The Standard For A Virtuous Woman-Proverbs 31

Proverbs 31:10-31
Virtuous: Hebrew-a force, resourceful, valor, strong, worthy.
Dictionary-(Virtue) moral excellence, chaste.
Thesaurus-(Virtue) the quality or state of being morally sound.
Philippians 4:8; 2 Peter 1:3-8
I hope you'll pause just a moment and read this introduction.
I tried to keep it as short as possible. I humbly offer this interpretation of Proverbs 31:10-31. I do not read Greek and Hebrew but do have many books that interpret and explain their words and customs. I am not a Bible scholar & the reason I tell you this is it is important that everyone understands that this is the interpretation given to me by the Holy Spirit for MY life. I study the Word sometimes up to 5 hours a day (usually from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m), I do not, as you can imagine, do this 365 day a year but I do get caught up in it and hate to leave it. The reason I shared that little tidbit of info is so that you will know that this is not something I do lightly. I have a yearning to know the Trinity as fully as any person is allowed. My Bible is a King James Version Scofield Study Bible. PLEASE do not take this as a judgment, it is not meant that way nor was it given in that way, it is a STANDARD. This is the PERFECT woman, which, of course, none of us lays claim to, I don't think. If you read this with the God of love looking over your shoulder you will see here the true role of women, how much God loves us, and the power He placed in our hands. And the women who say, "I'm just a housewife" will discover that they are far, far more than that. Ladies, I leave you to judge if this is the God we serve, speaking to us? When you read the interpretation of verse 25...is this not the concerned and caring God we serve? Who knows better than He that our work is never done? That the responsibilities are so heavy at times that we want to abandon all? That all to often we run on just plain emotions like frustration, anger, disillusionment, discontent & pain? That there are times when we wish we could just drop all the responsibilities and go out and play, as we did as children, without a care in the world? May this bless you as it did me. See you in heaven, playmates.
(Verse 10) Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant man, seeking fine pearls and who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all he had, and bought it.(See Matt. 13: 45, 46).
The woman who uses the above listed attributes to help her husband and raise her children becomes outstanding, out of the ordinary or special. Maybe better described as "peculiar". (See Psalms 135:4)

Price: derived from the original Latin word gives us, in English-appreciate, depreciate, praise & precious.
Ruby: In Hebrew ruby was probably 'pink pearl'. Pearls were important in ancient cultures.
Jesus referred figuratively to pearls as: 'wise thoughts'.(See Matt. 13: 45, 46).
In other words, she appreciates in value, is praised and precious. This generation can surely see why her price would be excessive. Anything rare is almost priceless. And in todays world this is a very rare woman. And the man who finds her will soar above his peers. (See Proverbs 12:4). Crown=honor=high respect, reputation. A woman isn't born virtuous. She can be taught virtue if her mother is a virtuous woman, but to apply it when she marries she needs: Wisdom! Wisdom begins when we honor, respect, esteem and admire the Lord.(See Psalms 111:10). Proverbs 3 tells us how to gain wisdom and note verses 13-18, how similar to the description of a virtuous woman.

In Genesis 29 is the story of Jacob and Rachel. Jacob labored 7 years, 2 times for Rachel, a pearl of great price!
(11) The heart of her husband does safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

"Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it." (Psalms 34:14).
Safely trust: Hebrew-place of refuge, confident, secure, hope.
Spoil: Hebrew-booty, prey, plunder, take. Dictionary: destroy, impair the joy of others, demand, expect much, rob, plunder, take by force.
Wise wives are a husbands refuge, a place of physical & spiritual comfort & understanding. A secure place where a wife shuts out the world & worries for a time. She builds up his confidence so he can face another day of the boss's ridicule, fellow workers rejection, hard labor in the wet & cold, disappointment when his check doesn't equal the work, the effort or the strain & struggle he endured for it. He can be secure in her. Dictionary describes secure: free from fear, care, doubt & anxiety; not likely to fail or give away; firm; strong; stable; reliable; dependable. When he comes home he's not anxious or afraid of what was happening at home or where his wife was all day because she's reliable. If there are problems at home he KNOWS she will handle them with a firm sense of purpose because she is dependable. He looks forward to going home to her comfortable arms & understanding. He will have no need of spoil. A man not satisfied at home or with himself will try to get satisfaction from working harder or from women. (Hab. 2: 5-7). At work he will become aggressive & 'spoil' others for financial gain hoping for praise at home or to give his wife more & more because he thinks she to is dissatisfied. Or he will look to other women where he becomes the 'prey'. (See Isa. 3:14,15; Jer. 30:16; Psalms 23:28). And he will be enticed by his friends to be led astray. (See Prov. 1:10-19).
(12) She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

