Proverbs · Chapter 31

V. 1. Lemuel-Of Solomon, by the general consent both of Jewish and Christian writers; this name signifies one from God, or belonging to God, and such an one was Solomon eminently, being given by God to David and Bathsheba, as a pledge of his reconciliation to them after their repentance. Possibly his mother gave him this name to mind him of his great obligations to God, and of the justice of his devoting himself to God’s service.

Verse 1. The words of King Lemuel] Ëlm lawml yrbd dibrey lemuel melech, “The words to Muel the king.” So the Syriac; and so I think it should be read, the l lamed being the article or preposition. But who is Muel or Lemuel? Solomon, according to general opinion; and the mother here mentioned, Bath-sheba. I cannot receive these sayings; for

1. Whoever this was, he appears to have been the first-born of his mother: called here emphatically yncb rb bar bitni, the son of my womb; which is not likely to be true of Solomon, as his mother had been the wife of Uriah, and possibly had borne that rough and faithful soldier some children. 2. It is intimated here that this son had come by a lawful marriage: hence yrdn rb bar nedarai, the son of my vow, her matrimonial covenant; for so it is most natural to understand the words. But is there any proper sense in which we can say that this was correct in reference to David, Bath-sheba, and Solomon? For although the son born in adultery died, it is by no means likely that Bath-sheba made any particular vows relative to Solomon; for of her piety, so much vaunted of by some writers, we yet want the proofs. But, however this may be, there is no evidence whatever that Muel or Lemuel means Solomon; the chapter seems, to be much later than his time, and the several Chaldaisms which occur in the very opening of it are no mean proof of this. If Agur was not the author of it, it may be considered as another supplement to the book of Proverbs. Most certainly Solomon did not write it.

The prophecy that his mother taught him.] avm massa may here signify the oracle; the subject that came by Divine inspiration; see on Proverbs 30:1. From this and some other circumstances it is probable that both these chapters were written by the same author. Houbigant thinks that Massa here is the name of a place; and, therefore, translates, “The words of Lemuel, king of Massa, with which his mother instructed him.”

Verse 1. The words of King Lemuel — Of Solomon, by the general consent both of Jewish and Christian writers: this name signifies one from God, or, belonging to God, and such a one was Solomon eminently, being given by God to David and Bath-sheba as a pledge of his reconciliation to them after their repentance. Possibly his mother gave him this name to remind him of his great obligations to God, and of the justice and necessity of his devoting himself to God’s service. It must be acknowledged, some have doubted whether Lemuel was not a different person; but, according to Dr. Delaney and many others, without sufficient reason. “I know,” says that judicious divine: “that some modern critics, contrary to the unanimous judgment and tradition of all antiquity, have raised some scruples upon this head, as if Lemuel were not Solomon, but some other king, they know not who. I have examined them with all the care and candour I am capable of, and conclude, upon the whole, that their objections are such as my readers, of best understandings, would be little obliged to me either for retailing or refuting.”

Verse 1. The words of king Lemuel. Ancient kings had many names and surnames which embarrass history. The first name of Solomon was Jedidiah, or Jedid-jah, beloved of God. 2 Samuel 12:25. Lemuel is analyzed, la wml Lemo-ail, sacred to God. Solomon’s appointment to the throne was also of God, he being the youngest was preferred before his elder brethren. But if another conjecture should be true, that Lemuel was a prince in a neighbouring kingdom to Israel, and his mother was a descendant of David’s house, the doctrine of this chapter is not the less worthy of sacred regard.

1. Words of King Lemuel — This must be understood in a loose sense, not as if he was the author of them, but rather the subject, or the person to whom they were addressed; unless, indeed, we suppose, as is possible, that what we have here are indeed the words composed by Lemuel himself, in which he reduces to poetic form the wholesome instructions and precepts in which he was educated by his excellent mother. Thus they would be the “words of Lemuel,” but comprehending the teachings of his mother. The Syriac takes the first letter of the name as the lamedh auctoris, like dwdl, (ledhavidh,) a psalm of David, and thus gives the name simply as Muel. This might be admissible in the first verse, but not in the fourth, where we have the name in the vocative, and where the lamedh could not be so resolved. Miller translates the word, “Seed of God.” With him Muel is Christ, and his mother is Mary!

V. 2. What-A short speech, arguing her great passion for him; what words shall I take? What counsels shall I give thee? My heart is full, but where shall I begin? Of my womb-My son, not by adoption, but whom I bare in the womb, and therefore it is my duty to give thee admonitions, and thine to receive them. My vows-On whose behalf I have made many prayers and sacrifices, and solemn vows to God; whom I have, as far as in me lay, devoted to the work, and service, and glory of God.

Verse 2. What, my son?] The Chaldee rb bar is used twice in this verse, instead of the Hebrew בנ ben, son. This verse is very elliptical; and commentators, according to their different tastes, have inserted words, indeed some of them a whole sentence, to make up the sense. Perhaps Coverdale has hit the sense as nearly as any other: “These are the wordes of Kynge Lemuel; and the lesson that his mother taughte him. My sonne, thou son of my body, O my deare beloved sonne!”

The son of my vows?] A child born after vows made for offsprings is called the child of a person’s vows.

Verse 2. What, my son — A short speech, arguing her great passion for him; what words shall I take? What counsels shall I give thee? My heart is full; I must give it vent; but where shall I begin? What, the son of my womb — My son, not by adoption, but whom I bare in the womb, and therefore it is my duty to give thee admonitions, and thine to receive them. What, the son of my vows — On whose behalf I have made many prayers and sacrifices, and solemn vows to God; whom I have, as far as in me lay, devoted to the work, and service, and glory of God.

Ver. 2. What, my son? She addresses the young king with a feeling heart, and in poetic boldness. What, my son? What, the son of my womb, the son of my vows; do I see in thee youthful propensities, which I wish to check in their earliest dawn?

2. What, my son? This is the language of strong emotion and affection — brief, elliptical, and leaving something for the imagination to supply. These repeated interrogations denote great earnestness in demanding attention. Zockler renders: “O, my son! O, thou son of my womb!” etc. “She claims heedful attention to what must readily suggest itself, his relations and duties as a son and a sovereign.” — Conant. In this verse we meet with the unusual word rb, (bar,) son, instead of the usual ˆb, ben. It occurs three times here, and only once elsewhere, in the Hebrew portion of the Bible, (Psalm 2:12,) though it is usual in the Chaldee parts of the book, and is the ordinary Chaldee word for son. Hence some have been disposed to regard this chapter as of Chaldee origin, or, at least, as belonging to the later Hebrew, in which Chaldaisms are found. To this purpose is adduced the form ˆyklm, (melakhin,) in verse 3, instead of µyklm, (melakhim,) kings. But this conclusion does not necessarily follow, for poetry often avoids common terms, and employs for its peculiar purposes those which are either new, antiquated, or unusual. Besides, bar, in this sense, is not necessarily Chaldee, but may be legitimately derived from bara, (see Gesenius,) or from barar, as a term of affection or endearment — my beloved — my precious one. Son of my womb — A son given in answer to vows made before his birth, (see 1 Samuel 1:11,) or concerning whom she had offered many prayers and vows subsequently, that he might be preserved, rightly guided, and rightly influenced. The words express vehement maternal tenderness, and solicitude for the welfare and well-doing of a beloved child, and are probably to be understood as the habitual mood and manner of the queen mother.

V. 3. Strength-The vigour of thy mind and body. Ways-Thy conversation, repeated in other words.

Verse 3. Give not thy strength] Do not waste thy substance on women. In such intercourse the strength of body, soul and substance is destroyed. Such connections are those which destroy kings, מלכינ melachin, the Chaldee termination instead of the Hebrew.

Verse 3. Give not thy strength unto women — The vigour of thy mind and body, which is greatly impaired by inordinate lusts, as all physicians agree, and frequent experience shows; nor thy ways — Thy conversation or course of life; to that which destroyeth kings — The same thing repeated in other words, as is very usual in these books; to the immoderate love of women, which is most destructive to kings and kingdoms, as was well known to Solomon, by the example of his father David, and by many other sad examples, left upon record in all histories.

Ver. 3. Give not thy strength unto women. Excess of connubial pleasures will degrade thy character, weaken thy intellect, and superinduce infirmities of age in the middle of life. Marriage therefore, without the strictest chastity, is not pleasing to God; and young men should most cautiously avoid all habits which injure the health, and degrade the soul. This address was highly proper to an eastern prince; for the princes of Asia were haughty and corrupt beyond a name.

