Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
A question with an answer worth more than rubies: a woman of strength and character is a rare treasure.
Proverbs 31
Proverbs 31 is the last chapter of the book of Proverbs: the words King Lemuel’s mother taught him, followed by a poem in praise of “a virtuous woman”, a woman of strength. It is a portrait of wisdom lived out in work, kindness and faith, not a checklist.
Proverbs 31 · King James Version
1The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.
2What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?
3Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.
4It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
5Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
6Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
7Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
8Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
9Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
10Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
13She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
14She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
15She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
16She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
18She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
19She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
20She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
26She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
28Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
Strength and honour are her clothing: she faces the future without fear and speaks with wisdom and kindness.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
Charm fades and beauty passes; a woman who fears the Lord is the one to praise.
Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
A mother’s charge to her son the king: speak up for those who cannot speak, and defend the poor and needy.
What Proverbs 31 means
Proverbs 31 has two parts. Verses 1-9 are “the words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him”: a queen mother’s counsel to her son. Do not spend your strength on the wrong things, do not drink and forget justice, and above all, “Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” Nothing else is known of Lemuel; Jewish tradition sometimes identified him with Solomon. It is one of the few places in the Bible where a woman’s teaching is kept in her own words.
Verses 10-31 are a poem in praise of “a virtuous woman”. In Hebrew it is an acrostic: each of its twenty-two verses begins with the next letter of the alphabet, an A to Z of a life well lived. It may continue the mother’s teaching or stand as a separate poem that closes the book. The Hebrew phrase translated virtuous woman, eshet chayil, means a woman of strength, worth or valor, not only of moral purity. The same words describe Ruth (Ruth 3:11).
The woman of the poem is trusted by her husband. She buys a field and plants a vineyard, trades, works wool and flax, rises while it is still night to feed her household, and “stretcheth out her hand to the poor”. “Strength and honour are her clothing”, and when she speaks, “in her tongue is the law of kindness.” The poem ends where the whole book began, with the fear of the Lord: “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” Proverbs opens by calling the fear of the Lord the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7), and it closes with wisdom pictured in a woman who lives it.
It is easy to read the chapter as a checklist no real woman could meet, and many women have felt measured by it and found wanting. The poem is not a job description. It is praise sung over a woman: in many Jewish homes husbands sing it to their wives on Friday evening at the Sabbath table. Read after the mother’s words in verses 1-9, it is also counsel to a young man about what to value in a wife, and verse 30 says it plainly: charm fades, character lasts. What it honors is strength, wisdom, generosity and faith, lived in whatever life a woman has, married or single, at home or at work. Many readers also see in it a portrait of wisdom herself, whom Proverbs pictures as a woman from its early chapters (Proverbs 8 and 9).
A prayer
Lord, the fear of You is the beginning of wisdom. Clothe me with strength and honour, and let me face the days to come without fear. Open my mouth with wisdom, and put the law of kindness on my tongue. Teach me to stretch out my hand to the poor and to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Bless the work of my hands, whatever my life holds, and keep me from chasing the charm and beauty that fade. Let my life praise You. Amen.
Related verses
And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
Boaz calls Ruth a virtuous woman, the same Hebrew words as Proverbs 31: a woman of strength and worth.
Questions people ask
Who wrote Proverbs 31?
Verse 1 attributes it to King Lemuel, passing on what his mother taught him. Nothing else is known of Lemuel; Jewish tradition sometimes identified him with Solomon. The poem in verses 10-31 may continue her words or be a separate poem.
Who is the Proverbs 31 woman?
The poem does not name a real person. It is a portrait of a woman of strength and wisdom, praised for her work, her generosity and her faith, and many read it also as a picture of wisdom itself.
What does “virtuous woman” mean in Proverbs 31?
The Hebrew eshet chayil means a woman of strength, worth or valor, not only of moral purity. The same phrase describes Ruth in Ruth 3:11.
Is Proverbs 31 only for married women?
No. The poem describes a wife, but what it praises, strength, wisdom, kindness, care for the poor and the fear of the Lord, belongs to every woman and every man. It is praise, not a test anyone has to pass.
What is a short verse from Proverbs 31?
Verse 25: “Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.” Verse 10 is the best known: “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”
Keep exploring
Bible Verses for StrengthThe Bible’s strength verses are not about being strong enough on your own.Bible Verses for MarriageMarriage is one of the first things the Bible talks about, and one of the last pictures it…Bible Verses About Work and Working for GodThe Bible treats work as meaningful, not just a way to pay bills: “whatsoever ye do, do it…Bible Verses for a WeddingLooking for a wedding reading, a verse for the invitation, or words for a card?