancy and preparation for the Lord’s second coming, the

‘Provers 31 woman’ is one that women today can look up to and strive to become more like.

There is simplistic and humble beauty found in verses 10 through 31 as the woman’s values and

qualities do not spur the woman to be above others, but rather below them as she plays a key role

in uplifting her family and the community around her. Nevertheless, as a professor Ilze Jansen,

interpreted, “We observe more women in the boardroom, more women experiencing greater

equality in legislative rights, and there has been an increased critical mass of women's visibility

as impressive role models emerge in every aspect of life,” (Jansen). The world has greatly shifted

since this passage was written along with the status of women, which can make it challenging to

apply to the modern woman. Yet, both the implicit and explicit meanings of being a woman of

virtue, faithfulness, goodness, provision, diligence, strength, endurance, respect, hard-work,

God-fearing, and wisdom can still be emulated by women today despite the shift in society’s

culture and infrastructure. As for men in pursuit of a woman such as this, I would boldly state

that this woman is even harder to find as society begins to shift farther and farther from the

gospel truth. What is socially acceptable is far from what God originally intended, therefore; an

excellent wife in modern-day culture truly is “far more precious than jewels.”
 From the start of time in Genesis, “The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be

alone. I will make a helper suitable for him,” (Genesis 2:18). From the moment that Adam and

Eve were created, there has been a pursuit of marriage as humankind was created with an innate

desire for covenant companionship. Continuing with this, Proverbs 31 encapsulates the Lord’s

vision of a woman with God-fearing wisdom through highlighting her daily actions and

completion of tasks that display her character. In personifying the woman’s divine wisdom, there

is an effort made to spur young men on to seek out such a noble and valiant wife as she is a

woman who comes with great benefit, and she is a woman that is to be praised.
 Resources

Jansen, Ilze. (2020). Proverbs 31:10-31: A contextual reading. Verbum et Ecclesia, 41(1), 1-

9. https://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ve.v41i1.1976

MacArthur, J., & Crossway Bibles. (2010). The MacArthur study bible: English standard

version. Crossway Bibles.

Murphy, Roland Edmund. Proverbs. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1998. Print.

Swindoll, Chuck. “Proverbs.” Book of Proverbs Overview - Insight for Living Ministries,

https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-wisdom-books/proverbs.

Vayntrub, J. (2020). Beauty, Wisdom, and Handiwork in Proverbs 31:10-31. Harvard

Theological Review, 113(1), 45-62. doi:10.1017/S0017816019000348

Waltke, Bruce K. The Book of Proverbs. Grand Rapids, Mich: William B. Eerdmans Pub., 2004.

Print.