A Woman of Valor: Insights from Proverbs 31
Most Christian women have heard about the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31: 10, KJV:
“ Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.”
For many women, this section of Scripture can be discouraging. For who can live up to her standards? Yet, careful study of the passage reveals a more nuanced view that the English translation can’t convey. Come join me as we take a deeper dive into Proverbs 31 starting with a Hebrew word study chayil.
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A Word Stuy on Chayil
Strong’s defines chayil as the following:
“probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength:—able, activity, ( ) army, band of men (soldiers), company, (great) forces, goods, host, might, power, riches, strength, strong, substance, train, ( ) valiant(-ly), valour, virtuous(-ly), war, worthy(-ily).”
Notice the emphasis on strength. Chayil is not a meek word. For context here are some Bible verses that use the word chayil. (This is not an exhaustive list). All the verses in this list are from NKJV:
- Genesis 34: 29: “And all their wealth [chayil]. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses.”
- Genesis 47: 6: “The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent [chayil] men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.”
- Exodus 14: 4, 9, 17, 28: “Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army [chayil] that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.” And they did so…. So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army [chayil], and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon…. “And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army [chayil], his chariots, and his horsemen…. Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army [chayil] of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.”
- Exodus 15:4: “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army [chayil] He has cast into the sea.” His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.”
- Exodus 18: 21, 25: “Moreover you shall select from all the people able [chayil] men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens…Moses chose able [chayil] men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.”
- Deuteronomy 3: 18: “Then I commanded you at that time, saying: ‘The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All you men of valor [chayil] shall cross over armed before your brethren, the children of Israel.”
- Deuteronomy 8: 17, 18: “Then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth [chayil]’ “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth [chayil] that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”
- Joshua 1: 14: “Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor [chayil] and help them.”
- Joshua 6: 2: “And the LORD said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor [chayil].”
- Joshua 8: 3: “So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor [chayil] and sent them away by night.”
- Joshua 10: 7: “So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor [chayil].”
- Judges 3: 29: “And at that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, all stout men of valor [chayil]; not a man escaped.”
- 1 Samuel 2:4: “The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength [chayil].”
- 1 Samuel 9: 1: “There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power [chayil].”
- 1 Samuel 16: 18: “Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor [chayil], a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him.”
- Psalm 18: 32, 39: “It is God who arms me with strength [chayil], and makes my way perfect…. For You have armed me with strength [chayil] for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.”
- Psalm 33: 16, 17: “No king is saved by the multitude of an army [chayil]; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength [chayil].”
- Psalm 49: 6, 10: “Those who trust in their wealth [chayil] and boast in the multitude of their riches,…. For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, And leave their wealth [chayil] to others.”
- Psalm 84: 7: “They go from strength [chayil] to strength [chayil]; Each one appears before God in Zion.”
As you can see from the verses above, chayil is a word of strength. It is strong like an army or a mighty man. Therefore, a better translation of Proverbs 31: 10 might be the following:
“A woman of valor who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.”
What kind of images come to mind with the idea of a woman of valor? Merriam Webster defines valor as the following:
: strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness : personal bravery
The Woman of Valor
Take a moment and read Proverbs 31: 10-21 (NIV) and list all the ways a woman shows strength or valor and fill out the chart below.
“A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaffand grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”
Biblical vs Worldly Messaging
Let’s take a closer look at Proverbs 31: 30, NIV. Where does a woman get valor from?
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
Notice how this contrasts the world’s messaging. In a world of Kardashians, culture and the media tells us to pursue charm and beauty. It tells us to seek our strength outside of our family, yet the woman of valor is strong inside her family. Her work (both inside and outside the home) brings blessings to her family.
Reflection questions
- Have you been susceptible to thinking a woman’s beauty and charm is the most important thing?
- Have you ever felt worthless because you weren’t beautiful enough?
- If your single, have you ever felt that single Christian men focused on beauty and flirtatiousness instead of godliness and felt discouraged?
Did you know that Jewish men don’t use this list as a checklist, but they recite it every Sabbath to their wives to praise (not admonish) them!!! How does this encourage you?
Valor vs Fear
Compare the Woman of Valor to the passage about wives in 1 Peter 3: 1-6, NIV. Where does our beauty come from?
“Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.”
Notice how the end of the passage talks about fear. What temptation is there for us females in verse 1 Peter 3: 6?
Reflection Questions
- Does fear ever inhibit you from following the Lord or focusing on external things?
- How does a fearful woman compare/contrast to the Proverbs 31 woman?
- Is 1 Peter 3 in opposition to the Proverbs 31 woman? Explain.
Source of Chayil
According to Psalm 18: 32, 39, (NIV) where do we get our “chayil”?
“It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure….. You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.”
Conclusion
As you can see the Proverbs 31 woman is a woman of strength and valor. This is what God wants his children to be! Think of Tamar, Jael, Debroah, Rahab and Ruth who were strong
If you liked learning about the woman of valor in Proverbs 31, be sure to subscribe. I’m going to write some more follow-up posts about Proverbs 31 through several other lenses, so be sure they get sent straight to your inbox.
Check out my other Bible posts:
- Understanding God’s Glory: A Bible Word Study on Kabod
- Unveiling the Gospel in Noah’s Ark
- Understanding the Significance of Hyssop in the Bible
- Viewing Haggai through the Lens of the Hebrew Calendar: Part 1
- How the Story of Cain & Abel Impacted My Infertility Journey
- Understanding Elohim: The Kingly Attributes of God
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