A Virtuous Woman as seen in Proverbs 31

Much of the last chapter of Proverbs is dedicated to describing the characteristics of “a virtuous woman.” Verse 10 asks, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.”

It is interesting to examine the qualities that such a woman is said to possess as well as the affects she is said to have on those around her.

Verse 27 says a virtuous woman “eateth not the bread of idleness.” This is a rather arresting admonition in view of the old saying, “A woman’s work is never done.” That a good woman is said not to be idle indicates that idleness among women was a fact of life even in the days in which the Old Testament was written.

However, the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 is industrious. Verse 19: “She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.” Families usually had to make their own clothes and hours of work were required to keep people adequately clothed. The home was not only a shelter but a genuine workplace.

The woman praised by Proverbs works diligently to keep her family fed. Verse 15: “She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household.”

It appears that women in the Old Testament culture were expected to be responsible for major financial transactions. Verse: 16: “She considereth a field, and buyeth it.” Verse 24: “She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.”

A virtuous woman in this Old Testament view is anything but a ditzy sort and she is also no nag. Verse 26: “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”

Proverbs 31 repeatedly tells us that a good woman is defined largely by her good works. It warns against placing too much emphasis on a woman’s looks as Verse 30 states, “beauty is vain.”

The good works of a virtuous woman extend beyond her own family. Verse 20: “She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.”

Virtue leads to welcome rewards, Proverbs 31 strongly indicates. Verse 11: “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her.” Verse: 28: “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”

As most regular readers of this blog probably already know, I am a rock hard atheist. I also enjoy reading the Bible and can easily acknowledge that parts of it contain much that is wise and perennially relevant. All too often, we women can become obsessed with our appearance. We can “eat of the bread of idleness” to the detriment of both ourselves and our families. We can also use our verbal skills to hurt so we ought to remind ourselves of the value of a kind tongue.

Thanks to the inventions made by men, few women in our modern industrialized world need work the spindle and the distaff. However, all of us should recognize the importance of being active and productive within the home as well as outside of it. Whether we are believers or non-believers, we women will do well to cultivate the characteristics of the virtuous woman as praised in Proverbs 31. If we do, it is likely we will earn and enjoy the trust and praise of those close to us just as this Proverbs chapter promises.

That is how I see the meaning of Proverbs 31 and its depiction of the qualities of a virtuous woman.

Dear readers, what are your views on this subject?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 2:50 am and is filed under Culture, Education, Family, Feminism, Men and Mating, Psychology, Religion, Society, Vox Populi. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. | 471 views | Trackback | Print this page |

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