Proverbs 31 contains two distinct units: the words of King Lemuel transmitting his mother's oracle about royal virtue (vv1-9) and the eshet chayil poem — the 'woman of strength' acrostic (vv10-31). The first section warns a king against women, wine, and neglect of the poor. The second is a twenty-two-verse alphabetic poem celebrating a woman whose strength, industry, wisdom, and generosity embody everything Proverbs has taught about the wise life.
What Makes This Chapter Remarkable
The eshet chayil poem is an acrostic: each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, from aleph to tav. This formal structure makes it a complete portrait — from A to Z, nothing is left out. The word chayil (v10) is the same word used throughout the Hebrew Bible for military might, warrior strength, and economic power. Ruth is the only other woman in the Bible specifically called eshet chayil (Ruth 3:11). The poem's woman is not domestic in a diminished sense — she is an economic force: buying real estate (v16), running a textile operation (vv13, 19, 22, 24), engaging in international trade (v14), and providing for an extended household. She is praised not for beauty or submission but for strength, wisdom, and productive capability. The final verse (v30) explicitly subordinates beauty to the fear of the LORD as the true basis of praise.
Translation Friction
The eshet chayil has been used both to celebrate and to burden women. Read as a description of one extraordinary individual, it is inspiring. Read as a checklist that every woman must fulfill simultaneously, it is crushing. The poem is a portrait, not a prescription — it paints the ideal the way Proverbs 1-9 paints the ideal wise man. No single person embodies every trait simultaneously. Lemuel's mother's warning against women (vv3) reflects the real danger of court concubines siphoning royal resources and attention, not a general disparagement of women — the same chapter closes with the most exalted portrait of a woman in the Hebrew Bible.
Connections
The eshet chayil echoes Woman Wisdom from Proverbs 1-9: both are sought, both provide wealth and honor, both call from public spaces, both are more precious than jewels. The poem's opening question ('who can find?', v10) echoes 'who has found?' applied to wisdom itself (Proverbs 3:13, 8:35). Ruth is called eshet chayil in Ruth 3:11, connecting the literary ideal to a narrative embodiment. Lemuel's mother's instruction (vv1-9) parallels the maternal teaching tradition of Proverbs 1:8 and 6:20. The word chayil connects to the 'mighty men of valor' (gibborei chayil) throughout Joshua, Judges, and 1-2 Samuel — the woman of strength is a warrior of the household.
The words of King Lemuel — an oracle
that his mother taught him.
KJV The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
If Lemuel is from Massa (in Arabia), then both Agur (ch. 30) and Lemuel (ch. 31) are non-Israelite sages whose wisdom Israel valued enough to canonize. The book of Proverbs ends not with Solomon but with international voices, demonstrating that wisdom transcends national boundaries.
What, my son?
What, son of my womb?
What, son of my vows?
KJV What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The triple mah ('what?') is a mother's urgent address — part rebuke, part plea. She names him three ways: beri ('my son' — the intimate term), bar-bitni ('son of my womb' — reminding him of his physical origin in her body), and bar-nedarai ('son of my vows' — she had made sacred vows concerning him, perhaps dedicating him to God before birth, like Hannah with Samuel). Each name increases the emotional weight: you are mine, you came from my body, you were promised to God.
Do not give your strength to women,
nor your ways to those who destroy kings.
KJV Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
חַיִלchayil
"strength"—strength, might, valor, wealth, army, capability; the full range of a person's power and resources
Chayil appears in v3 (the king's strength to be guarded) and v10 (the woman's strength to be praised). The same word frames both sections of the chapter: the king must protect his chayil; the ideal woman embodies chayil.
Translator Notes
Chelekha ('your strength, your vigor, your resources') — the same word chayil that will describe the ideal woman in verse 10. The king's chayil must not be wasted on women who drain rather than build. Lamchot melakhin ('to those who wipe out kings, to the destroyers of kings') warns that sexual entanglements have toppled monarchies — Solomon himself being the prime example (1 Kings 11:1-4). The irony: the chapter opens by warning against women who destroy and closes by celebrating a woman who builds.