3. Give not thy strength — The first clause warns Lemuel against the excessive indulgence of the appetites, (verses 3, 4.) Youths of every class are in great danger from this cause; but particularly youthful princes, who have greater opportunities of indulgence than others. The same is true of all in the more elevated positions of affluence. They can more readily command the means of gratifying their unlawful desires. This has always been remarkably the case with the more wealthy and powerful in Asiatic countries, where polygamy and concubinage exist as ancient and accepted institutions, sanctioned by immemorial usage. Indeed, a large harem, or seraglio, is rather regarded as a part of the necessary state of a chief or ruler, and indispensable to the respectability of the throne. This thoughtful mother had seen the evils flowing from this fruitful source, and warned her beloved son against them. This was the rock on which Solomon himself was wrecked. “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was (or had been) beloved of his God, and God made (had made) him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish (foreign, strange) women cause to sin.” Nehemiah 13:26.

V. 4. To drink-To excess.

Verse 4. It is not for kings-to drink wine] An intemperate man is ill fit to hold the reins of government.

Verses 4-7. It is not for kings to drink wine — Namely, to excess, as the next verse explains it: Lest they drink and forget the law — The laws of God, by which they are to govern themselves and their kingdoms; and pervert the judgment of the afflicted — Which may be easily done by a drunken judge, because drunkenness deprives a man of the use of his reason; by which alone men can distinguish between right and wrong, and withal stirs up those passions in him, which incline him both to precipitation and partiality. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish — To faint; for such need a cordial. This is to be understood comparatively; to him rather than to kings, because he needs a liberal draught of it more than they do. Let him drink and forget his poverty — For wine moderately used allays men’s cares and fears, and cheers the spirits.

Ver. 4. It is not for kings to drink wine. She cautions him against wine, often productive of the crimes before mentioned. And if we may credit Xenophon’s Cyropædia, lib. 1., scenes of intoxication were habitual in the court of Ecbatana. When young men live too free, it forces the constitution as a plant in a hothouse: an abstemious temperance is a most hopeful ornament in the character of youth. It is better to give the wine to the sick and the dying, than waste it after a luxuriant dinner. The harem, and the festive board, have been the destruction of kings. What can a numerous race of seventy sons do for the support of the throne? They pull it down by oppression and luxury; they destroy the peace of the family by their quarrels, often killing one another; the jealousy of so many queens must communicate their miseries to the monarch’s mind. Corpulency steals on his body, while his intellectual powers and passions approximate to those of the brutes. God made Adam but one wife; and those who violate the pure laws of nature must be daily drenched with the bitter cup of their own mixing.

4. Nor for princes strong drink — Or, the desire of strong drink. rkv, (shekhar,) rendered strong drink, usually means any kind of fermented drink other than wine, and sometimes means wine, or is so rendered, as in Numbers 28:7. There is nothing in the etymology of the word requiring our qualifying term strong. Nor is the qualifier used as distinguishing it from wine, or as compared with wine; but as distinguishing it from other drinks, as water, milk, etc., which possess no inebriating properties. It is the sikera of the Greeks, (see Luke 1:15.) Besides wine, which is properly the juice of the grape, the Hebrews and other ancients manufactured drinks possessing exhilarating and intoxicating qualities from other fruits also, as the date and apple; from grain, as barley; from honey, etc. Shekhar, or sikera, seems to have been a generic term applied to any and all of these drinks. It is generally distinguished from wine, and the poets often use shekhar in one member and ˆyy, (yayin,) wine, in the other member of a verse or distich. It is probable that fermented wine was the strongest drink known to the Hebrews, except such as were mixed with drugs to increase their intoxicating properties. These mixed wines, or other mixed beverages, are also sometimes called shekhar. Isaiah 5:22. Compare Proverbs xxiii, 29, et seq., and notes.

Verse 5. Lest they drink, and forget the law] When they should be administering justice, they are found incapable of it; or, if they go into the judgment-seat, may pervert justice.

Verses 4-7. It is not for kings to drink wine — Namely, to excess, as the next verse explains it: Lest they drink and forget the law — The laws of God, by which they are to govern themselves and their kingdoms; and pervert the judgment of the afflicted — Which may be easily done by a drunken judge, because drunkenness deprives a man of the use of his reason; by which alone men can distinguish between right and wrong, and withal stirs up those passions in him, which incline him both to precipitation and partiality. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish — To faint; for such need a cordial. This is to be understood comparatively; to him rather than to kings, because he needs a liberal draught of it more than they do. Let him drink and forget his poverty — For wine moderately used allays men’s cares and fears, and cheers the spirits.

5. Lest they — Rather, he. Drink,… forget… law — qqjm,

(mehhukkak,) that which is prescribed, the statute applicable to the particular case. The reasons here given for rulers, judges, princes, etc., abstaining from intoxicating drinks, are very similar to those given to the priests in Leviticus 10:10, 11. No drunkard should be intrusted with authority or rule, either in civil, military, or ecclesiastical affairs. Property, character, life, and the immortal interests of the soul, are too precious to be committed to the decisions of a man whose intellect is at all beclouded by the fumes of alcohol. For a biblical example of kingly drunkenness, see 1 Kings 16:9.

These verses should not, perhaps, be construed as containing a positive prohibition of wine and other strong drinks, even to Lemuel, any more than the caution in the third verse against giving his strength to women is to he considered as a prohibition of marriage. The object of the language was probably to guard him against excess in the gratification of his appetites. But, on the other hand, whatever may have been the implied limitations of the self-denial commended, it remains true, as a matter of fact, that the great danger lies in too much rather than in too little indulgence; and that, so far as the use of intoxicating drinks is concerned, the general rule is, that he who uses them least, or not at all, is the safest. For, as shown elsewhere, (Proverbs 23:29, et seq.,) the habit of using these beverages is insidious, and ever tending to greater and greater strength and greater danger of excess. Moreover, the sacred word is not without commendations of total abstinence, as in the case of the Rechabites, (Jeremiah 35:6, 7; 1 Chronicles 2:55,) and the superior excellence of total abstinence is implied in the case of the Nazarites and others. When we come to the new dispensation, though the drinking of wine and strong drink is not prohibited in form, but, on the contrary, has the seeming sanction of our Saviour and his apostles, as pertaining to a Christian man’s liberty, yet, when from any cause that liberty becomes an occasion of stumbling to others, it is most imperatively obligatory upon us to abstain totally from the exercise of it. The principle is broadly laid down by the apostle, (Romans 14:20, 21,) “All things [all kinds of food] indeed are pure; [in themselves they are not ceremonially unclean to the Christian;] but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.” While, therefore, a Christian may not always feel himself under obligations to abstain from wine for his own sake, either because it is directly prohibited or is injurious to him, he may, nevertheless, feel himself obliged to practise self-denial for the benefit of others and the general good. Most Christian men in this country feel that this is no time to give the sanction of their example to a custom so terribly fruitful of evil as is the use of intoxicating beverages.

V. 6. To perish-To faint; for such need a cordial.

Verse 6. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish] We have already seen, that inebriating drinks were mercifully given to condemned criminals, to render them less sensible of the torture they endured in dying. This is what was offered to our Lord; but he refused it. See Clarke’s note on “Psalm 104:15”.

Verses 4-7. It is not for kings to drink wine — Namely, to excess, as the next verse explains it: Lest they drink and forget the law — The laws of God, by which they are to govern themselves and their kingdoms; and pervert the judgment of the afflicted — Which may be easily done by a drunken judge, because drunkenness deprives a man of the use of his reason; by which alone men can distinguish between right and wrong, and withal stirs up those passions in him, which incline him both to precipitation and partiality. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish — To faint; for such need a cordial. This is to be understood comparatively; to him rather than to kings, because he needs a liberal draught of it more than they do. Let him drink and forget his poverty — For wine moderately used allays men’s cares and fears, and cheers the spirits.

6, 7. Give strong drink — That is, rather give it in suitable quantities to those who really need it, to support their fainting spirits under the influence of any trouble or calamity. The use prescribed here is a medicinal one. Him… ready to perish — Or the perishing one — faint of body or of mind, or both. Such a one may need a stimulant. Heavy hearts — Bitter of soul or life; those who are bowed down under the weight of grievous troubles. From this passage is said to have arisen the custom of administering stupifying potions — wine mingled with myrrh or gall — to criminals when going to execution, for the purpose of rendering them less sensitive to pain. Such was offered to our Lord, (Matthew 27:34; Mark 15:23,) “but he received it not.” In accordance with this passage, it was a custom among the Jews to carry provisions to those who were mourning for the dead, especially alter the funeral. Jewish mournings were excessive and long continued. They sat on the ground, and sometimes refused to eat. They spoke not unless spoken to. Their friends, in due time, visited them to comfort them, and supply their wants with bread and wine. The bread was called the bread of bitterness, and the wine, the cup of consolation. Compare 2 Samuel 3:35; Psalm 104:15; Jeremiah 16:4, 7; Hosea 9:4; Ezekiel 24:16, 17; John 11:19.

