What is a virtuous and capable woman? Let's unpack Proverbs 31:10 together.
- Alicia England
- May 31
- 3 min read
Proverbs 31 describes a woman and wife of noble character. But what does that mean exactly? I have struggled with understanding the Proverbs 31 woman most of my adult life.
I have heard her described as who we as women should strive to be, however with social media, sometimes it seems the Proverbs 31 poem has turned into an aesthetic or checklist rather than an understanding of why this woman was praised in the first place.
In my first blog post, I tried to break down strength, however I started in the middle of the characteristics instead of the beginning. My goal for this devotional is to break down what the author meant in the original text. I admit that I had been more focused on getting a blog out every Saturday and neglected to really sit and meditate on the verses I am writing on. Tonight, I realized that I had jumped to Proverbs 31:25 rather than starting at verse 10 where it first speaks about a wife of noble character.
So, let's take a look at Proverbs 31:10.
I study the NLT (New Living Translation) for my personal devotional and study time with the Lord, however for a blog post that is focused on understanding the original context I will also be looking at other translations (such as ESV) to get a better understanding of the nuance of the Scripture. The goal is to learn what the original author meant and get the historical context of the verse rather than draw a personal conclusion of the text. I will add personal reflection questions to the end of each blog.
So let's get started.
Proverbs 31:10 NLT
Who can find a more virtuous and capable wife she is more precious than rubies.
Proverbs 31:10 ESV
An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
The text is speaking of a woman of valor. An excellent wife is a woman who is a provider, a protector, and takes caring for her family seriously. A woman like that is hard to find. She is hard working. She is determined. She is caring. She is a woman of integrity. A woman who fears the Lord. She is wise.
She is far more precious than jewels In the ancient times rubies and jewels were highly valued because they were rare. It wasn't easy to find these beautiful or precious stones. Similar to how it wasn't easy to find a wife of noble character. When a person found rubies or jewels, they cherished them. A woman of noble character was more valued than even the most precious jewels.
The Hebrew word for excellent is מחַיִל (cha·yil) which means strength, efficiency, wealth, army. The author is praising the Jewish woman for her strength, her efficient nature, her wealth, and her might. The woman was admired as a rare woman in the land.
While the author is unknown. King Lemuel's mother in this. chapter wanted to help him understand the type of wife he needed to search for and to emphasize what a treasure a woman like this was once found.
Reflection questions: In what ways is calling you to step out and become a woman of valor?(a courageous and fearless woman of God)
How do you think social media has created the Proverbs 31 woman as a checklist rather than as a warrior woman is strong, courageous, works hard, and protects her family?
Why do you think an excellent wife was hard to find back then?
If you enjoy the blog please leave your comments or subscribe so you don't miss a blog post. I look forward to studying the Scriptures with you!
With love in Christ,
Alicia
References: https://biblehub.com/lexicon/proverbs/31-10.htm
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