31:23 Her husband is well-known 1 in the city gate 2
when he sits with the elders 3 of the land.
31:24 She makes linen garments 4 and sells them,
and supplies the merchants 5 with sashes.
31:25 She is clothed 6 with strength 7 and honor, 8
and she can laugh 9 at the time 10 to come.
31:26 She opens her mouth 11 with wisdom,
and loving instruction 12 is on her tongue.
31:27 She watches over 13 the ways of her household,
and does not eat the bread of idleness. 14
31:28 Her children rise up 15 and call her blessed,
her husband 16 also praises her:
31:29 “Many 17 daughters 18 have done valiantly, 19
but you surpass them all!”
1 tn The first word of the fourteenth line begins with נ (nun), the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The form is the Niphal participle of יָדַע (yada’); it means that her husband is “known.” The point is that he is a prominent person, respected in the community.
2 tn Heb “gate”; the term “city” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
3 tn The construction uses the infinitive construct with the preposition and a pronominal suffix that serves as the subject (subjective genitive) to form a temporal clause. The fact that he “sits with the elders” means he is one of the elders; he sits as a judge among the people.
4 tn The first word of the fifteenth line begins with ס (samek), the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
5 tn Heb “to the Canaanites.” These are the Phoenician traders that survived the wars and continued to do business down to the exile.
7 sn The idea of clothing and being clothed is a favorite figure in Hebrew. It makes a comparison between wearing clothes and having strength and honor. Just as clothes immediately indicate something of the nature and circumstances of the person, so do these virtues.
8 tn The first word of the sixteenth line begins with ע (ayin), the sixteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
9 sn This word appears in Ps 111:3 which says that the
10 sn Here “laugh” is either a metonymy of adjunct or effect. The point is that she is confident for the future because of all her industry and planning.
11 tn Heb “day.” This word is a metonymy of subject meaning any events that take place on the day or in the time to come.
10 tn The first word of the seventeenth line begins with פּ (pe), the seventeenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
11 tn The Hebrew phrase תּוֹרַת־חֶסֶד (torat-khesed) is open to different interpretations. (1) The word “law” could here refer to “teaching” as it does frequently in the book of Proverbs, and the word “love,” which means “loyal, covenant love,” could have the emphasis on faithfulness, yielding the idea of “faithful teaching” to parallel “wisdom” (cf. NIV). (2) The word “love” should probably have more of the emphasis on its basic meaning of “loyal love, lovingkindness.” It also would be an attributive genitive, but its force would be that of “loving instruction” or “teaching with kindness.”
13 tn The first word of the eighteenth line begins with צ (tsade), the eighteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
14 sn The expression bread of idleness refers to food that is gained through idleness, perhaps given or provided for her. In the description of the passage one could conclude that this woman did not have to do everything she did; and this line affirms that even though she is well off, she will eat the bread of her industrious activity.
16 tn The first word of the nineteenth line begins with ק (qof), the nineteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
17 tn The text uses an independent nominative absolute to draw attention to her husband: “her husband, and he praises her.” Prominent as he is, her husband speaks in glowing terms of his noble wife.
19 tn The first word of the twentieth line begins with ר (resh), the twentieth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
20 tn Or “women” (NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
21 tn The word is the same as in v. 10, “noble, valiant.”