It is not for kings, Lemuel —
not for kings to drink wine,
nor for rulers to crave strong drink,
KJV It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The repetition al la-melakhim ('not for kings, not for kings') is emphatic and personal — his mother calls him by name. Wine (yayin) and strong drink (shekhar) are prohibited not universally but specifically for kings. The reason follows in v5: intoxication corrupts judgment, and the king's judgment is the nation's justice system.
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and twist the rights of all the afflicted.
KJV Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Pen-yishteh ve-yishkach mechuqqaq ('lest he drink and forget what is inscribed/decreed') — alcohol causes the king to forget the law he is supposed to administer. Vi-yeshanneh din kol-bene-oni ('and he changes/perverts the judgment of all the sons of affliction') — the poor, who depend on the king for justice, are the first victims of royal drunkenness. Intoxicated power is unjust power.
Give strong drink to the one who is perishing
and wine to the bitter of soul.
KJV Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
If wine is not for kings (whose minds must be clear), it is for the oved ('one who is perishing, the dying person') and the mare nefesh ('bitter of soul, those in anguish'). This is not a prescription for escapism but a recognition that alcohol has a legitimate use as palliative care — easing the suffering of those who are dying or in extreme distress. The mother distinguishes between medicinal use (appropriate) and recreational use by rulers (dangerous).
Let him drink and forget his destitution
and remember his misery no more.
KJV Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Yishteh ve-yishkach risho ('let him drink and forget his destitution') — the same verb (shakach, 'to forget') that was dangerous for kings (v5) is merciful for the suffering. Amalo lo yizkor-od ('his toil he will remember no more'). What is a liability for the powerful is a comfort for the powerless. Context determines morality.
Open your mouth for the voiceless —
for the rights of all who are destitute.
KJV Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Petach-pikha le-illem ('open your mouth for the mute, speak up for the voiceless') — the king's voice must serve those who have no voice. El-din kol-bene chalof ('for the judgment/rights of all the sons of passing away, the destitute, those who are disappearing') — the most vulnerable members of society, those who are being erased. The queen mother commands her son to use royal power for advocacy, not self-indulgence.
Open your mouth, judge with righteousness,
and defend the rights of the poor and needy.
KJV Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
צֶדֶקtsedeq
"righteousness"—righteousness, justice, rightness; the standard of right relationship and right action
Tsedeq is the masculine form paired with tsedaqah (feminine). Both describe the moral order that God established and that kings are responsible to uphold.
Translator Notes
Shefot-tsedeq ('judge with righteousness, render just judgment') and din ani ve-evyon ('give justice to the poor and the needy') close the queen mother's instruction with the core mandate of kingship: justice for the vulnerable. The final word of her oracle is evyon ('needy, destitute') — the last person on society's ladder is the first priority on the king's agenda.
A woman of strength — who can find her?
Her worth is far beyond jewels.
KJV Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
חַיִלchayil
"strength"—strength, valor, might, army, wealth, capability, competence; the full power of a person deployed effectively
The same word describes armies (exodus chayil), wealthy men (ish chayil), and mighty warriors (gibbor chayil). Translating it as 'virtuous' dramatically underrepresents its force. This woman is a warrior of the household, an economic commander, a person of formidable capability.
Translator Notes
The acrostic begins here with aleph (א). Each of the following 22 verses begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This literary device makes the poem a comprehensive portrait — from aleph to tav, from A to Z, she is complete.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will not lack gain.
KJV The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Bet (ב). Batach bah lev ba'alah ('the heart of her husband trusts in her') — trust (bitachon) is the foundation of the marriage. The husband's confidence is not passive but based on observed competence. Shalal lo yechsar ('profit/spoil he will not lack') — shalal originally means 'plunder, spoil of war,' here used for economic gain. The military vocabulary is consistent: she is a warrior whose victories produce wealth.
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
KJV She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Gimel (ג). Gemalat-hu tov ve-lo ra ('she repays him good and not evil') — the verb gamal means 'to repay, to deal bountifully, to treat.' Kol yeme chayyeha ('all the days of her life') emphasizes duration: this is not seasonal behavior but a lifetime commitment. Her goodness to her husband is not occasional but constitutive — it defines her entire married life.
She seeks out wool and flax
and works with willing hands.
