The Virtuous Woman:
Not the Proverb We think it Is!
Proverbs 31:10-31
Bruce Satterfield
Brigham Young Univeristy-Idaho
A poem attributing the role of a virtuous wife in the success of her husband.
The following is a diagram of the last poem in the biblical book The Proverbs. The poem was originally written
in Hebrew and consists of 22 verses. “It is both acrostic (each verse begins with a successive letter of the
Hebrew alphabet) and chiastic in structure.” (Duane A. Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, The New American Commentary
vol. 14 [1993], p. 248) It is obviously not possible to translate into English the acrostic nature of the poem, however
the chiastic structure can be seen in any English translation. The chiasmus is as follows:
A: The husband values his virtuous (Heb. able, strong, valiant) wife far above rubies [vs. 10]
B: He trusts her and is greatly benefitted by her [vss. 11-12]
C: His wife works hard in taking care of the welfare and prosperity of her home [vss. 13-19]
D: His wife extends her hand to help the poor and needy [vs. 20]
E: His wife has no fear of the snow (harsh weather) ... [vs. 21a]
F: For her children are clothed in scarlet (highest quality; i.e. adequately) [vs. 21b]
G: His wife, though ably strong, dresses gracefully [vs. 22]
H: Because of his wife’s ability in taking care of the home, the husband is respected in the
community and sits among the elders of the land to help take care of community needs
and concerns [vs. 23]
G’:His wife not only provides fine clothing for herself and family but makes enough to sell excess
for profit [vs. 24]
F’:His wife’s true clothing is strength and dignity [vs. 25a]
E’:His wife rejoices in times to come (instead of living in fear of the future) [vs. 25b]
D’:His wife is a capable teacher, declaring wisdom and the law of goodness [vs. 26]
C’:His wife unceasingly watches over the ways of her household [vs. 27]
B’:His children call their mother blessed and he praises his wife [vss. 28-29]
A’:The moral? A wife who fears God shall be praised; her own work shall be her praise [vss. 30-31]
Though the acrostic nature of the poem cannot be seen in English, this poem can appropriately be called an
alphabet of wifely excellence.
The Hebrew word translated “virtuous” in vs. 10 is hay’il. This word does NOT mean “chaste” or “morally
good” as the English word virtue has come to connote. Hay’il is used 244 times in the Bible with several
related meanings: might, strength, power; able, valiant, virtuous, valor; army, host, forces; riches, substance,
wealth. The basic meaning of this noun is “strength,’’ from which can be derived “army” and “wealth .”
The following is a brief discussion of the poem written by a biblical scholar:
“The subject of this portrait is a lady of some position, who has servants to manage (vs.15) and money to
invest (vs. 16). As her husband’s trusted partner (vs. 11) she has sole responsibility in her domain, which
extends beyond the house to the management of her lands (vs. 16) and to dealings in the market, where she
is as shrewd a seller (vss. 11, 18, 24) as a buyer (vss. 13,14). She treats her advantages not as a means to selfindulgence but as a widening of her responsibilities (vs. 27), for she is a tireless worker (vss. 15, 18, 19): there
are the poor to help (vs. 20) and the vicissitudes of life to meet forearmed (vss. 21, 25b). Yet with all her thrift,
she is not austere (vs. 22) and with her business sense she is not hard, but a friend to the needy (vs. 20) and
the delight of her children and her husband (vs. 28, 29). Her charm and her success (vs. 30, 31) owe nothing
to chance, because her outlook (vs. 30) and her influence (vs. 26) have the solid foundation of the fear and
wisdom of the Lord.” (Derek Kidner, Proverbs [1964], pp. 183-4)