Amsal 31:13
Konteks31:13 She obtains 1 wool and flax,
and she is pleased to work with her hands. 2
Amsal 31:15-16
Konteks31:15 She also gets up 3 while it is still night,
and provides food 4 for her household and a portion 5 to her female servants.
31:16 She considers 6 a field and buys it;
from her own income 7 she plants a vineyard.
Amsal 31:18-19
Konteks31:18 She knows 8 that her merchandise is good,
and her lamp 9 does not go out in the night.
31:19 Her hands 10 take hold 11 of the distaff,
and her hands grasp the spindle.
Amsal 31:22
Konteks31:22 She makes for herself coverlets; 12
her clothing is fine linen and purple. 13
Amsal 31:24
Konteks31:24 She makes linen garments 14 and sells them,
and supplies the merchants 15 with sashes.
[31:13] 1 tn The first word of the fourth line begins with דּ (dalet) the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The verb דָרַשׁ (darash) means “to seek; to inquire; to investigate.” The idea is that she looks for the wool and flax to do her work, but the whole verse assumes she has obtained it. This verb also occurs in the hymn of Ps 111, which says in v. 2 that “the works of the
[31:13] 2 tn Heb “and she works in the pleasure of her hands.” The noun חֵפֶץ (khefets) means “delight; pleasure.” BDB suggests it means here “that in which one takes pleasure,” i.e., a business, and translates the line “in the business of her hands” (BDB 343 s.v. 4). But that translation reduces the emphasis on pleasure and could have easily been expressed in other ways. Here it is part of the construct relationship. The “hands” are the metonymy of cause, representing all her skills and activities in making things. It is also a genitive of specification, making “pleasure” the modifier of “her hands/her working.” She does her work with pleasure. Tg. Prov 31:13 has, “she works with her hands in accordance with her pleasure.”
[31:15] 3 tn The first word of the sixth line begins with ו (vav), the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
[31:15] 4 sn The word for “food” is טֶרֶף (teref, “prey”; KJV “meat”), another word that does not normally fit the domestic scene. This word also is used in a similar way in Ps 111:5, which says the
[31:15] 5 sn The word חֹק (khoq) probably means “allotted portion of food” as before, but some suggest it means the task that is allotted to the servants, meaning that the wise woman gets up early enough to give out the work assignments (Tg. Prov 31:15, RSV, NRSV, TEV, NLT). That is possible, but seems an unnecessary direction for the line to take. Others, however, simply wish to delete this last colon, leaving two cola and not three, but that is unwarranted.
[31:16] 6 tn The first word of the seventh line begins with ז (zayin), the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
[31:16] sn The word “considers” means “to plan carefully” in accordance with her purposes. The word is often used in the book of Proverbs for devising evil; but here it is used positively of the woman’s wise investment.
[31:16] 7 tn Heb “from the fruit of her hands.” The expression employs two figures. “Hands” is a metonymy of cause, indicating the work she does. “Fruit” is a hypocatastasis, an implied comparison meaning what she produces, the income she earns. She is able to plant a vineyard from her income.
[31:18] 8 tn The first word of the ninth line begins with ט (tet), the ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
[31:18] sn This is the word for “taste.” It means her opinion or perception, what she has learned by experience and therefore seems right.
[31:18] 9 sn The line may be taken literally to mean that she is industrious throughout the night (“burning the midnight oil”) when she must in order to follow through a business deal (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 668); cf. TEV. But the line could also be taken figuratively, comparing “her light” to the prosperity of her household – her whole life – which continues night and day.
[31:19] 10 tn The first word of the tenth line begins with י (yod) the tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
[31:19] sn The words for “hands” are often paired in poetry; the first (יָד, yad) means the hand and the forearm and usually indicates strength, and the second (כַּף, kaf) means the palm of the hand and usually indicates the more intricate activity.
[31:19] 11 tn The verb שִׁלַּח (shilakh), the Piel perfect of the verb “to send,” means in this stem “to thrust out; to stretch out.” It is a stronger word than is perhaps necessary. It is a word that is also used in military settings to describe the firmness and forthrightness of the activity (Judg 5:26).
[31:22] 12 tn The first word of the thirteenth line begins with מ (mem), the thirteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The word rendered “coverlets” appears in 7:16, where it has the idea of “covered.” K&D 17:335 suggests “pillows” or “mattresses” here. The Greek version has “lined overcoats” or “garments,” but brings over the last word of the previous verse to form this line and parallel the second half, which has clothing in view.
[31:22] 13 sn The “fine linen” refers to expensive clothing (e.g., Gen 41:42), as does the “purple” (e.g., Exod 26:7; 27:9, 18). Garments dyed with purple indicated wealth and high rank (e.g., Song 3:5). The rich man in Luke 16:19 was clothed in fine linen and purple as well. The difference is that the wise woman is charitable, but he is not.
[31:24] 14 tn The first word of the fifteenth line begins with ס (samek), the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
[31:24] sn The poet did not think it strange or unworthy for a woman of this stature to be a businesswoman engaged in an honest trade. In fact, weaving of fine linens was a common trade for women in the ancient world.
[31:24] 15 tn Heb “to the Canaanites.” These are the Phoenician traders that survived the wars and continued to do business down to the exile.
