Lessons #41 and 42
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual exposition not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GWT = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Instructions to various groups of believers (Titus 2:1-6)
1You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.
We are still considering the third virtue essential in domestic life that older women are to instill on younger women which is that of being always busy in a profitable manner. Our exposition of this third virtue has led us to consider the activities of the model wife that is described as capable wife in Proverbs 31:13-22. We have considered her first activity of providing for the needs of her family in two areas of food and clothing for her household and herself. We started in our last study to consider her activities as a capable manager of her household’s finances.
Activities of the capable wife (Proverbs 31: 13-22)
... 16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. 18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. 19In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 20She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. 21When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. 22She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. 24She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
We indicated there are two activities of the capable wife that are presented in this passage that indicate she is an able manager of the family resources in such a way that she stretches them through her planting of cash crop and her sewing activities. We considered her actions of purchasing a field and planting vineyard as part of her being concerned with long term investment with the intention of helping secure her family finances in the future. So, we need to consider her second activity of sewing that also does the same thing but before the human author of our passage gets to that he describes the capable wife’s stamina that is evident in her mental and physical toughness that enable her to carry out her physical activities necessary to be a good manager of her household with the goal of adding to the financial stability of her family.
The mental and physical toughness of the capable wife are given in Proverbs 31:17:
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
The way the NIV and a handful of our English versions translated the Hebrew line of verse 17 indicates that it is the work ethics of the capable wife that is the concern of the verse. In other words, the emphasis is how hard she works or how energetic she is at work. This is certainly true but it seems that the Holy Spirit through the human author was more concerned to convey the mental toughness of the capable wife that leads to her physical toughness as displayed in her activities than the fact she worked hard. For after all, the activities of the capable wife that the human author has given prior to this verse are clear indications of how hard working she is as she rises early in the morning and works late into the night. Furthermore, her strong work ethics is mentioned in terms of her despise for laziness as stated in the verse we have cited previously in this study, that is, Proverbs 31:27:
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Thus, while verse 17 implies her work ethics, the emphasis is on her mental and physical toughness. We are saying that verse 17 speaks to the capable wife’s stamina that involves her mental toughness that leads to her physical toughness.
It is our assertion that the Holy Spirit through the human author wanted to stress on the stamina of the capable wife in terms of her mental and physical toughness. In effect, the Holy Spirit wants us to see the “can do attitude” of the capable wife that is reflected in her physical strength. Some of us are aware that the first part of any success with respect to any activity begins in the mind. You should first conquer in your mind whatever you face before you actually do anything physically. I am saying that the battle begins in the mind. Laziness begins in mind and so does hard work. If you have mental toughness, then regardless of your physical strength you can achieve much. Thus, it is not surprising that the Holy Spirit first described the mental toughness that the capable wife possesses that results in her physical strength. Her mental toughness is the concern of the first clause of Proverbs 31:17 She sets about her work vigorously. As we have stated previously, there is no indication that the clause is concerned with mental toughness that we contend, so we need to demonstrate that the clause indeed is concerned with mental toughness by first giving the literal Hebrew reading of the clause which is She girds her loins with strength. The literal translation indicates that the translation of the NIV and the English versions that reflect the same meaning is interpretative and contributes to the problem of accepting our interpretation. Nonetheless, to confirm our point, we need to consider three key words used in the Hebrew line.
The first key word is “girds” which is translated from a Hebrew word (ḥāḡǎr) that may mean “to tie, to gird,” that is, to dress oneself or another by fastening and wrapping clothes or implements to the body for a given task, as in the dressing of Aaron in preparation for his function as the high priest in Leviticus 8:7:
He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him. He also tied the ephod to him by its skillfully woven waistband; so it was fastened on him.
It is used figuratively with an object that is girded with something that makes clear that the word is used figuratively. For example, the hills are said to be girded or clothed with joy in Psalm 65:12:
The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness.