Verses 4-7. It is not for kings to drink wine — Namely, to excess, as the next verse explains it: Lest they drink and forget the law — The laws of God, by which they are to govern themselves and their kingdoms; and pervert the judgment of the afflicted — Which may be easily done by a drunken judge, because drunkenness deprives a man of the use of his reason; by which alone men can distinguish between right and wrong, and withal stirs up those passions in him, which incline him both to precipitation and partiality. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish — To faint; for such need a cordial. This is to be understood comparatively; to him rather than to kings, because he needs a liberal draught of it more than they do. Let him drink and forget his poverty — For wine moderately used allays men’s cares and fears, and cheers the spirits.

6, 7. Give strong drink — That is, rather give it in suitable quantities to those who really need it, to support their fainting spirits under the influence of any trouble or calamity. The use prescribed here is a medicinal one. Him… ready to perish — Or the perishing one — faint of body or of mind, or both. Such a one may need a stimulant. Heavy hearts — Bitter of soul or life; those who are bowed down under the weight of grievous troubles. From this passage is said to have arisen the custom of administering stupifying potions — wine mingled with myrrh or gall — to criminals when going to execution, for the purpose of rendering them less sensitive to pain. Such was offered to our Lord, (Matthew 27:34; Mark 15:23,) “but he received it not.” In accordance with this passage, it was a custom among the Jews to carry provisions to those who were mourning for the dead, especially alter the funeral. Jewish mournings were excessive and long continued. They sat on the ground, and sometimes refused to eat. They spoke not unless spoken to. Their friends, in due time, visited them to comfort them, and supply their wants with bread and wine. The bread was called the bread of bitterness, and the wine, the cup of consolation. Compare 2 Samuel 3:35; Psalm 104:15; Jeremiah 16:4, 7; Hosea 9:4; Ezekiel 24:16, 17; John 11:19.

V. 8. The dumb-For such as cannot speak in their own cause, either through ignorance, or because of the dread of their more potent adversaries. Destruction-Who, without such succour from the judges, are like to be utterly ruined.

Verse 8. Open thy mouth for the dumb] For such accused persons as have no counsellors, and cannot plead for themselves. Are appointed to destruction.] ãwlj ynb beney chaloph, variously translated, children of passage—indigent travellers; children of desolation—those who have no possessions, or orphans. I believe it either signifies those who are strangers, and are travelling from place to place, or those who are ready to perish in consequence of want or oppression.

Verse 8. Open thy mouth — Speak freely and impartially, as becomes a king and a judge to do: for the dumb — For such as cannot speak in their own cause, either through ignorance, or because of the dread of their more potent adversaries. In the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction — Who, without such succour from the judges, are likely to be utterly ruined.

Ver. 8. Open thy mouth for the dumb. She charged him when on the bench of justice to advocate the cause of the dumb; for countrymen introduced into a court cannot talk there as at home, how good soever their cause may be. Chastity, temperance, and justice, are high virtues in the humble character; but in a prince they shine with a lustre which dazzles the eyes of an empire.

8. For the dumb — Not merely those deprived of speech, but also those who are unable from any cause to plead their own cause; defend the defenceless. Such as are appointed to destruction — Sons of those passed away; that is, for every orphan. Be the patron of all the bereaved and helpless. “Favour the cause or right of all orphan children.” — Zockler and Conant.

9. Plead the cause — Vindicate the right of the poor and the needy. The language and ideas are very similar to some portions of Psalm 72. Compare verses 2, 4, 12-14 of that psalm. It is possible that the author was familiar with that beautiful production.

THE MODEL WIFE.

V. 10. A virtuous woman-Here he lays down several qualifications of an excellent wife, which are delivered in alphabetical order, each verse beginning with a several letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Verse 10. Who can find a virtuous woman?] This and the following verses are acrostic, each beginning with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet: Proverbs 31:10, a aleph; Proverbs 31:11, b beth; Proverbs 31:12, g gimel; and so on to the end of the chapter, the last verse of which has the letter t tau. From this to the end of the chapter we have the character of a woman of genuine worth laid down; first, in general, Proverbs 31:10-12; secondly, in its particular or component parts, Proverbs 31:13-29; and, thirdly, the summing up of the character, Proverbs 31:30, 31.

I. Her general character.

1. She is a virtuous woman—a woman of power and strength. lyj tva esheth chayil, a strong or virtuous wife, full of mental energy.

2. She is invaluable; her price is far above rubies—no quantity of precious stones can be equal to her worth.

Verse 10. Who can find a virtuous woman? — Here he lays down several qualifications of an excellent wife, which are delivered in alphabetical order, each verse beginning with a several letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It may be proper to observe here, that the versions, in general, agree in reading this, a strong woman, the words, lyj tva, being literally, a woman of strength, or firmness: but then it must be observed, that it is equally applicable to strength of body or strength of mind: and therefore may with great propriety be rendered, as in our translation, a virtuous woman, or a woman of a strong, firm, and excellent mind.

Ver. 10. Who can find a virtuous woman? We have next an acrostic, comprising the twenty two letters of the alphabet, a fine poem in praise of a virtuous woman. It opens with a boldness peculiar to ancient poetry. Who can find a virtuous woman, a woman of a strong and noble mind? And truly he who is so favoured receives one of God’s best gifts; and he is indeed a Nabal who does not prove himself worthy of so great a gift. Her leading virtues are classed under seven heads.

(1) She is industrious in business. She girds her waist to labour, and takes the lead in the manufacture of wool and flax established in her house. The work of her hands is admired in distant nations. How different from the polished ladies of Jerusalem, Isaiah 3:16, and the ladies of modern Europe. Sardanapalus, effeminate as he was, assigned his ladies their tasks at the distaff. Justin, lib. 1. cap. 3.

(2) Encreasing in opulence by industry, she purchases land when offered for sale. So husbandry and trade shake hands, and wealth flows from every source. It is as the accession of rivulets which augment the stream.

(3) As riches encrease, she augments her benevolence and bounty to the poor and needy. The blind and the lame eat in her house, the widow tells her troubles there, and finds compassion and comfort; and the orphans are sheltered and employed under her roof. Thus it is that heaven takes delight to entrust its treasures in bounteous hands.

(4) The virtuous woman elevates her husband to wealth, honour and happiness. He is honoured by the public as a happy man, and head of a rising house. When he takes his seat in the gate, where sitting magistrates judge causes, he is known or reverenced by the public.

(5) When critical affairs happen in her house, she opens her mouth in wisdom.

(6) So when introduced into company, and company the best informed, she knows when to speak, and when to be silent; then no one will controvert her words, but all applaud her judgment.

(7) Her husband and children bless her in life, and posterity will revere her memory. Envy and rivalship subside with death; then the public appreciates worth with a sober decision. Then this woman’s virtues will be held up as the glory of her house, and the model of her age. Then this woman’s worth will be found to be more than the favour of princes, for they may discard a favourite in a moment; and her virtues will far exceed beauty, for that fades with sickness, and vanishes in death; but her virtues live for ever, because they were done in the fear of the Lord; and the noble motives of piety conferred a celestial lustre on all her conduct. The day a man receives the hand of so much worth, his cup begins to overflow with the richest favours of God’s providence. The christian fathers, in their allegorical mode of exposition, make this woman a figure of the church.

10. Who can find a virtuous woman — This translation is unhappy. First, the word “virtuous,” whatever may have been its original sense, now lost, according to its common modern use, as applied to woman, does not convey the idea of the original: for lyj tva, (esheth hhayil,) does not mean a chaste woman. Chaste the woman is who here sits for her picture; but this is a matter of course, and is quietly assumed, not only here, but throughout the whole piece. There is a beauty in this fact. It would have been a poor compliment to a noble-minded. God-fearing Hebrew lady, as it is to a Christian, to say that she was a chaste woman. She is in this respect not only above reproach and above suspicion, but her character forbids the matter to be raised as a subject of thought. It is not mentioned or alluded to. We have scarcely any English word that conveys the exact and full force of the original hhayil. The versions generally render it by strength, or some equivalent — that is, a strong wife. The Septuagint has andreian — manly, brave, courageous; the Vulgate, followed by the Douay, valiant, which is not a bad rendering. Stuart translates, “a woman of energy,” which comes as near the idea as any other one word. The original involves the notion of strength, force, energy, ability, capability, bravery, valour, (with such modification as female character would imply,) every element fitting her for her station, and those in a high degree. It embraces the physical, intellectual, and moral: a woman capable of doing, being, and enduring all that pertains to a wife, and that in an heroic manner: not the wife of a person in lowly station, but in the higher walks of society — the wife of a magistrate or prince.