"By this we know the love of God, because he laid down His life for us; & we ought to lay down our lives for those we love."(1 John 3:16).
Good: Hebrew-beautiful, best, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, gracious, joyful, kindly, loving, merry.
Evil: Hebrew-adversity, affliction, distress, grief, harm, hurt, misery, mischief, sorrow, wretchedness.
Lots of us mistake dressing up and wearing make-up as beauty, assuming this is what the husband wants and thinks is beautiful. But when does he actually, think we are the most beautiful? First thing in the morning before we've combed our hair or washed our faces, most husbands have been known to say, "You are beautiful". Of course, we think he's just being nice and saying something, anything, first thing in the morning. However, he's actually telling us the truth as he sees us, beautiful without all the trimmings. When we are pregnant and can't do a thing with our hair, skin, nails, etc. He's saying how beautiful we are, Pulease! And we think they are hard to please. He does, however, enjoy watching us create beauty. Like when we dress up or when we beautify the house or yard. He enjoys beauty, we just have to figure out what HE thinks is beautiful.
Best in Hebrew means riches, choicest. In our home the men are served first at meals (my way of showing them they had an honored position). The food, bought with his hard earned money was used to make the richest and choicest meals I could afford. And dessert to light up his eyes.
Bountiful in Hebrew means 'treat a person well'; figuratively: serve, yield. Christian women know that satan wants to divide homes not unite them and a good way to divide a home is to convince the women that they are some kind of slave to men. (Mark 3:25). There is a big difference in the definition of the words 'slave' and 'serve'. Serve is an offer of help. Honor comes out of willing service.(John 12:26). It should be an honor to serve as a wife to the man we love and, in that way, serve Jesus also. (Rev. 19:7-9). Jesus didn't think he was a slave when he served us. (See Luke 22:26-27). The Bible is full of passages on serving: Ro. 9:12; Gal. 5:13; Acts 20:19; Ro. 12:11; 1 Tim. 6:1,2.
Jesus said, "Wives submit yourselves to your own husbands as unto the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ's the head [of his bride]; and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore, as the [bride] is subject to Christ; so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything." (See Eph. 5:22-24) .."yeild yourselves to God" (Ro. 6:13). This is the great controversy of today but a virtuous woman is a giver not a taker and doesn't take counsel of the ungodly.(See Psalms 1:1). She lays down her life willingly for the man she marries.(See 1 John 3:16; St John 10:15-18).
Obey: yeild=surrender, give up, soften, relax, comply. Some women reading these words would call them dirty words but women of wisdom recognize these words as peace, joy, loving relationships, quiet candlelight dinners, holding hands, gentle hugs and sweet kisses...YES! We have the tiger by the tail and we know it.

Dictionary:
Adversity: a state of wretchedness
Affliction: pain and suffering
Distress: cause sorrow, misery, trouble; exhaust or weaken with strain
Grief: intense emotional suffering caused by deep sadness or sorrow
Mischief: cause or source of harm, damage or trouble
Misery: condition of great wretchedness or suffering
Wretched: deeply unhappy; miserable
It is better to live in a corner of the attic than with a violently bitter woman in a large house.(Prov.21:9) ....the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.(Prov.19:13; 27:15).
Or paraphrased...the quarreling, arguing wife is like hard rain beating continually on the head. Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop, but a good word maketh it glad. (Prov. 12:25). A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones.(Prov. 17:22). Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish plucks it down with her own hands. (Prov. 14:1).
See how good and pleasant it is to live in harmony. Like the dew that covers everything; sparkles in the light; falls silently and peacefully. (See Psalms 133:1-3 paraphrased).
(13) She seeks wool and flax and works willingly with her hands.
"Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps." (Matt. 25:7).
Seeks: Hebrew=pursue
Wool: Common symbol in Bible times for whiteness and purity.(See Psalms 147:16; Isa.1:18).
Flax: Plant used, among other things, as wicks for lamps in Bible times. (See Isa.42:3).
Works: Hebrew-among many figurative meanings I found: sacrifice, serve, yield.
Willingly: Desire with pleasure.
Hands: Hebrew-symbolizes power.
The wise virgins trimmed their wick, meaning ready, prepared and the word 'trimmed' here in the Hebrew means 'put in proper order'. She pursues purity. (Matt. 5:8). She knows the proper order or direction. She desires, with pleasure, to sacrifice, yield, serve. It is within her power to decide her direction and make her choice willingly.
(14) She is like the merchants' ships; she brings her food from afar.

