“Praise her for all her hands have done.” Proverbs 31:28
Proverbs 31 is a poem like most of the Psalms. It is a 22-line poem on wisdom. It is an acrostic poem, so the first word of each verse begins with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet (Psalm 119 is like this with each stanza).
It is not a job description for all women. Its main purpose according to the Jews is to celebrate wisdom-in-action. In the Jewish culture it is not for the women to memorize, but the MEN. The Jewish men memorize it, and some even sing it to their wives on a Sabbath meal. It is to praise their wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, and friends.
Believers of our time and in the past interpret this passage like a prescription or a command to women rather than an dedication to them. It is given to us as a task list, or check off list. We as women sometimes hold our head down and say to ourselves this is not me, but I know someone like this.
The verse “An excellent or virtuous woman who can find?” is translated in some text “a woman of valor who can find?” The Hebrew word is eshet chayil, “woman of valor”. Jewish women use this to cheer one another on with the blessing, celebrating everything from promotions, to pregnancies, acts of mercy, justice, battles of sickness with a hearty “eshet chayil”!—Woman of Valor! It would be like our “YOU GO, girl! Or You are the Woman!
“Valor isn’t about what you do, but how you do it.” Rachel Held Evans, author of “A Year of Biblical Womanhood”.
Ruth also received this praise, but she did work with fine linens or keep an immaculate home. She worked all day in the sun, gleaning leftovers from the farmer’s fields. This is what Boaz said to her before she gave birth or even married him, “All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character” (Ruth 3:11)—same Hebrew term—women of valor. It wasn’t because she looked for wool and flax, ran a household, bought a field or extended her hand to all the poor. She lived a life of bravery, wisdom and strength. She gave up her background and heritage to take on another woman’s background, heritage and God.
As we end our months of focus on women of the Bible, we looked at Mary Magdalene, Eve, Leah, Tamar, Deborah, Hannah, The Queen of Sheba, Esther, the Woman at the well, and more. They were all “woman of valor” in their own way, and so are YOU.
Selah
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