Secondly, the translation is rather too literal to convey what we conceive to be the meaning and force of the original sentence. The interrogative form in our language implies a negation: “Who can find?” equivalent to, no one can find. This would be horrible, if we were to take virtuous, here, in our modern sense, as applied to a woman. The writer evidently intended no such disparagement of woman in general; not even if we tone down the implied answer into, such a one can scarcely be found. The true link will appear by a very slight change, abundantly warranted by the Hebrew idiom — Who will find (me) a suitable wife? which again is equal to, “O that I might find,” etc. It is the expression of an ardent desire to find a wife of superior excellences, rather than a reflection on the sex and a note of despair. The Hebrew scholar need scarcely be reminded of the frequent use of the particle ym, (mi,) as expressing a wish or desire. (See Gesenius under the word.) The following is a free translation according to the sense: —

O that I might find a brave wife!

For her value is far beyond that of pearls!

This makes a proper introduction to the particulars that follow. The common version does not.

V. 11. No need-He shall have no need to use indirect courses to get wealth.

Verse 11. The heart of her husband]

3. She is an unspotted wife. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her-he knows she will take care that a proper provision is made for his household, and will not waste any thing. He has no need for spoil-he is not obliged to go out on predatory excursions, to provide for his family, at the expense of the neighbouring tribes.

Verses 11, 12. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her — For the prudent and faithful management of all his domestic affairs, which are committed to her care; so that he shall have no need of spoil — The sense is, either, 1st, He shall want no necessary provisions for his family, which are sometimes called spoil, or prey: or, 2d, He shall not need to use indirect and unlawful courses to get wealth, as by cheating, or oppressing his subjects, or others, as princes have often done to maintain the luxury of their wives, and as Solomon himself afterward did: because all shall abundantly be supplied to him by her providence. She will do him good, &c. — She will improve and not waste his estate.

11. No need of spoil — Rather, he shall not lack income, domestic prosperity. “Spoil” is here used in a tropical sense, though one of its definitions suits well here: “That which is gained by strength or effort.” — Webster.

The heart of her husband confides in her:

He shall never lack domestic prosperity.

The meaning is, that such is her skill and care in the management of her domestic affairs, that her husband has full confidence that he shall suffer no loss; but, on the contrary, be largely benefited by her vigorous and well-directed exertions. “The Oriental husband, in many instances, is by no means confident that his wife can be trusted, and that she will always consult his interest, and not his injury. Hence, he commonly keeps a watch over her, and places all articles under lock and key. He trusts more in hired guards and iron locks than in his wife.” — Muenscher. This is one of the natural results of polygamy and concubinage.

Verse 12. She will do him good]

4. She has her husband’s happiness in view constantly. She recompenses all his kindness to her in beneficent acts. For kind words she returns kind deeds. 1. Her good is unmixed; she will do him good, and not evil. 2. Her good is not capricious; it is constant and permanent, while she and her husband live. His heart safely trusts in her, for she will do him good all the days of her life. This is her general character.

Verses 11, 12. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her — For the prudent and faithful management of all his domestic affairs, which are committed to her care; so that he shall have no need of spoil — The sense is, either, 1st, He shall want no necessary provisions for his family, which are sometimes called spoil, or prey: or, 2d, He shall not need to use indirect and unlawful courses to get wealth, as by cheating, or oppressing his subjects, or others, as princes have often done to maintain the luxury of their wives, and as Solomon himself afterward did: because all shall abundantly be supplied to him by her providence. She will do him good, &c. — She will improve and not waste his estate.

12, 13. She will do him good — This is a continuation of the thought in the latter part of the preceding verse. So far the terms are general. The speaker now descends to particulars. Seeketh wool… flax — Either from flock or field. Worketh willingly with her hands — Literally, with the delight of her hands. “Every kind of drapery for the person, the tent, or the house, was manufactured by the women at home, who made it a matter of pride to be able to boast that their husband and children were entirely clad by the labour of their own hands.” — Kitto. Women of the highest rank, the wives and daughters of nobles and kings, in ancient times devoted themselves to spinning, weaving, and other processes in the manufacture of clothing for their own use, and that of their families, as also for sale in the markets. There are frequent allusions to this in the Scriptures, and in the Greek and Roman classics. While the pursuits of husbandry — the labours of the field — employed: —

“The king and awful fathers of mankind,”

the women of their households managed the domestic affairs, preparing both the food and the clothing of their families. Where so much had to be accomplished in the home circle, we see the reason of the value attached to capability and energy in the wife, that she might attend wisely and well to the complicated arts of her establishment.

V. 13. Flax-That she may find employment for her servants. Worketh-She encourages them to work by her example; which was a common practice among princesses in those first ages. Not that it is the duty of kings and queens to use manual operations, but it is the duty of all persons, the greatest not excepted, to improve all their talents, and particularly their time, which is one of the noblest of them, to the service of that God to whom they must give an account, and to the good of that community to which they are related.

Verse 13. She seeketh wood and flax, and worketh willingly, &c.] II. This is the second part of her character, giving the particulars of which it is composed.

1. She did not buy ready woven cloth: she procured the raw material, if wool, most probably from her own flocks; if flax, most probably from her own fields.

2. Here she manufactured; for she worketh willingly with her hands. And all her labour is a cheerful service; her will, her heart, is in it. It needs no arguments to prove that women, even of the highest ranks, among the Greeks, Romans, and Israelites, worked with their hands at every kind of occupation necessary for the support of the family. This kind of employment was not peculiar to the virtuous woman in the text.

Verses 13, 14. She seeketh wool and flax — That she may find employment for her servants, and not suffer them to spend their time unprofitably. And worketh willingly with her hands — She encourages them to work by her example; which was a common practice among princesses in those first ages. Not that it is the duty of kings and queens to use manual operations, but it is the duty of all persons, the greatest not excepted, to improve all their talents, and particularly their time, which is one of the noblest of them, to the service of that God to whom they must give an account, and to the good of that community to which they are related. She bringeth her food from afar — By the sale of her home-spun commodities she purchases the choicest goods which come from far countries.

12, 13. She will do him good — This is a continuation of the thought in the latter part of the preceding verse. So far the terms are general. The speaker now descends to particulars. Seeketh wool… flax — Either from flock or field. Worketh willingly with her hands — Literally, with the delight of her hands. “Every kind of drapery for the person, the tent, or the house, was manufactured by the women at home, who made it a matter of pride to be able to boast that their husband and children were entirely clad by the labour of their own hands.” — Kitto. Women of the highest rank, the wives and daughters of nobles and kings, in ancient times devoted themselves to spinning, weaving, and other processes in the manufacture of clothing for their own use, and that of their families, as also for sale in the markets. There are frequent allusions to this in the Scriptures, and in the Greek and Roman classics. While the pursuits of husbandry — the labours of the field — employed: —

“The king and awful fathers of mankind,”

the women of their households managed the domestic affairs, preparing both the food and the clothing of their families. Where so much had to be accomplished in the home circle, we see the reason of the value attached to capability and energy in the wife, that she might attend wisely and well to the complicated arts of her establishment.

V. 14. From afar-By the sale of her home-spun commodities she purchases the choicest goods which come from far countries.

Verse 14. She is like the merchants’ ships]

3. She acts like merchants. If she buy any thing for her household, she sells sufficient of her own manufactures to pay for it; if she imports, she exports: and she sends articles of her own manufacturing or produce to distant countries; she traffics with the neighbouring tribes.

Verses 13, 14. She seeketh wool and flax — That she may find employment for her servants, and not suffer them to spend their time unprofitably. And worketh willingly with her hands — She encourages them to work by her example; which was a common practice among princesses in those first ages. Not that it is the duty of kings and queens to use manual operations, but it is the duty of all persons, the greatest not excepted, to improve all their talents, and particularly their time, which is one of the noblest of them, to the service of that God to whom they must give an account, and to the good of that community to which they are related. She bringeth her food from afar — By the sale of her home-spun commodities she purchases the choicest goods which come from far countries.

14. She bringeth her food from afar — What she needs for sustenance, for convenience, for ornament, which she does not produce herself, she procures by exchange of commodities. She exports and imports. She carries on a profitable commerce.

V. 15. Giveth-Distributes all necessary provisions.

Verse 15. She riseth also while it is yet night]

4. She is an economist of time; and when the nights are long, and the days short, her family not only spend a part of the evening after sunset in domestic labour, but they all arise before daylight, and prepare the day’s food, that they may not have their labour interrupted. To those who are going to the fields, and to the flocks, she gives the food necessary for the day: ãrc teref, prey, a term taken from hunting, the object of which was, the supplying their natural wants: hence applied to daily food. See Clarke’s notes on “Proverbs 30:8”. And to the women who are to be employed within, she gives qj chok, the task—the kind of work they are to do, the materials out of which they are to form it, and the quantity she expects from each. Thus all the servants are settled: their food, work, and tasks appointed. Every thing is done orderly.

