Proverbs 31:10

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
find	יִמְצָ֑א yim.Tza'	H4672	properly · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
virtuous	חַ֭יִל Cha.yil	H2428	probably a force · noun, common masculine singular absolute
woman	אֵֽשֶׁת 'e.shet-	H802	a woman · noun, common feminine singular construct
price	מִכְרָֽהּ mikh.Rah	H4377	merchandise · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
far	וְרָחֹ֖ק ve.ra.Chok	H7350	remote · conjunction + adjective, masculine singular absolute
rubies	מִפְּנִינִ֣ים mi.pe.ni.Nim	H6443	probably a pearl (as round) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Proverbs 19:14 House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.
Proverbs 12:4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.
Proverbs 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.
Ephesians 5:25-33 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Proverbs 3:15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
Song of Solomon 6:8-9 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.
Ruth 3:11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous…
Proverbs 20:15 There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 31:10–end

This description of the virtuous woman is designed to show what wives the women should make and what wives the men should choose; it consists of twenty-two verses, each beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order, as some of the Psalms, which makes some think it was no part of the lesson which Lemuel's mother taught him, but a poem by itself, written by some other hand, and perhaps had been commonly repeated among the pious Jews, for the ease of which it was made alphabetical. We have the abridgment of it in the New Testament (Ti1 2:9, Ti1 2:10, Pe1 3:1-6), where the duty prescribed to wives agrees with this description of a good wife; and with good reason is so much stress laid…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 31:10

This exquisite picture of a truly lovely wife is conceived and drawn in accordance with the customs of Eastern nations, but its moral teachings suit all climes. In Hebrew the verses begin with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order (compare Introduction to Poetical Books). Who . . . woman--The question implies that such are rare, though not entirely wanting (compare Pro 18:22; Pro 19:14). virtuous--literally, "of strength," that is, moral courage (compare Pro 12:4; Rut 3:11). her price, &c.--(compare Pro 3:15).

John Gill on Proverbs 31:10

Who can find a virtuous woman,.... This part of the chapter is disjoined from the rest in the Septuagint and Arabic versions; and Huetius (t) thinks it is a composition of some other person, and not Lemuel's mother, whose words he supposes end at Proverbs 31:9; but it is generally thought that what follows to the end of the chapter is a continuance of her words, in which she describes a person as a fit wife for her son. Some think that Bathsheba gave the materials, the sum and substance of this beautiful description, to Solomon; who put it in the artificial form it is, each verse beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order till the whole is gone through; though rather it seems to…

Read the whole note in the console

The Church Fathers

A religious wife is blessed. Let her praise the fear of the Lord: give her of the fruits of her lips, and let her husband be praised in the gates. And again, "A virtuous wife is a crown to her husband." And again, "Many wives have built a house." You have learned what great commendations a prudent and loving wife receives from the Lord God.
— Nilus of Sinai, CONSTITUTIONS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES 1:3.8

A religious wife is blessed. Let her praise the fear of the Lord: give her of the fruits of her lips, and let her husband be praised in the gates. And again, "A virtuous wife is a crown to her husband." And again, "Many wives have built a house." You have learned what great commendations a prudent and loving wife receives from the Lord God. .
— Apostolic Constitutions, CONSTITUTIONS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES

Thus far the words of Lemuel. Hence the wisest of kings, Solomon, celebrates the praises of the holy Church in a few verses, but with the fullest truth. For it is established that the same poem consists of 22 verses, according to the order and number of the Hebrew letters, so that each verse begins with distinct letters. By the most perfect order of this alphabet it is typically indicated how extensively the virtues and rewards of either each faithful soul or the whole holy Church, which is completed from all chosen souls as one catholic, are here described.
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Poetry — Has been well defined as “the measured language of emotion.” Hebrew poetry deals almost exclusively with the great question of man’s relation to God. “Guilt, condemnation, punishment, pardon,…
Rubies — Concerning the meaning of the Hebrew words translated “rubies” there is much difference of opinion. (Job 28:18) see also Prov 3:15; 8:11; 31:10 Some suppose “coral” to be in tended; others “pearl,”…
Ruby — (Heb. peninim), only in plural (Lam. 4:7). The ruby was one of the stones in the high priest’s breastplate (Ex. 28:17). A comparison is made between the value of wisdom and rubies (Job 28:18; Prov.…
Wife — The ordinance of marriage was sanctioned in Paradise (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:4-6). Monogamy was the original law under which man lived, but polygamy early commenced (Gen. 4:19), and continued to prevail…
Women — The position of women in the Hebrew commonwealth contrasts favorably with that which in the present day is assigned to them generally in eastern countries. The most salient point of contrast in the…
Writing — The art of writing must have been known in the time of the early Pharaohs. Moses is commanded “to write for a memorial in a book” (Ex. 17:14) a record of the attack of Amalek. Frequent mention is…
Economics · HOUSEHOLD — HOUSEHOLD
Poetry · ACROSTICPs 25;34;37;111;112;119;145; — ACROSTICPs 25;34;37;111;112;119;145;
Ruby · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Wife · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO
Wives · Good: Are a blessing to husbands — Good: Are a blessing to husbands

Proverbs 31:10

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 31:10–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 31:10

John Gill on Proverbs 31:10

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 31:10

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 31:10–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 31:10

John Gill on Proverbs 31:10

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 31:10

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 31:10-31

Rashi on Proverbs 31:8