Proverbs 31:28

31:28 Her children rise up ¹  and call her blessed,

her husband ²  also praises her:

Proverbs 12:4

12:4 A noble wife ³  is the crown ⁴  of her husband,

but the wife ⁵  who acts shamefully is like rottenness in his bones. ⁶ 

Proverbs 31:11

31:11 The heart of her husband has confidence ⁷  in her,

and he has no lack of gain. ⁸ 

Proverbs 31:23

31:23 Her husband is well-known ⁹  in the city gate ¹⁰ 

when he sits with the elders ¹¹  of the land.

[31:28]  ¹ tn The first word of the nineteenth line begins with ק (qof), the nineteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[31:28]  ² 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.

[12:4]  ³ tn Heb “a wife of virtue”; NAB, NLT “a worthy wife.” This noble woman (אֵשֶׁת־חַיִל, ’shet-khayil) is the subject of Prov 31. She is a “virtuous woman” (cf. KJV), a capable woman of noble character. She is contrasted with the woman who is disgraceful (מְבִישָׁה, mÿvishah; “one who causes shame”) or who lowers his standing in the community.

[12:4]  ⁴ sn The metaphor of the “crown” emphasizes that such a wife is a symbol of honor and glory.

[12:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “she”; the referent (the wife) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:4]  ⁶ sn The simile means that the shameful acts of such a woman will eat away her husband’s strength and influence and destroy his happiness.

[31:11]  ⁵ tn The first word of the second line begins with בּ (bet), the second letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The verb בָּטַח (batakh) means “to trust; to have confidence in.” With the subject of the verb being “the heart of her husband,” the idea is strengthened – he truly trusts her. Cf. NCV “trusts her completely”; NIV “has full confidence in her.”

[31:11]  ⁶ sn The Hebrew word used here for “gain” (שָׁלָל, shalal) is unusual; it means “plunder; spoil” of war primarily (e.g., Isa 8:1-4 and the name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz). The point is that the gain will be as rich and bountiful as the spoils of war. The wife’s capabilities in business and domestic matters guarantee a rich profit and inspire the confidence of her husband.

[31:23]  ⁷ 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.

[31:23]  ⁸ tn Heb “gate”; the term “city” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[31:23]  ⁹ 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.