Proverbs 31:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.

NIV: She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

NASB: She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

CSB: She makes her own bed coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple.

NLT: She makes her own bedspreads. She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.

KJV: She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

NKJV: She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

The industrious, excellent wife (Proverbs 31:10) is depicted using imagery common to ancient middle eastern homes. Earlier verses mentioned working with enthusiasm, also by referring to textile work (Proverbs 31:13, 19). This passage has also noted her ability to care for the basic needs of her household (Proverbs 31:14–15). The prior verse mentioned provision against cold weather (Proverbs 31:21); this reference implies a similar ability to arrange a home. Her skill and dedication include seeing to the clothes and bedsheets needed by the family. As with the last verse, the color is mentioned as an indicator of quality.

Purple dyes were originally made by drying secretions from a sea snail. This made them extremely expensive, so purple was associated with royalty and great prestige in the ancient world. When Paul and his missionary companions entered Philippi, they found a group of women praying by a river. One of the women was Lydia, a seller of purple (Acts 16:11–15). This suggests her business was high-class; purple robes were popular but pricey. Philippi was a Roman colony chosen to copy Rome's culture and spread that culture throughout Macedonia. Because the nobles of Rome wore purple garments, the Philippians followed the custom, likely contributing to Lydia's success as a businesswoman.

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.