The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer". (Prov.30:25; 6:6-8).
Food: dictionary-keeps alive; enable growth and repairs tissue.
Food: In the Bible often called 'meat' meaning spiritual food.
Ants are known for their laboring and planning ahead. They can carry several times their own weight and go for a half mile or more in search of food.

Merchants' ships: Bring goods from afar.
Being industrious like the ant she goes far in search of good prices and products. And all the women said, "Amen!" We love a good sale! Symbolically she's willing to go the distance to see her family is physically and spiritually fed.
(15) She rises while it's yet night and gives food to her household and a portion to her maidens.

"Awake up, my glory; awake psaltry and harp. I myself will awake early." (Psalms 57:8). "The hand of the diligent shall bear rule. (Prov.12:34; Luke 12:42).
At 3 a.m. it's still dark out and these are the best hours. When I was young I didn't rise until 7 a.m. There were never enough hours in a day. I'd jump up, get the children fed and off to school. Then I would sit for 2 hours just trying to wake up. Housekeeping began about 10 a.m. at 2 p.m. (if I completed everything in time) I would get a whole hour to myself before the children came home from school and then it was time to start dinner. Now, rising at 3 a.m., I sit for 2 hours to wake up and read, do Bible studies, go through yesterdays mail, etc. Throw clothes in the washer, pick up the house, start breakfast, feed the children and get them off to school, clean the bathroom and make the bed all before 10 a.m. now is my time. I can deep clean, do projects, go to town, watch television, read, etc. for 5 hours!! The children come home, we visit and I fix dinner.
The Lord always wants what is best for us. Rising early we don't feel like one who drudges because we have so much time of our own to do the things we 'want' to do.
(16) She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

"And God blessed them, saying, be fruitful and multiply..." (Gen.1:22).
Hebrew:
Field: spread out; flat.
Buys: to take, accept, reserve, win.
Fruit: (fig.)-bough, fruitful, reward.
Plants: strike in. Dictionary-send down, put forth roots, cause to take root.
Vineyard: garden, increase vineyard.
To me it seems obvious that this verse is symbolic of bearing children.
"Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house; thy children like olive plants round about thy table". (Psalms 128:3). "Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters; she was fruitful and full of branches (children), by reason of many waters". (Ezek. 19:10). "Lo the children are an heritage from the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward". (Psalms 127:3-5). "Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field, let us lodge in the village. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grapes appear and the pomegranates bud forth. There will I give thee my love". (Song of Solomon 7:11, 12).
(17) She girds her loins with strength and strengthens her arms.

"And I will put enmity (hostile, hatred, warfare) between thee (Satan) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed...(Gen.3:15).

Gird: Hebrew-put on (as armor). Bible Dictionary-prepare for strenuous mental activity.(1 Peter 1:1-13).
Loins: Hebrew-to be slender. Bible Dictionary-preparation for the work ahead is to put a belt around the waist t tuck your robe into so your legs won't be hindered.(1 Kings 18:46).
Strength: Hebrew-be alert, stead fast, (fixed, firm, settle) minded. Dictionary-vigor, durability, power to resist, attack.
Arm: symbolic of strength, power and might.
Warfare: women are good at it and recognize the enemy almost any time, any where. Because of the verse in Genesis, written above (Gen.3:15), we can be sure God gave women all the tools they would need to hold off the enemy, resist him, and even attack him.(Eph. 6:11-18).
Christian women who know who they are in Christ have no fear of the enemy but in fact detest him and are continually running him off their turf. Especially if he's messing with her kids. He'll find her a formidable enemy.(2 Tim. 1:7; Acts 19:13-15).
Christian mothers should be teaching their daughters how to fight the enemy. If they don't the Lord surely will, however, if it's learned from mom the willingness and ability to resist Satan comes a lot sooner. Like while they're teens.

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