Proverbs 31b

 The rest of this chapter, from verse 10 through 31, is frequently read and cited, and for that reason it seems important to both Jews and Christians. Yet, this passage is susceptible to several readings and misreadings. Most commonly, it seems, the reader is a male who interprets and applies Scripture. Some are helpful because they are careful with how they handle Scripture. Some are not helpful, except to a certain persuasion. This passage is often deployed by male chauvinists to challenge women to live up to this Biblical ideal. You see the problem right there; men are weaponizing this Scripture to control women. We must carefully identify, critique, and refute this approach. 

 As I said, some males are more careful about what they see and say; I will try to be one of those. 

 Another reading comes from feminist scholars who reject any attempts to raise up unattainable ideals for women that can result in depression and desperation. We must listen to those scholars for there is some truth to their concerns about chauvinist readings. However, we must not reject Scripture out of hand just because someone else has misinterpreted and misapplied the text. We must instead seek a more accurate reading. After all, Jesus came, among other things, to liberate the captive, and at times men have tried to keep women captive in gilded cages. 

 How can we be careful to get out of Scripture what God put in there for us? I will try to show what questions need to be asked and how a more faithful reading can be achieved. This will take more than one devotional.

31: 1, 10-12. The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:

A woman of strength who can find?

She is far more precious than jewels.

The heart of her husband trusts in her,

And he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good and not harm

All the days of her life.

 First, whose wisdom is this? While Solomon may have collected the proverbs of Chapter 31, they are said to have come from King Lemuel, who is not in the list of kings of Israel or Judah. Lemuel may be a pseudonym for Solomon, although I don’t see why he would need one since most of the proverbs in the book are his anyway. Most scholars think that Lemuel was the king of a neighboring people. Such a source would not be uncommon, after all, Job is probably not Jewish either.

 However, look closer. This is the wisdom of Lemuel’s mother that he is just repeating. A woman is providing these insights. In the beginning of the book, Solomon said to his audience: “Hear, my child, your father’s instruction, and do not reject your mother’s teaching” (1: 8). So, right away we are alerted to the possibility of woman’s wisdom. Far be it from any man to try to twist things in his favor. 

 The author of this section, then, is a woman. Next question: Who is the intended audience of this particular passage? The people who are supposed to be listening are not the women. The people who are supposed to be taking notes are the men. In this verse, the man in question is, first, the king. Later, the one who should be taking notes is “her husband” who “praises her: ‘Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all’” (31: 29).

 Finally, there are no direct commands in this chapter, until we come to the very last verse. There the intended audience is men, and they are told to: “Give her a share in the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the city gates” (31: 31). In ancient days, who owned the product of a woman’s hand? Men. Who sat in the city gates for town meetings? Men. This is true from Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 23: 8-10) to Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4: 1-4). The target audience for Chapter 31 is men and the point is that they need to praise women. This chapter is not written to women. 

 Next, we need some help with translation here to reveal something that is not 

immediately obvious. Here are some translations of Verse 2. 

King James Version: “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies?”

New International Version: “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies?”

New American Standard Version: “An excellent wife, who can find her? For her worth is far above jewels.” 

 A quick survey of the occurrences of Hebrew word hayil in the Old Testament gives these frequencies:    

“valiant/valor” 48 times.

“army/warriors” 13 times

“strong/power/noble” 10 times

“capable/able” 12 times

“wealth/worthy”     8 times

“excellence/virtuous”   3 times

 It would help if we knew where we are in the story, such story as Proverbs has, and if we knew what kind of literature this is. This is the last chapter of the Book of Proverbs, so we might wonder if this is a type of summary or conclusion. If we circle back to the first chapter, we find another prominent woman there, ‘Lady Wisdom’. She too is a kind of superhero, and she is highly recommended to the reader. The intended audience is Solomon’s child, and he is asked to accept Solomon’s words by “making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding … for the LORD gives wisdom…” (2: 2, 6).

 That woman, ‘Lady Wisdom’, shows up again now in the conclusion as a highly capable wife, mother, and entrepreneur, and that’s not all. Here at the end, we return to the metaphor of a 'mighty woman'. The translations that refer to a “good wife,” a “virtuous wife,” or even a “capable wife” do not capture the strength of the Hebrew word in question. Our NRSV’s “woman of strength” and the NIV’s “of noble character” come closer. But remember that the “woman of strength” is a synonym for ‘Lady Wisdom’. 

 That implies that this section, from verses 10 through 31 are a literary account, not an actual description of a wife. Is it literary? Consider this. Verses 10 through 31, are a literary composition. These 22 verses are an acrostic poem composed for this occasion. Acrostic means that each line begins with a word that itself begins with a Hebrew letter. The first line begins with Aleph, then Bet, … and on to the last letter, Tav. Twenty-two letters, twenty-two verses. This is a literary text, a poem, and it is poetic.

 Now we have set the context of this poem and are in a position to make out what it means. Next week.