Proverbs 31:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.

NIV: She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.

NASB: And she rises while it is still night And gives food to her household, And portions to her attendants.

CSB: She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and portions for her female servants.

NLT: She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.

KJV: She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

NKJV: She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants.

The excellent wife (Proverbs 31:10) of this passage is depicted in the context of an ancient middle eastern home. Her virtues include hard work (Proverbs 31:13), competence (Proverbs 31:19), kindness (Proverbs 31:20), and wisdom (Proverbs 31:26). The depiction here contrasts with other warnings about laziness (Proverbs 6:10–11; 19:15). The godly wife does not put off what needs to be done—as is true of any godly person, married or not.

As part of this lesson's context, the woman in question is rising early to supervise the home. The "portions" given are described by the term hōq', implying tasks or assignments. Rather than sleeping in late and expecting others to take up the slack, she takes an active role. She not only provides the resources needed (Proverbs 31:14), but she also makes sure they are used appropriately (Proverbs 31:27).

A complete inversion of this comes from the Old Testament, in Pharaoh's command to his taskmasters to require Hebrew slaves to provide their own straw for bricks (Exodus 5:4–9). Exodus 5:15–16 says, "Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, 'Why do you treat your servants like this? No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, "Make bricks!" And behold your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.'" The Egyptians treated the Israelis as chattel slaves—as subhuman property—and expected them to produce even when they weren't given the right resources. The godly person doesn't debase other people; they are involved and diligent, even when they are the one "in charge.".

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.