KJV She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Dalet (ד). Dareshah tsemer u-fishtim ('she seeks wool and flax') — she is an active sourcer of raw materials, not a passive recipient. Wool and flax are the two primary textile fibers of the ancient Near East. Va-ta'as be-chefets kappeha ('she works with the delight/willingness of her hands') — chefets means 'delight, pleasure, desire.' Her work is not drudgery but energized purpose.
She is like merchant ships;
she brings her food from far away.
KJV She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
He (ה). Ka-oniyyot socher ('like ships of a merchant, like trading vessels') — the comparison is to international commerce. She imports provisions from a distance (mi-merchaq tavi lachmah, 'from afar she brings her bread'). The image elevates her beyond the domestic sphere into the world of trade and logistics. She does not merely manage a pantry; she runs a supply chain.
She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her servant girls.
KJV She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Vav (ו). Va-taqom be-od laylah ('she rises while it is still night') — she is the first person awake, preparing before dawn. Teref le-veitah ('prey/food for her household') — teref (from taraf, 'to tear, to seize prey') uses predatory language for provision. She is a hunter-provider. Choq le-na'aroteha ('allotted portions for her young women/servant girls') — she manages staff and distributes resources with fairness and order.
She evaluates a field and acquires it;
from the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
KJV She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Zayin (ז). Zammemah sadeh va-tiqqachehu ('she considers/plans regarding a field and takes it') — the verb zamam ('to plan, to purpose, to consider') shows that she makes strategic real estate decisions. She does not impulse-buy; she evaluates and then acts. Mi-peri kappeiha nat'ah karem ('from the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard') — her profits fund further investment. She reinvests earnings into productive assets.
She girds her waist with strength
and makes her arms powerful.
KJV She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Chet (ח). Chagerah ve-oz motneiha ('she girds with strength her waist') — 'girding the loins' is the Hebrew idiom for preparing for hard work or battle. Warriors girded themselves for combat; she girds herself for labor. Va-te'ammets zero'oteha ('she makes strong her arms') — she builds her physical capacity to work. This is not a delicate woman; she is powerful, physically prepared for demanding work.
She tastes that her profit is good;
her lamp does not go out at night.
KJV She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Tet (ט). Ta'amah ki-tov sachrah ('she tastes/perceives that her trade/profit is good') — she monitors the quality of her business output. Lo-yikhbeh va-laylah nerah ('her lamp does not go out at night') — she works late, not from anxiety but from productive energy. The burning lamp symbolizes both activity and prosperity.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her fingers grasp the spindle.
KJV She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Yod (י). Yadeiha shillechah va-kishor ('her hands she sends to the distaff') and kappeiha tamkhu falekh ('her palms hold the spindle') — spinning thread was the fundamental textile craft of the ancient world. The distaff holds raw fiber; the spindle twists it into thread. She masters the basic technology of her industry.
She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her arms to the needy.
KJV She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Kaf (כ). Kappah paresah le-ani ('her palm she spreads open to the afflicted') and yadeiha shillechah la-evyon ('her hands she extends to the needy'). The same hands that work the spindle (v19) also give to the poor (v20). Productivity and generosity are not competing activities but complementary ones — she works in order to give. The open hand (paresah) is the physical opposite of the clenched fist of hoarding.
She does not fear the snow for her household,
for her entire household is clothed in scarlet.
KJV She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Lamed (ל). Lo-tira le-veitah mi-shaleg ('she does not fear for her household from snow') — winter does not catch her unprepared. Kol-beitah lavush shanim ('all her household is dressed in scarlet/double garments'). Shanim could mean 'scarlet' (expensive, warm dye) or 'double garments' (from shenayim, 'two' — double-layered clothing for warmth). Either reading shows preparation and quality: her family is warm and well-dressed because she planned ahead.
She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
KJV She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Mem (מ). Marvaddim asetah-lah ('coverings/tapestries she makes for herself') — she provides luxury for her own household. Shesh ve-argaman levushah ('fine linen and purple are her clothing'). Shesh ('fine linen,' imported from Egypt) and argaman ('purple,' dyed with the prohibitively expensive murex snail extract) are materials of royalty. She dresses not in rags but in the finest fabrics, which she has earned through her own industry.