Verse 15. She riseth while it is yet night — “She doth not indulge herself in too much sleep, but is an early riser, before the break of day, to make provision for those who are to go abroad to work in the fields, and to set her maidens their several tasks at home. The reader will observe that the ideas here refer to those modest and ancient times when female occupations were far different: even of the highest rank, from such as are usual in modern times.” — Dodd.

15. A portion — The allotted portion, or the assigned tasks. It is the same word as in Proverbs 30:8, which see. While it is yet night — That is, before daylight. The Orientals generally rise very early in the morning. The excessive heat of the day frequently renders labour, especially out of doors, insupportable. Hence, a great deal of business is transacted, even in royal courts, at a very early hour. The women usually rise earlier than the men, often long before day, engaging busily in the preparation of their meals, and in the various manufactures for the household and for sale.

V. 16. Considereth-Whether it be fit for her use. The fruit-With the effects of her diligence. Planteth-She improves the land to the best advantage.

Verse 16. She considereth a field and buyeth it]

5. She provides for the growing wants of her family. More land will shortly be needed, for the family is growing up; and having seen a field contiguous to her own, which was on sale, she estimates its worth, and purchases it a good bargain; and she pays for it by the fruit of her own industry.

6. She does not restrict herself to the bare necessaries of life; she is able to procure some of its comforts. She plants a vineyard, that she may have wine for a beverage, for medicine, and for sacrifice. This also is procured of her own labour. Whatever goes out brings its worth in; and barter, not buying, is her chief mode of traffic.

Verse 16. She considereth a field — Whether it be fit for use and of a reasonable price, and how she may purchase it. This excludes the rashness, as the proceeding to buy it excludes the inconstancy, which is often incident to that sex; with the fruit of her hands — With the effects of her diligence; she planteth a vineyard — She improveth the land to the best advantage.

16. She considereth a field — Sets her mind upon it, estimates its worth, and plans the means of purchasing it. Literally, she takes it. With the fruit of her hands — The product of her labour. She planteth a vineyard — Or, as some read, the fruit of her hands is the planting of a vineyard. These various items mark the industry, economy, and thrift of the energetic and capable woman. They are strongly “in contrast with the degradation to which woman has fallen under the later polygamy of the East.” — Speaker’s Com.

V. 17. Girdeth-She uses great diligence and expedition in her employment; for which end, men in those times used to gird up their long and loose garments about their loins. Strengtheneth-Puts forth her utmost strength in her business.

Verse 17. She girdeth her loins with strength]

7. She takes care of her own health and strength, not only by means of useful labour, but by healthy exercise. She avoids what might enervate her body, or soften her mind-she is ever active, and girt ready for every necessary exercise. Her loins are firm, and her arms strong.

Verses 17, 18. She girdeth her loins with strength — She uses great diligence and expedition in her employment; for which end, men in those times used to gird up their long and loose garments about their loins. And strengtheneth her arms — Puts forth her utmost strength in her business. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good — She finds great comfort and good success in her labours. Her candle goeth not out by night — Which is not to be taken strictly, but only signifies her unwearied care and industry.

17. She girdeth her loins with strength — The Orientals wear loose flowing robes, which need to be girded close to the body, or tucked up, when they engage in any active employment. The figure denotes her activity and energy. “She walks about.” says Patrick, “with great expedition, tucking up her garments that she may be fit for motion anywhere, and not minding clothes more than her business, nor neglecting it for fear of spoiling them; but prefers strength in her arms, acquired by labour, before the ornaments wherewith they are wont to be adorned.”

V. 18. Perceiveth-She finds great comfort in her labours. Her candle-Which is not to be taken strictly, but only signifies her unwearied care and industry.

Verse 18. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good]

8. She takes care to manufacture the best articles of the kind, and to lay on a reasonable price that she may secure a ready sale. Her goods are in high repute, and she knows she can sell as much as she can make. And she finds that while she pleases her customers, she increases her own profits.

9. She is watchful and careful. Her candle-her lamp, burns all night, which is of great advantage in case of sudden alarms; and in the times and places where there were so many banditti, this was a very necessary family regulation. Perhaps some works were carried on during the night, those employed sleeping in the daytime. Thus labour never stood still; whilst some slept, others worked. This was no unusual thing in ancient times; and it prevails now; but alas! little children are often thus employed to help to support their indigent parents, and to fill the coffers of their unfeeling taskmasters.

Verses 17, 18. She girdeth her loins with strength — She uses great diligence and expedition in her employment; for which end, men in those times used to gird up their long and loose garments about their loins. And strengtheneth her arms — Puts forth her utmost strength in her business. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good — She finds great comfort and good success in her labours. Her candle goeth not out by night — Which is not to be taken strictly, but only signifies her unwearied care and industry.

18. She perceiveth — Literally, tastes, proves. Her merchandise is good — Valuable, profitable, and highly appreciated, and this makes her all the more industrious; so that sometimes, at least, she works at it all night in order to supply the great demand for her goods. Her candle — Lamp. Goeth not out by night — Some suppose that this may be intended to mark a wise precaution against robbers or banditti, which, from time immemorial, have infested those Eastern countries. It is more probable, however, that it is intended as another mark of her extraordinary energy in accomplishing some important contract or task in the given time. When necessary she drives her work by night as well as by day.

V. 19. She layeth-By her own example she provokes her servants to labour. And although in these latter and more delicate times, such mean employments are grown out of fashion among great persons, yet they were not so in former ages, neither in other countries, nor in this land; whence all women unmarried unto this day are called in the language of our law, Spinsters.

Verse 19. She layeth her hands to the spindle]

10. She gives an example of skill and industry to her household. She takes the distaff, that on which the wool or flax was rolled; and the spindle, that by twisting of which she twisted the thread with the right hand, while she held the distaff in the guard of the left arm, and drew down the thread with the fingers of the left hand. Allowing that spindle and distaff are proper translations of rwvyk kishor, and Ëlp pelech, this was their use, and the way in which they were used. The spindle and distaff are the most ancient of all the instruments used for spinning, or making thread. The spinning-wheel superseded them in these countries; but still they were in considerable use till spinning machinery superseded both them and the spinning-wheels in general.

Verse 19. She layeth her hands to the spindle — By her own example she provokes her servants to labour. And although in these latter and more delicate times such mean employments are grown out of fashion among great persons, yet they were not so in former ages, neither in other countries, nor in this land; whence all women unmarried, unto this day, are called, in the language of our law, spinsters.

19. The spindle… the distaff — It is not entirely certain to which parts of the Eastern spinning apparatus these terms were applied. Stuart renders the first word by distaff, and the second by spindle. “In the East the spindle is held in the hand, often perpendicularly, and is twirled in one, while the other draws out the thread.” — Gesenius. The distaff is the staff for holding the bunch of flax or wool from which the thread is drawn when spinning. “I saw a woman sitting at the door of her hut on Zion spinning woollen yarn with a spindle, while another near her was twirling nimbly the ancient distaff.” — Land and Book, vol. ii, p. 572.

Verse 20. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor]

11. She is truly charitable. She knows that in every portion of a man’s gain God requires a lot for the poor; and if this is not given, God’s blessing is not in the rest. And she is not contented to give common alms. While with one hand (dy yad) she relieves the general poor, with both hands (hydy yadeyha) she gives to the needy, לעני leaney, to the afflicted poor.

Verse 20. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor — To relieve their necessities. Her designs are generous and noble; for she labours not only to supply her own and her household’s necessities, or to support her own state, much less to feed her pride and luxury; but that she may have wherewith to supply the wants of others, who crave or need her assistance. Which also procures God’s blessing upon her husband and children, and whole family, to whom, by this means, she brings both honour and advantage.

20. Stretcheth out… to the poor — She spreads out or opens her palm. While exceedingly thrifty and industrious, she is not “close-fisted;” but generously opens her hand to every case of distress and need: an example of good economy and liberality — two virtues but rarely blended, unhappily, in the same person, either man or woman.

V. 21. Not afraid-Of any injuries of the weather. Are clothed-She hath provided enough, not only for their necessity, but also for their delight and ornament.

Verse 21. She is not afraid of the snow]

12. She is not anxious relative to the health and comfort of her family in the winter season, having provided clothes sufficient for each in the cold weather, in addition to those which they wore in the warm season. For all her household are clothed with scarlet.] Not scarlet, for the colour can avail nothing in keeping off the cold; nor would it be a proper colour for the bogs and dirt of winter. But שנים shanim, from hnv shanah, to iterate, to double, signifies not only scarlet, so called from being twice or doubly dyed, but also double garments, not only the ordinary coat but the surtout or great-coat also, or a cloak to cover all. But most probably double garments, or twofold to what they were accustomed to wear, are here intended. If the general clothing be intended, scarlet cannot be the meaning, nor did our translators entirely rely on it; and therefore put double garments, the true meaning, in the margin, from which it cannot be too speedily transferred to the text. The Vulgate has “duplicibus.” And my old MS. very properly, Alle forsoth hir hoomli men, ben clothid with double. And Coverdale, with equal propriety, “For all hir householde folkes are duble clothed.” But if her husband and children alone are referred to, scarlet, which in the general meaning of the term, may be proper enough; as even in these countries of ours, scarlet, as being a lively bright colour, is used in the winter dresses.

