Proverbs 31:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.

NIV: In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

NASB: She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands grasp the spindle.

CSB: She extends her hands to the spinning staff, and her hands hold the spindle.

NLT: Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber.

KJV: She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

NKJV: She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle.

This famous passage depicts the traits of a rare, godly, valuable wife (Proverbs 31:10). Some of those traits, such as business sense (Proverbs 31:18) and strength (Proverbs 31:17), are stereotypically considered "masculine," yet are applied here to females. These are positive traits for all people, but they are especially relevant for a godly wife. This verse is another reference to productivity and hard work (Proverbs 31:15).

An earlier verse mentioned spinning flax and wool (Proverbs 31:13). The "distaff" is a tool used to hold unspun fibers. The "spindle" is where the material is stretched and rotated into thread.

The New Testament depicts a woman who exhibits this aspect of the "excellent wife:" Dorcas, a resident of Joppa. The book of Acts notes "she was full of good works and acts of charity" (Acts 9:36). When she died, the believers prepared her body and laid it in an upper room. When they heard the apostle Peter was in town, two of the men took him to the upper room, where all the widows were weeping. They showed Peter tunics and other garments that Dorcas had made for them. Peter put everyone outside, raised Dorcas from the dead, and then called the saints and widows to see her (Acts 9:37–41).

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.