It is in a figurative sense of being girded with something that the word is used in Proverbs 31:17 as will become clearer as we consider the next key word in the literal translation.
A second key word in our literal translation is “loins” that is translated from a Hebrew word (māṯnǎyim) that may mean “loins” as a place of wearing girdle as it is used to describe where Jeremiah wore the belt the Lord instructed him to purchase, as stated in Jeremiah 13:1:
This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.”
The phrase around your waist is literally on your loins. The Hebrew word is used for different parts of the body, for example, it has the sense of “back” in the complaint of the psalmist in Psalm 66:11:
You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
The expression laid burdens on our backs is more literally you placed pressure on our loins. Of course, the word is used for the entire body, as implied in the instruction of the Lord to Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 20:2:
at that time the LORD spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot.
The instruction Take off the sackcloth from your body is more literally Go and loosen the sackcloth from your loins. The Hebrew word may mean “loins” as seat of strength. It is in this sense that the word is used in the description of the blessing of Levi that involves destroying his enemies, as recorded in Deuteronomy 33:11:
Bless all his skills, O LORD, and be pleased with the work of his hands. Smite the loins of those who rise up against him; strike his foes till they rise no more.”
The expression Smite the loins of those who rise up against him certainly refers to undermining the strength of Levi’s enemy although it could also have the sense of rendering one impotent so that the person is unable to produce progeny. Thus, “loins” may refer to strength, but it can also refer to weakness as it is used in Isaiah 45:1:
“This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
The verbal phrase to strip kings of their armor is more literally and the belts of kings I will loosen that here has the meaning of weakening the kings by disarming them so that Cyrus could defeat them. When our Hebrew word is used in combination with the word “gird” so we have such verbal phrase as “girding up loins” then it becomes a Hebrew idiom indicating preparation or readiness to perform a task. This is because when people are at home and at rest, the belt that is tied around the longer outer garment was taken off but when it was put on with the garment tucked into the belt or girdle that signals that the wearer is reader for an activity such as setting out for a journey or going to work. We can illustrate this practice with two examples. Prophet Elijah before running from Mount Carmel, after the show down between him and the false prophets of Baal, to avoid being drenched by rain tucked in his clothes, as we read in 1 Kings 18:46:
The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
The verbal phrase tucking his cloak into his belt is literally he girded up his loins. Prophet Jeremiah tucked in his cloak in preparation for his work as a prophet to the people, as per the instruction of the Lord in Jeremiah 1:17:
“Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.
The expression Get yourself ready is more literally you must gird your loins which is an instruction to Jeremiah to prepare to carry out his assignment of prophesying to the people of Judah. There is more to the idea of girding on the loins. It can be used figuratively when it is an abstraction (abstract quality) that is “girded” about one’s loins. Thus, it is used to describe possession of moral attribute of righteousness with respect to the Messiah in Isaiah 11:5:
Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
The sentence Righteousness will be his belt is more literally righteousness shall be the belt of his loins. This figurative use of girding on about someone’s lion with that which is abstract has relevance in the use of our Hebrew word in Proverbs 31:17.
A third key word in the first literal sentence She girds her loins with strength of Proverbs 31:17 is “strength” that is translated from a Hebrew word (ʿōz) that may mean “strength, power, might”, as it is used in Isaiah 51:9:
Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through?
It may mean “stubbornness”, as it is used to describe the punishment the Lord will bring on Israel if they did not obey the terms of His covenant with them, as stated in Leviticus 26:19:
I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze.
The sentence I will break down your stubborn pride is more literally I will break the pride of your strength. It is in the literal sense of strength that the word is used in Proverbs 31:17 although probably with the meaning of “toughness.”