Verses 21-25. She is not afraid of the snow — Of any injuries of the weather. For her household are clothed with scarlet — She has provided enough, not only for their necessity, and defence against cold and other inconveniences, but also for their delight and ornament. She maketh coverings of tapestry — For the furniture of her house. Her clothing is silk and purple — Which was very agreeable to her high quality, though it doth not justify that luxury in attire which is now usual among persons of far lower ranks, both for wealth and dignity. Her husband is known — Observed and respected, not only for his own worth, but for his wife’s sake; when he sitteth among the elders, &c. — In council or judgment. And delivereth girdles — Curiously wrought of linen and gold, or other precious materials, which, in those parts, were used both by men and women. Strength and honour — Strength of mind, magnanimity, courage, activity; are her clothing — Her ornament and glory; and she shall rejoice in time to come — She lives in constant tranquillity of mind, from a just confidence in God’s gracious providence.

21. Scarlet — µynv, (shanim,) a deep red, or bright crimson. This word has troubled the critics. Some suppose it means double garments, or garments of double texture, or changes of clothing; clothed double for the winter. This gives a good sense, though it is not generally accepted by the more modern critics. It may have been “some well known articles of dress conspicuous at once for their colour and their warmth.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

V. 22. Tapestry-For the furniture of her house. Silk-Which was agreeable to her high quality.

Verse 22. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry]

13. She is not regardless either of her own person, or of the decent, proper appearance of her presses and wardrobe. She has coverings or carpeting for her guests to sit upon; she has also tapestry, מרבדים marbaddim, either tapestry, carpeting, or quilted work for her beds; and her own clothing is vv shesh, flne flax, or linen cloth, and purple; probably for a cloak or mantle. The fine linen or cotton cloth of Egypt is probably intended. I have often seen it wrapping the bodies of mummies; it is something like our coarse calico. The purple was supposed to have been dyed by a precious liquor obtained from the pinna magna, a large shellfish, of the muscle kind, found on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. I have seen some of them nearly two feet in length. But it is a doubt whether any such liquor was ever obtained from this or any other fish; and the story itself is invented merely to hide the secret, the proper method of dying purple; which was kept so well that it certainly died with the ancients.

Verses 21-25. She is not afraid of the snow — Of any injuries of the weather. For her household are clothed with scarlet — She has provided enough, not only for their necessity, and defence against cold and other inconveniences, but also for their delight and ornament. She maketh coverings of tapestry — For the furniture of her house. Her clothing is silk and purple — Which was very agreeable to her high quality, though it doth not justify that luxury in attire which is now usual among persons of far lower ranks, both for wealth and dignity. Her husband is known — Observed and respected, not only for his own worth, but for his wife’s sake; when he sitteth among the elders, &c. — In council or judgment. And delivereth girdles — Curiously wrought of linen and gold, or other precious materials, which, in those parts, were used both by men and women. Strength and honour — Strength of mind, magnanimity, courage, activity; are her clothing — Her ornament and glory; and she shall rejoice in time to come — She lives in constant tranquillity of mind, from a just confidence in God’s gracious providence.

22. Coverings of tapestry — Coverlets woven of wool and silk, often enriched with gold and silver, representing various figures. Latin critics render the passage simply, “She maketh for herself coverlets.” But some kind of ornamental work seems to be intended. Silk — vv, (shesh,) rather, fine white linen or cotton cloth, probably the byssus of Egypt. The word is applied to both linen and cotton fabrics. Silk was probably not known to the Hebrews in the age of Solomon. Purple — ˆmgra, (argaman.) The root of the word is uncertain. Gesenius derives it from the Sanscrit. The Septuagint renders it porphura, and the Vulgate purpura. It is applied both to the purple fish and the purple colour. Here it means purple cloth. Purple and fine linen seem to have been used by the ancients conventionally for rich and elegant clothing. Comp. Luke 16:19. The editor of Calmet contends that argaman signifies “variegated,” or of different talents. He translates thus: Her upper garments (gown, robe) she makes of fine cambric, etc., wrought in pattern; and of brocade or tissue, her lower garment, (petticoat.) This good housewife does not despise the esthetic in her person and household. She discovers the utility of beauty as well as the beauty of utility.

V. 23. It known-Observed and respected, not only for his own worth, but for his wife’s sake. Sitteth-In counsel or judgment.

Verse 23. Her husband is known in the gates]

14. She is a loving wife, and feels for the respectability and honour of her husband. He is an elder among his people, and he sits as a magistrate in the gate. He is respected not only on account of the neatness and cleanliness of his person and dress, but because he is the husband of a woman who is justly held in universal esteem. And her complete management of household affairs gives him full leisure to devote himself to the civil interests of the community.

Verses 21-25. She is not afraid of the snow — Of any injuries of the weather. For her household are clothed with scarlet — She has provided enough, not only for their necessity, and defence against cold and other inconveniences, but also for their delight and ornament. She maketh coverings of tapestry — For the furniture of her house. Her clothing is silk and purple — Which was very agreeable to her high quality, though it doth not justify that luxury in attire which is now usual among persons of far lower ranks, both for wealth and dignity. Her husband is known — Observed and respected, not only for his own worth, but for his wife’s sake; when he sitteth among the elders, &c. — In council or judgment. And delivereth girdles — Curiously wrought of linen and gold, or other precious materials, which, in those parts, were used both by men and women. Strength and honour — Strength of mind, magnanimity, courage, activity; are her clothing — Her ornament and glory; and she shall rejoice in time to come — She lives in constant tranquillity of mind, from a just confidence in God’s gracious providence.

23. Known in the gates — He is recognised and honoured in the courts, or public assemblies. When he sitteth among the elders — The senators or magistrates, who sit by the gates to decide cases and to transact public business. He is eminent among the public men. It is intimated that something of this is due to his wife’s thrift and good management. She conducts the domestic affairs so well and so profitably as to allow him time and means to devote to the public service. His genteel deportment and becoming attire indicate the wife of good taste and rare accomplishments. Blessed is the man that has a wife capable of correcting his foibles, smoothing down his rough points, and teaching him becoming deportment. Many a man is more indebted to his wife than he is aware of for his advancement in the world.

V. 24. Girdles-Curiously wrought of linen, and gold, or other precious materials.

Verse 24. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it]

15. She is here remarkable for carrying on a traffic of splendid and ornamental dresses, or habits, as she is, Proverbs 31:13, for “a coarser manufacture,” The ˆwds sidon is supposed to come from [Arabic] in Arabic; and to signify a kind of loose inner garment, shirt, chemise, or fine muslin covering. Some of these are so exceedingly fine, like the abrooam, that when spread on the grass, they are scarcely discernible. Some such garments as these are still worn by ladies in India and in China, and are so thin and transparent, that every part of the body may be seen through them. I have many representations of persons clothed in this way before me both of the Chinese, the Hindoo, and the Malabar ladies. Probably this eminent Jewish matron had such articles manufactured in her own house. She dealt also in girdles. These are still a very general and very expensive article of dress. I have seen them made of silk, and highly ornamented with gold and silver thread, worked into flowers and various curious devices. The loose Eastern robe is confined by these; and the word may also take in the shawl of the turban, which is often superb and costly. It is properly the girdle for the head. As these were generally woven, the consumption was great; and an able artist must have had a good trade. The Arabic gives a remarkable translation of this verse: “She maketh towels, (or tablecloths,) and sells them to the inhabitants of Basra, (a city in Mesopotamia,) and fine linens, and sells them to the Canaanites.” My old MS. Bible has, Sandel sche made and sold, and a litil girdil sche toke to Chanane. Perhaps לכנעני lakkenaani, for the merchant, may stand here for לכנענים lakkenaanim, the Canaanites.

Verses 21-25. She is not afraid of the snow — Of any injuries of the weather. For her household are clothed with scarlet — She has provided enough, not only for their necessity, and defence against cold and other inconveniences, but also for their delight and ornament. She maketh coverings of tapestry — For the furniture of her house. Her clothing is silk and purple — Which was very agreeable to her high quality, though it doth not justify that luxury in attire which is now usual among persons of far lower ranks, both for wealth and dignity. Her husband is known — Observed and respected, not only for his own worth, but for his wife’s sake; when he sitteth among the elders, &c. — In council or judgment. And delivereth girdles — Curiously wrought of linen and gold, or other precious materials, which, in those parts, were used both by men and women. Strength and honour — Strength of mind, magnanimity, courage, activity; are her clothing — Her ornament and glory; and she shall rejoice in time to come — She lives in constant tranquillity of mind, from a just confidence in God’s gracious providence.

