properly · verb, qal active participle, feminine singular absolute
ways
הֲלִיכ֣וֹתha.li.Khot
H1979
a walking · noun, common feminine plural construct
household
בֵּיתָ֑הּbei.Tah
H1004
a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
eateth
תֹאכֵֽלto.Khel
H398
to eat (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
bread
וְלֶ֥חֶםve.Le.chem
H3899
food (for man or beast) · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct
idleness
עַ֝צְל֗וּת'atz.Lut
H6104
indolence · noun, common feminine singular 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
1 Timothy 5:10 Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she…
Titus 2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly,…
Proverbs 14:1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
1 Thessalonians 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
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…
(Compare Ti1 5:14; Tit 2:5). She adds to her example a wise management of those under her control.
John Gill on Proverbs 31:27
She looketh well to the ways of her household,.... The business of her house, her domestic affairs; that her children and servants have convenient food, and in due season; that they have proper clothing, and keep their garments close about them, and unspotted; that everyone does the business of his calling, her several officers, and private members; that a good decorum is kept, that all things are done decently and in order; that the rules of her lord and husband are observed; that the conversations of all in her house are according to the word of God, and becoming their character: she takes care of the sick and weak, comforts the feeble minded, and supports the infirm; she cannot bear them…
27 צ She looketh well to the ways of her house,
And eateth not the bread of idleness.
Although there exists an inner relation between 27a and Pro 31:26, yet 27a is scarcely to be thought of (Hitzig) as appos. to the suffix in לשׁונהּ. Participles with or without determination occur in descriptions frequently as predicates of the subject standing in the discourse of the same force as abstr. present declarations, e.g., Isa 40:22., Psa 104:13. צופיּה is connected with the accus. of the object of the intended warning, like Pro 15:3, and is compared according to the form with המיּה, Pro 7:11. הליבה signifies elsewhere things necessary for a journey, Job 6:19, and in the plur. magnificus it denote…
The Church Fathers
Why should we dwell upon the amount of evil there is in idleness, when the apostle clearly prescribes that he who does not work should not eat? As daily sustenance is necessary for everyone, so labor in proportion to one's strength is also essential. Not vainly has Solomon written in praise: "and she has not eaten her bread idle."
She considers the ways of her household, etc. She considers the ways of her household, because she carefully investigates all the thoughts of her conscience. She does not eat the bread of idleness, because what she has perceived from understanding the sacred word, she shows by her works before the eyes of the eternal Judge. Again, the house of the strong woman is the dwelling of the heavenly country; the ways of that house are the commands of justice, by which one arrives at the mansion of eternal life. Indeed, the soul well considers these ways, when both it diligently examines by what acts it should arrive at the higher, and does not cease to zealously practice what it has learned must be done. She does not eat the bread of idleness, when receiving the sacrifice of the Lord's body, she strives to imitate in action what she celebrates in ministry, being very concerned not to eat and drink the Lord's bread and cup unworthily, lest she eat and drink judgment upon herself; but that by suffering for Christ, and shedding tears, persisting also in good deeds, she may follow the examples of His passion as much as she can. It can also be simply understood that the strong woman does not eat the bread of idleness; according to that saying of the Apostle: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat (II Thessalonians III). And he himself said of himself, "Because for what I needed, and for those who are with me, these hands have ministered" (Acts 20). Hence, rightfully reproving luxurious widows, he adds: "Besides, they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies" (1 Tim. 5).
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,…
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…
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…
Bread · Illustrative: (Of idleness,) of sloth — Illustrative: (Of idleness,) of sloth
Economics · HOUSEHOLD — HOUSEHOLD
Families · Should: Be duly regulated — Should: Be duly regulated
Family · .Be duly regulated — .Be duly regulated
Industry · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Wives · Good: Are diligent and prudent — Good: Are diligent and prudent
Woman · Good and virtuous, described — Good and virtuous, described
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