We have considered the various key words in the literal sentence She girds her loins with strength of Proverbs 31:17; so, the question is how to understand what is said about the capable wife. As we have stated, most commentators take the literal translation to indicate that she is physically strong. However, it is our interpretation that it refers to mental toughness of the capable wife. This is because, as we have noted, the idea of girding the loins refers to getting ready for action in which the context reveals the kind of action involved. But in our passage the capable wife is said to gird her loins with strength, but it is difficult to understand how she packs strength to herself in preparation for her activities. Nonetheless, we have noted that girding one’s loins can refer to putting on something abstract. It is in this sense that the idea of girding on the lions with strength that is intended in our passage. The thing that is abstract that the woman can get herself ready with for her activities is mental toughness. She equips herself with mental toughness. It is as she possesses mental toughness that she will have physical strength. In effect, we are saying that her mental toughness would result in physical strength. This interpretation is supported by the next Hebrew line of verse 17.
The next line of the Hebrew text begins with a Hebrew word (we-) that is not translated in the NIV and a handful of our English version but translated “and” in majority of our English versions. The omission of its translation in the NIV and few other versions would suggest that the second Hebrew line of verse 17 is independent of the first sentence. This is unlikely. Its translation with the word “and” may mean that the second sentence is either coordinate to the first sentence or is an additional fact. This is possible but there are other usages of the Hebrew word that are equally possible. The Hebrew word can be used as a marker of explanation with the meaning “that is.” The implication of this interpretation is that the second sentence provides the explanation of the first sentence. It is probably this interpretation that led some to take the two sentences to be saying the same thing that they combined the two into one sentence. A good example of this approach is that of the TEV that translates the verse as She is a hard worker, strong and industrious. Another usage of the Hebrew word used is that of a marker of result leading to the meaning “so that, therefore.” The implication of this interpretation is that the second sentence of verse 17 is that which results from what is stated in the first sentence. Although some English versions such as the GWT, the NJB, and the ISV used the meaning “and” but the way they translated the second sentence gives the implication of result. Take for example, the translators of the GWT renders the second sentence as and goes to work with energy. That aside, it is this meaning of result we believe the human author had in mind. This will be in keeping with the understanding that the first sentence indicates a mental toughness on the part of the capable wife. We are saying that the capable wife distinguishes herself by possession of mental toughness. Every capable wife should have this mental toughness.
Our minds control what we do. Thus, mental toughness will result to the exercise of strength in a physical manner. It is this result of exercising physical strength due to mental toughness that is given in the second sentence of Proverbs 31:17 her arms are strong for her tasks that literally from the Hebrew reads and makes her arms strong. This is because of the two Hebrew words used. The first Hebrew word (ʾāmēṣ) used may mean “to be strong” but in the Hebrew form (Piel) the word is used in our passage, it has a range of meanings. It may mean “to make firm, to strengthen.” It is in the sense of “to reinforce”, that is, to make a wall strong, that the word is used in 2 Chronicles 24:13:
The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it.
Another meaning is “to harden, to make obstinate” as what God did to Sihon, as described in Deuteronomy 2:30:
But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the Lord your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done.
In our passage of Proverbs 31:17, it is in the sense of “to strengthen” that the word is used.
The second Hebrew word (zerôaʿ) used may mean “arm” as body part as it is used for the part of the body of Samson that Delilah tied with ropes in Judges 16:12:
So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.
It can mean “arm” as the seat of physical human strength, as indicated in Psalm 18:34:
He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
That arms could bend a bow of bronze is a way to say that the psalmist had physical strength to bend a metal bow. Figuratively, it is used for “power”, as in Psalm 37:17:
for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
The clause for the power of the wicked will be broken is more literally for the arms of the wicked shall be broken. In Proverbs 31:17, arm is used as a symbol of human strength. Hence, the meaning of the second sentence of Proverbs 31:17 is that the mental toughness of the capable wife results in her exercise of strength in a physical way that is conveyed with the literal word “arms.”
