Proverbs 31:14

31:14 She is like ¹  the merchant ships; ² 

she brings her food from afar.

Proverbs 31:24

31:24 She makes linen garments ³  and sells them,

and supplies the merchants ⁴  with sashes.

[31:14]  ¹ tn The first word of the fifth line begins with ה (he), the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[31:14]  ² sn The point of the simile is that she goes wherever she needs to go, near and far, to gather in all the food for the needs and the likes of the family. The line captures the vision and the industry of this woman.

[31:24]  ³ tn The first word of the fifteenth line begins with ס (samek), the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[31:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “to the Canaanites.” These are the Phoenician traders that survived the wars and continued to do business down to the exile.