Her husband is known at the city gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
KJV Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Nun (נ). Noda ba-she'arim ba'alah ('known at the gates is her husband') — the husband has public status and civic influence. Be-shivto im-ziqne-arets ('when he sits with the elders of the land') — he holds a position of honor and authority. But the context makes clear: his public standing is enabled by her private industry. He can sit with the elders because she has handled everything else.
She makes linen garments and sells them;
she supplies sashes to the merchants.
KJV She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Samekh (ס). Sadin asetah va-timkor ('a linen garment she makes and sells') — she manufactures goods for market, not just for household use. Chagor natnah la-kena'ani ('a sash/belt she gives to the trader/Canaanite'). Kena'ani can mean 'Canaanite' or 'merchant' (Canaanites were known as traders). She is not a cottage hobbyist but a commercial producer supplying professional merchants.
Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the days to come.
KJV Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Ayin (ע). Oz-ve-hadar levushah ('strength and splendor are her clothing') — her real garments are not linen and purple (v22) but oz ('strength, power') and hadar ('dignity, majesty, splendor'). Va-tischaq le-yom acharon ('she laughs at the future day, she laughs at the last day'). Her preparation is so thorough that she can face the future without anxiety. She laughs (tischaq) — the opposite of fear. The future, which terrifies the unprepared, amuses the woman of strength.
Here paired with torah, chesed becomes the governing principle of her teaching. She does not merely instruct; she instructs with the quality of God's own covenant love.
תּוֹרָהtorah
"instruction"—instruction, teaching, direction, guidance; from yarah ('to point, to direct')
Torat chesed — instruction shaped by faithful love — is the eshet chayil's characteristic mode of speech. It combines the truth-content of wisdom with the relational warmth of covenant love.
Translator Notes
Torat chesed ('instruction of faithful love') is one of the most beautiful phrases in Proverbs. Torah (instruction) sets the form; chesed (faithful love) sets the tone. She teaches truth with kindness — the combination that Proverbs has been building toward across all 31 chapters.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
KJV She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Tsade (צ). Tsofiyyah halikhot beitah ('she watches the goings/activities of her household') — tsofiyyah ('she watches, she observes, she keeps lookout') uses watchman/sentinel vocabulary. She is the household's sentry, monitoring everything that comes and goes. Lechem atslut lo tokhel ('bread of laziness she does not eat') — she does not consume anything she has not earned. Her food is the fruit of her labor, never the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband, and he praises her:
KJV Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Qof (ק). Qamu vaneha va-ye'ashruha ('her children rise up and call her blessed/fortunate') — the verb ashar (from ashre, 'blessed, happy') means they publicly declare her blessed. Ba'alah va-yehallelah ('her husband, and he praises her') — the husband joins the chorus. The whole household acknowledges her. This is public honor — not private appreciation but community-recognized worth.
'Many women have done valiantly,
but you surpass them all.'
KJV Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
חַיִלchayil
"valiantly"—strength, valor, might, capability, army, wealth; the full deployment of a person's power
The third occurrence in the chapter. Chayil is the defining characteristic of the eshet chayil — and it is the same word used for mighty warriors (gibbor chayil) throughout the Hebrew Bible. This woman's domestic achievement is described in military terms because it requires the same qualities: courage, discipline, endurance, and strategic intelligence.
Translator Notes
The husband's praise uses chayil — the same word from verse 10's opening question and verse 3's warning. The king was told to protect his chayil; the woman embodies chayil; and now her husband declares her chayil surpasses all others. The word binds the chapter together.
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,
but a woman who fears the LORD — she will be praised.
KJV Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
This verse is the theological center of the eshet chayil poem. All her achievements — economic, domestic, commercial, charitable — flow from yir'at-YHWH ('the fear of the LORD'). Without this verse, the poem could be read as a celebration of mere productivity. With it, every accomplishment is grounded in reverence for God. The fear of the LORD is the root; everything else is fruit.
Give her the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her at the gates.
KJV Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The acrostic is complete: from aleph (v10) to tav (v31), the portrait is finished. The woman of strength has been described from A to Z, and the final image is public recognition. The book that began with 'The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge' (1:7) ends with a woman whose fear of the LORD (v30) produces works that praise her in the public square (v31). Wisdom has been embodied.