24. Fine linen — ˆyds, (sadhin,) fine undergarments; those worn next the body — shirts. In the East these are frequently made of very fine and elegant texture — transparent gauze — and worn by persons of rank, especially ladies. Girdles — Esteemed a necessity among the Orientals, where the flowing outer robe is worn. (See on verse 17.) They are also made very ornamental, of costly materials and workmanship. Curiously wrought or embroidered girdles are an essential part of Eastern finery, both of men and women. The kings of Persia sometimes gave cities and provinces to their wives for the expense of their girdles. This was probably like our institution of “pin-money.” The girdle was used as a purse. Our Saviour (Mark 10:9) forbids the apostles to carry money with them in their purses or girdles. So Horace says, (Epis., lib. 2:1,) “He who has lost his girdle (that is, his purse) is ready for any thing.” The merchant — Literally, the Canaanite. The Canaanites, or Phoenicians, were the great merchants of antiquity, and hence the name was applied to merchants in general, like µydck, (kasdim,) Chaldeans, for astrologers. Some, however, are of opinion that the name Canaan strictly means a merchant or trader, and that the Canaanites were so denominated from their prominent occupation. Compare Isaiah 23:8; Ezekiel 17:6.

V. 25. Strength-Strength of mind, magnanimity, courage, activity. Her clothing-Her ornament and glory. Rejoice-She lives in constant tranquillity of mind, from a just confidence in God’s gracious providence.

Verse 25. Strength and honour are her clothing]

16. All the articles manufactured by herself or under her care have a double perfection: 1. They are strong. 2. They are elegant; Strength and honour are her clothing; and on account of this she shall rejoice in time to come; she shall never have occasion to blush for any thing she has made, for any thing she or hers have worn, or for any thing she has sold. Besides, she has so conducted herself that she has reason to expect that the hand of the Lord shall be still with her, and shall keep her from evil that it may not grieve her.

Verses 21-25. She is not afraid of the snow — Of any injuries of the weather. For her household are clothed with scarlet — She has provided enough, not only for their necessity, and defence against cold and other inconveniences, but also for their delight and ornament. She maketh coverings of tapestry — For the furniture of her house. Her clothing is silk and purple — Which was very agreeable to her high quality, though it doth not justify that luxury in attire which is now usual among persons of far lower ranks, both for wealth and dignity. Her husband is known — Observed and respected, not only for his own worth, but for his wife’s sake; when he sitteth among the elders, &c. — In council or judgment. And delivereth girdles — Curiously wrought of linen and gold, or other precious materials, which, in those parts, were used both by men and women. Strength and honour — Strength of mind, magnanimity, courage, activity; are her clothing — Her ornament and glory; and she shall rejoice in time to come — She lives in constant tranquillity of mind, from a just confidence in God’s gracious providence.

25. Strength and honour — Or, beauty; (the abstract for the concrete;) her clothing is strong and beautiful, both that which she wears and that which she sells; and, therefore, she has no depressing solicitude for the future. Shall rejoice in time to come — Rather, rejoices, or is cheerful for the future; literally, she laughs at the after day. Fearing God and working righteousness, pursuing a lucrative business and blessed of Providence, she is cheerful in view of the future.

V. 26. Openeth her mouth-She is neither sullenly silent, nor full of impertinent talk, but speaks discreetly and piously, as occasion offers. In her tongue-Her speeches are guided by wisdom and grace, and not by inordinate passions. And this practice is called a law in her tongue, because it is constant and customary, and proceeds from an inward and powerful principle of true wisdom.

Verse 26. She openeth her mouth with wisdom]

17. He comes now to the moral management of her family. 1. She is wise and intelligent; she has not neglected the cultivation of her mind. 2. She is amiable in her carriage, full of good nature, well tempered, and conciliating in her manners and address.

In her tongue is the law of kindness.] This is the most distinguishing excellence of this woman. There are very few of those who are called managing women who are not lords over their husbands, tyrants over their servants, and insolent among their neighbours. But this woman, with all her eminence and excellence, was of a meek and quiet spirit. Blessed woman!

Verse 26. She openeth her mouth with wisdom — She is neither sullenly silent, nor full of impertinent talk, but speaks discreetly and piously, as occasion offers. In her tongue is the law of kindness — Her speeches are guided by wisdom and grace, and not by inordinate passions. And this practice is called a law in her tongue, because it is constant and customary, and proceeds from an inward and powerful principle of true wisdom.

26. With wisdom — She has not neglected the cultivation of her mind; consequently she is no idle talker, no mere prattler; spends not her breath in trifling gossip; but converses with intelligence and discretion. Moreover, she is habitually kind in her deportment and discourse. The law of kindness — Or pity, is on her tongue. Dr. Clarke, who was not an admirer of “strong-minded women,” thinks this the most remarkable characteristic of this remarkable woman. Hear him: “There are very few of those called managing women who are not lords over their husbands, tyrants over their servants, and insolent among their neighbours. But this woman, with all her eminence and excellence, was of a meek and quiet spirit.”

V. 27. Looketh well-She diligently observes the management of her domestick business, and the whole carriage of her children and servants.

Verse 27. She looketh well to the ways of her household]

18. She is a moral manager: she takes care that all shall behave themselves well; that none of them shall keep bad company or contract vicious habits. A religious industry, or an industrious religion, is the law of her house. She can instruct them in religion, as well as she can teach them in their labour. In her house, diligence in business, and fervency of spirit, serving the Lord, go hand in hand.

And eateth not the bread of idleness.]

19. She knows that idleness leads to vice; and therefore every one has his work, and every one has his proper food. That they may work well, they are fed well; and every one, at least, earns the bread that he eats—eateth not the bread of idleness.

Verse 27. She looketh well to her household — She diligently observes the management of her domestic business, and the whole carriage of her children and servants. Whereby he also intimates, that she spends not her time in gadding abroad to other people’s houses, and in idle discourses about the concerns of other persons, as the manner of many women is, but is wholly intent upon her own house and proper business; and eateth not the bread of idleness — That which is gotten by idleness, or without labour.

27. Looketh well to… her household — Watches over, controls, directs, cares for, all the affairs and persons of her family. Eateth not the bread of idleness — She is neither idle herself nor suffers any of her family — children or servants — to be idle, well knowing that idleness is the parent of vice. She assigns employment to each, and sees that each is diligent in it.

Verse 28. Her children arise up, and call her blessed]

20. She considers a good education next to Divine influence; and she knows also that if she train up a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not depart from it. 1. Her children are well bred; they rise up and pay due respect. 2. They are taught the fear of the Lord, and obedience to his testimonies; therefore they call her blessed. So they are of a decent, orderly, respectable, religious behaviour. 3. Her husband is so satisfied with her conduct towards himself, his household, his business, and their children, that he praiseth her. He shows himself sensible of her excellence, and encourages her, in her work, by the commendations he bestows.

Verse 28. Her children arise up — Whose testimony is the more considerable, because they have been constant eye-witnesses of her whole conduct, and, therefore, must have seen her misdemeanours, if there had been any, as well as her virtues; and call her blessed — Both for her own excellences, and for many happy fruits which they have gathered from her wise and godly education of them. Her husband also — Ariseth to bear witness to her excellence; and he praiseth her — Namely, in the following words.

28. Her children… call her blessed — As a consequence of the above ordering and control of her family, her children grow up in virtuous habits, regularity of life, and respectfulness of demeanour. They rise up to do her honour, and pronounce blessings on such a mother. Her husband… praiseth — She also commands the respect and homage of her husband, as well she may. Even good husbands are not always as careful to recognise the services and virtues of their wives as they ought to be. A good wife looks for and deserves expressions of approbation and encouragement.

Verse 29. Many daughters have done virtuously] This is undoubtedly the speech of the husband, giving testimony to the excellence of his wife: “Her husband also, and he praiseth her, saying, ‘many daughters,’ women, ‘have done virtuously,’ with due propriety as wives, mistresses, and mothers; ‘but THOU,’ my incomparable wife, ‘excellent them all;’ hnlk l[ tyl[ taw veath alith al cullanah, but THOU hast ascended above the whole of them-thou hast carried every duty, every virtue, and every qualification and excellency, to a higher perfection, than any of whom we have ever read or heard.” And let the reader seriously consider the above particulars, as specified under the different heads and subdivisions; and he will be probably of the same mind. But high as the character of this Jewish matron stands in the preceding description, I can say that I have met at least her equal, in a daughter of the Rev. Dr. Samuel Annesly, the wife of Samuel Wesley, sen., rector of Epworth in Lincolnshire, and mother of the late extraordinary brothers, John and Charles Wesley. I am constrained to add this testimony, after having traced her from her birth to her death, through all the relations that a woman can bear upon earth. Her Christianity gave to her virtues and excellences a heightening, which the Jewish matron could not possess. Besides, she was a woman of great learning and information, and of a depth of mind, and reach of thought, seldom to be found among the daughters of Eve, and not often among the sons of Adam.

