Proverbs 31:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

NIV: Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

NASB: Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.

CSB: Give her the reward of her labor, and let her works praise her at the city gates.

NLT: Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

KJV: Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

NKJV: Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.

This passage has depicted the virtues of a godly woman (Proverbs 31:10) in the context of an ancient Israeli home. Many worthwhile traits have been noted. The commendation ends with a call for the woman to be given credit, publicly, for her success. In ancient walled cities, gates were the only points of entry. That included merchants and all the residents. So, they were hubs of government, commerce, and culture. That the woman is being applauded there is notable for that era.

The "excellent wife" personifies virtues promoted throughout the book of Proverbs. She works hard (Proverbs 15:19; 31:15), plans appropriately (Proverbs 20:4; 31:21), invests wisely (Proverbs 23:4; 31:16), shows kindness and generosity (Proverbs 19:17; 31:20), offers wise counsel to others (Proverbs 10:13; 31:26), honors her spouse (Proverbs 5:18; 31:23), trains her children correctly (Proverbs 22:6; 31:27), and fears the Lord (Proverbs 8:13; 31:30). Her life contrasts sharply with the "fools" often denounced in this book (Proverbs 10:8; 12:15; 17:28; 18:2). This kind of woman blazes a trail for young and old alike to follow. By following her example, believers can be what God wants them to be and do what He wants them to do.

Proverbs 31:10–31 is from an unidentified author. This famous passage describes various virtues and attitudes of a godly, excellent woman. Just like the deeply faithful man (Proverbs 20:6), such a woman is uncommon. She stands in vivid contrast to the adulterers and fools often described in Proverbs. Her life is marked by integrity, honor, trust, productivity, common sense, practical love, and hard work. Those strengths last much longer than appearances. The verses of this section form an "acrostic:" each begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

This final chapter fits well with the rest of the book of Proverbs. It reiterates subjects found elsewhere in these lessons. Of note is that the entire chapter is connected to godly women. Topics include the importance of godly parenting, morality, righteous treatment of the needy, justice, and diligence. The first section are the words of King Lemuel's mother. The last is the famous depiction of an "excellent wife," exhibiting ideal traits of diligence, godliness, and competence. That description is arranged as acrostic poem: each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Proverbs chapter 31 comes after a long list of Solomon's teachings (Proverbs 25—29) and the words of Agur (Proverbs 30). This final section is connected to two women: the mother of King Lemuel and the ideal of a godly, "excellent" wife. Themes found in this passage are reflected in other lessons from the book of Proverbs. Of note, commendable traits such as business savvy, strength, and wisdom are explicitly associated with women, despite being stereotypically considered masculine. The content after verse 10 is explicitly structured as a poem.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.