Proverbs 31:14

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

she brings her food from afar.

Proverbs 25:25

25:25 Like cold water to a weary person, ³ 

so is good news from a distant land. ⁴ 

[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.

[25:25]  ³ tn Heb “a weary [or, faint] soul” (so NASB, NIV); KJV, ASV, NRSV “a thirsty soul,” but “soul” here refers to the whole person.

[25:25]  ⁴ sn The difficulty of getting news of any kind from a distant land made its reception all the more delightful when it was good (e.g., Gen 45:27; Prov 15:30).