Verses 29, 30. Many daughters have done virtuously — Daughters of men, that is, women, so called, Genesis 34:1; Ezekiel 30:18; but thou excellest them all — Her husband esteems it but just, that his praises should bear proportion to her real and manifold excellences. Favour — Comeliness, which commonly gives women favour with those who behold them. Deceitful — It gives a false representation of the person, being often a cover to a deformed soul; it does not give a man that satisfaction which at first he promised to himself from it; and it is soon lost, not only by death, but by many diseases and contingences. But a woman that feareth the Lord — Which character is here mentioned, either as the crown of all her perfections, or as a key to understand the foregoing description of her character, as being intended of that wisdom, fidelity, and diligence, which proceed from, or are accompanied with, the fear of God.

29. Many daughters — That is, according to a well-known Hebrew idiom — many women. This is generally regarded as the eulogium of the husband. Have done virtuously — Have done bravely, or worthily. It is the same word, hhayil, which we met in verse 10. There the supposed writer wished for a wife of energy and capability: here he acknowledges that he has found one that displays these qualities in the highest degree. Excellest them all — Literally, hast ascended above them all — ascended, that is, in the scale of the virtues and excellences of true, noble womanhood. lyj wc[, (‘hasu hhayil,) rendered “hast done virtuously,” is sometimes translated, acquired wealth, gotten riches, but it is like our expression, “Has done well, or bravely,” which may be, and often is, applied to the acquisition of wealth, but not necessarily confined to this sense. Doubtless, this was included in the woman’s well-doing. But this was only a part.

V. 30. Favour-Comeliness, which commonly gives women favour with those who behold them. Deceitful-It gives a false representation of the person, being often a cover to a deformed soul; it does not give a man that satisfaction, which at first he promised to himself from it; and it is soon lost, not only by death, but by many diseases and contingencies.

Verse 30. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain, &c.]

III. Here is the summing up of the character. 1. Favour, חנ chen, grace of manner may be deceitful, many a fair appearance of this kind is put on, assumed for certain secular or more unworthy purposes; it is learned by painful drilling in polished seminaries, and, being the effect of mere physical discipline, it continues while the restraint lasts; but it is rqv sheker, a lie, a mere semblance, an outward varnish. It is not the effect of internal moral regulation; it is an outside, at which the inside murmurs; and which, because not ingenuous, is a burden to itself.

2. Beauty, ypyh haiyophi, elegance of shape, symmetry of features, dignity of mien, and beauty of countenance, are all lbh hebel, vanity; sickness impairs them, suffering deranges them, and death destroys them.

3. “But a woman that feareth the Lord,” that possesses true religion, has that grace that harmonizes the soul, that purifies and refines all the tempers and passions, and that ornament of beauty, a meek and quiet mind, which in the sight of God is of great price—

She shall be praised.] This is the lasting grace, the unfading beauty.

Verses 29, 30. Many daughters have done virtuously — Daughters of men, that is, women, so called, Genesis 34:1; Ezekiel 30:18; but thou excellest them all — Her husband esteems it but just, that his praises should bear proportion to her real and manifold excellences. Favour — Comeliness, which commonly gives women favour with those who behold them. Deceitful — It gives a false representation of the person, being often a cover to a deformed soul; it does not give a man that satisfaction which at first he promised to himself from it; and it is soon lost, not only by death, but by many diseases and contingences. But a woman that feareth the Lord — Which character is here mentioned, either as the crown of all her perfections, or as a key to understand the foregoing description of her character, as being intended of that wisdom, fidelity, and diligence, which proceed from, or are accompanied with, the fear of God.

30. Favour — ˆj, (hhen,) grace; that is, gracefulness of person — comeliness. Is deceitful — Illusive. And beauty is vain — “Elegance of shape, symmetry of features, dignity of mien, are all lbh, (hebhel,) ephemeral, a vanity, a breath. Sickness impairs them, suffering deranges them, and death destroys them.” — Clarke. A woman that feareth the Lord — And, therefore, has in her own heart the principle whence all true womanhood springs. She shall be praised — “She is to be praised.” — Gesenius. She should be celebrated for her many virtues. llhtt, (tithhallel,) may be rendered, She shall glorify herself; that is, in a good sense, indirectly, by her excellent character and pious behaviour. She shall secure for herself immortal honour. It is to be observed here, that the book concludes, as it begins, with a significant emphasis on the fear of the Lord, which is now not merely the beginning of wisdom, but “the condition of all womanly as well as manly excellence.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

V. 31. Give her-It is but just, that she should enjoy those praises which her labours deserve. Let her works-If men be silent, the lasting effects of her prudence and diligence will trumpet forth her praises. In the gates-In the most publick and solemn assemblies.

Verse 31. Give her of the fruit of her hands] This may be a prayer. May she long enjoy the fruit of her labours! May she see her children’s children, and peace upon Israel!

And let her own works praise her in the gates.] Let what she has done be spoken of for a memorial of her; let her bright example be held forth in the most public places. Let it be set before the eyes of every female, particularly of every wife, and especially of every mother; and let them learn from this exemplar, what men have a right to expect in their wives, the mistresses of their families, and the mothers of their children. Amen. MASORETIC NOTES ON THIS BOOK

Number of verses in the book of Proverbs, 915.

Middle verse, Proverbs 16:18.

Sections, 8.

The Syriac reckons 1863 verses.

The Arabic concludes thus:—”The discipline of Solomon written out by the friends of Hezekiah, king of Judah, the interpretation or translation of which is extremely difficult, (but) is now completed by the assistance and influence of the Son of God.”

IN the introduction to the book of Proverbs, among the several collections of a similar nature which are mentioned there, I have referred to M. Galand’s Maximes des Orientaux. From this work, as contained in the supplement to the Bibliotheque Orientale, I have translated the following selection. They will serve to show the curious reader how many sayings similar to those of Solomon still abound in the East.

See Ancillary Data for ASIATIC PROVERBS

Verse 31. Give her of the fruit of her hands — It is but just that she should enjoy those praises which her labours deserve. Let her works praise her — If men be silent, the lasting effects of her prudence and diligence will trumpet forth her praises. In the gates — In the most public and solemn assemblies.

Ver. 31. Let her own works praise her in the gates. These are the laurels; and these after death keep the cypress evergreen.

At the end of two hundred and sixty Greek proverbs, I find this adjection. If these proverbs are good, make use of them; if otherwise, write better. ECCLESIASTES, OR THE

PREACHER.

This book is called in Hebrew tlhq CHOHELETH, convocator, or one who has collected the systems of moralists; but Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher, as in the Greek of the LXX, is thought more elegant. It comprises a review of life, in which five speakers at least are introduced: the disgusted courtier— the philosopher—the stoick—the epicure—the preacher. Hence it abounds with variation of opinion, with discordant sentiments, and systems at issue with one another. For want of distinguishing those speakers, whose notions the preacher attacks, as in chap. 12., men have wrested the sentiments in this book to their own destruction. They are ignorant that the preacher, towards the close especially, speaks like himself, and as a sincere believer in Moses and the prophets. “Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” As nature is not to be reproached for the discordant systems of philosophers, so neither is religion to be blamed for the wild theories of divines, who have misread her pages. Any doubts suggested by hypercritics respecting the author of this book, because some Chaldaic words are introduced, can have no weight against the faith of the Hebrew nation. Solomon was acquainted with the literature of Chaldea, of India, and of Egypt; and learned men of every age, and of every nation, have always introduced foreign words and phrases. The Hebrew book, SEDER ÔLAM, affirms, that Solomon wrote three books by the Holy Spirit; the Canticum, or Song of Songs, when young; the Proverbs, when a man; and the Ecclesiastes, when old.

31. The fruits of her hands — The product and results of her labours. And let her own works — Of industry, of thrift, of economy, of kindness, of piety, of wise and careful household management, (the word means all these.) Praise her in the gates — Let them be held up for imitation in the public assemblies, and for the incitement of others to like virtues. Here is a specimen of the “strong-minded” woman of the ancient Hebrew race. Let those of her sex who feel within them the stirrings of energy and the aspirations for distinction, take this “looking-glass for ladies,” as the old commentators call it, and dress themselves by it, and they will crown themselves with true womanly dignity and enduring fame.