The Virtuous Woman in Proverbs 31:10-31 with a Verse by Verse Commentary

I just thought it's VERY HARD to find a woman who fits Proverbs 31 these days. Men need to pray for the right partner even if Boaz waited for long for Ruth. Now it's time to do a verse by verse analysis of Proverbs 31:10-31:

Verse 10- "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies."
How true, to think about it that many people today are "money comes first". In truth, money is important but does not come first. Women unless they are widowed, thrown out or whatever forces her to support herself is meant to stay at home and take care of the home. Women who leave their children to the babysitter and to daycare centers while she tries to make "extra income" makes money useless as it may spoil the children. Talk about like flight attendant mothers against the housewives do no make them good mothers.

Verse 11- "The heart of the husband doth safely trust in her so that he shall have no need of spoil."
A trustworthy wife of virtue doesn't need to be worried by her husband. Her husband can trust her because of her virtue unlike the bad girls of today. It's very hard to trust most women these days because of their feminist views and promiscuous behavior. No, if it's wrong for the man to commit adultery, the same goes for the woman. A wife who takes care of the children is more trustworthy than the woman who refuses to be a housewife.

Verse 12- "She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life."
A wife who is submissive (but NOT in the way that they tolerate abuse). A virtuous woman who takes care of the children, does housework, cook meals and tends to the children while they grow up is respectful. However, husbands should love them if they expect them to do good and not evil all the days of their lives.

Verse 13- "She seeketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands."
It is therefore very important for women to know how to make quality products for the home like making clothing. The use of wool and flax in today is making clothes. Yes, making clothes. A woman must learn to stitch (then again I believe husbands must too as to help their wives). For one, they can make a home business with clothing.

Verse 14- "She is like the merchant's ships; she bringeth her food from afar."
The woman must learn to cook and prepare dishes. Today some say, "Gone are the days of women when they were cooking." But that is so dead to the family. For one, without a housewife it becomes a reason why people eat too much processed food. She learns to cook different food as much as possible.

Verse 15- "She riseth also while it is yet night and giveth meat to her household and a portion to her maidens."
This is the wife who takes time to cook food no matter how simple it is. She would prepare vegetables but not just vegetables but well-prepared vegetables, no matter how simple the food is she tries her best to make it palatable. A woman who learns to cook properly cuts out the risks of fastfood in her family. With maidens, she doesn't let them do all the work but rather she manages their work and helps them.

Verse 16- "She considereth a field and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard."
This is the woman who knows how to manage her monthly allowance from her husband and this doesn't mean that she is totally dependent to her husband. In this case, every wife must learn to manage their own allowances or her household industry helping the family business. She then buys the field for the vineyard for the benefit of the family, meaning she can make extra income without leaving the home.

Verse 17- "She girdeth her loins with strength and strengtheth her arms."
This is the woman who is a strong woman. She has strong discipline. Though she is obedient and submissive but she can stand on her own. She has a strong stand of loving God first above her husband, she can stand against oppression as a reminder that husbands must love their wives first before wives can submit to their husbands.

Verse 18- "She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night."
A virtuous woman knows how to arrange her merchandise while being a housewife. She knows how to invest the money that her husband gives by allowance. While the lamps may be off but the light of her good works is an example for all to follow.


Verse 19- "She layeth her hands to the spindle and her hands hold the distaff."

She really knows how to prepare feminine stuff like blankets and clothes, stuff that I believe men aren't very skillful at.

Verse 20- "She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea she reacheth forth her hands to the needy."
Although she is not a mendicant but she is involved in charitable works. She may actually be using her profession like baking and sewing at home to help her husband in charitable works. Her husband makes the money, she makes the stuff- a beautiful give and take relationship. However this does not mean they must give insensibly like to Ponzi scams.

Verse 21 "She is not afraid of the snow for her household for her household are clothed with scarlet."
The scarlet here represents the warmth of everything. It does "snow" in the sense it can get very cold in the Middle East every 3-5 years. During that time there was no heater so she is so well-prepared. Dyeing the wool with scarlet somehow keeps the heat. She is always ready for in season and out of season- not extravagant with household finances but rather, ready for a rainy day.

Verse 22- "She maketh herself coverings of tapestry, her clothing is silk and purple.
Purple is the color of royalty, she makes tapestry like bed coverings. In doing that, she can really make extra money while taking care of the home.

Verse 23- "Her husband is known in the gates when he sitteth among the elders of the land."
When a woman is virtuous, she also extends her husband's reputation. This is also a reminder that women should choose virtuous husbands, husbands who are worth submitting and not worth slugging and nagging. Loving husbands, husbands who work- that's the kind of husband that a virtuous woman meets.

Verse 24- "She maketh fine linen and selleth it and deliverth girdles unto the merchant."
Most people don't realize that women can make an income when they make fine linen and selling it. In fact, the husband should help distribute in selling his wife's merchandise.

Verse 25- "Strength and honor are her clothing: and she shall rejoice in time to come."
Women as much as they are to be gentle, must also be strong in times of adversity. This is important because there are times they might have been married to bad husbands or their husband dies. So when hard times come, she can take care of the family and teach them on their own and the children are properly brought up.

Verse 26- "She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."
The father is not always there to guide the children so the mother MUST be the guidance. Those overseas working women are not there- only making money because money comes first. Problem is when these overseas women just give money, the children don't learn to manage money. However the woman who is the home entrepreneur teaches the children responsibility and proper upbringing. She does not tell white lies like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, instead she remains truthful so children will not depart from it.

Verse 27- "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."
It does become a problem whenever women are marrying for the sake of convenience, she chooses a rich husband and then when she becomes a rich madame she doesn't take care of the household. But not this woman- this woman does the dishes, scrubs the floor, lets the children do work with her and she isn't sleeping all day. No, this woman does gardening, cooks meals, tutors the children and she will train the children while they grow up they will apply their learning.


Verse 28- "Her children arise up and call her blessed, her husband also and he praiseth her."
This teaches that aside from the virtuous woman doing her part, her husband and her children (adopted or by blood) must be treated in gratitude. Also this teaches that women who are virtuous deserve such praise. But as said, the family must support her all the way as she does her job.

Verse 29- "Many daughters have done virtuously but thou excellest them all."
Well this is where the husband gives gracious praises. In fact, husbands who are well-served must well-support their submissive wives, not beating up left and right. Treated not as a servant but as a queen.

Verse 30- "Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman that feareth the LORD she shall be praised."
It is true indeed. There are many women who are bootlickers like flight attendants who give freebies to their boyfriends that could be a shameful adulterous relationships. In fact, what is so sad is that most women spend too much time in beautifying themselves in useless slimming pills and plastic surgeries. Some men are seeking women that is beautiful to their beholding eyes but that is not what is important. For one, the virtuous woman may grow old, get wrinkled skin and gray hairs but she remains pretty despite the signs of aging.

Verse 31- "Give her of the fruit of her hands and let her own works praise her in the gates."
Women who are virtuous are to be praised and to be grateful for, for they are very hard to find.