The point is that it is because the capable wife had mental toughness that she eventually possessed physical strength. As we have indicated previously, the mind affects the body. Therefore, once the capable wife resolved in her mind, that is, had mental toughness with respect to her activity she willed, as we will say, herself to exercise strength through her arms. Thus, what we have in Proverbs 31:17 is the display of stamina of the capable wife that involves both mental toughness and physical strength. The thing every wife should learn from this capable wife is to have the mental toughness or resolve to carry out her activities that will benefit her family. Such determination will remove the possibility of being lazy since laziness is first a mindset before it is evident. If a person does not determine to work hard and do things that needed to be done instead of putting them off then that individual will be hard working instead of being lazy. In any event, the human author in verse 17 digressed to describe the stamina of the capable wife before continuing with her last activity that is our concern in the passage we are considering.
The second activity of the capable wife that indicates she is an able manager of the family resources in such a way that she stretches them is her sewing activity. We have already referred to her sewing activity when we considered the clothes she made for her family and for herself in verses 19, 21 and 22. However, the sewing activity that is our concern at this point is that which leads to perceivable increase in the financial state of her family. We use the expression “perceivable increase in the financial state of her family,” because often, it is quite difficult for many husbands to appreciate what their wives do with respect to the management of the household since their work at home is not quantifiable in a monetary way. I mean that there is no amount of money attached to what a wife does in cooking and keeping the house clean or in doing her best to stretch the finances of the family. Because of this fact, some husbands undervalue their wives’ contribution in the family finances. This should not be. Nonetheless, the sewing activity of the capable wife we are about to consider brings direct financial benefit to the family. But before we get to the description of that activity, the Holy Spirit through the human author once more focused our attention to the attitudes of the capable wife that reflect her spiritual life as displayed in her work in verse 18.
The first attitude described in verse 18 is that she believes that her product should be of the highest quality possible. There are many workers or skilled individuals involved in manufacturing of products that do not share this attitude. In other words, they do the least work they can get away with in the manufacturing process. They see to it that whatever they do is good enough only to meet whatever is the minimum standard required of their product. That kind of attitude is one that is displayed by someone that does not let his/her spiritual life affect everything the individual does. I say this because a believer who has the right spiritual relationship with the Lord will ensure that the person does his/her best to please the Lord. This will include putting one’s best to ensure that a person produces the best quality product as if that product is to be delivered to his/her Lord and Savior the Lord Jesus. Would you want to give to the Lord Jesus a product that is not of quality? I hope not! Anyway, I realize that many managers push for quality product because of financial reasons, in that if the word gets around that whatever product is in view is not good that others may not buy the product leading in loss of business. But if the managers and workers are concerned about their spiritual life then their governing factor for ensuring quality product or quality service should not be so much that of profitability as it is of doing that which pleases the Lord. This is because, everything God made is of the highest quality until sin ruined everything. Look at our bodies and the functions of every part of the body. Consider the plumbing system of the body that involves intake of fluid and the disposal of waste. God made this perfect, but it is because of sin that we know have defective parts that affect such thing as urinating. That aside, because God’s creation is of highest quality, a believer who wants to imitate God or who is devoted in his/her spiritual life will strive to ensure that his/her work in whatever form it takes is of the highest quality.
We have been laboring to emphasize the importance of ensuring quality work because we said it is this attitude that characterized the capable wife. Someone may say, you have a good point, but your point is not based on the description of the capable wife in verse 18 because the first sentence of the NIV of verse 18 reads She sees that her trading is profitable. Aha! Someone may declare, this sentence speaks of profit and not of quality of her work. Well, if you reflect carefully you will recognize that for trading to be profitable requires high quality product and so even using this translation one would recognize that quality of what she offers for trading is conveyed. Of course, if you consult several other English versions, you will discover that there are variations in the translation of the first sentence of the verse. For example, the TEV translates She knows the value of everything she makes. The NAB reads She enjoys the profit from her dealings. The NASB translates she senses that her gain is good. These various translations are not wrong because of the possible meanings of the words used in the Hebrew line. We will consider the key words used in the Hebrew that are translated in the NIV so that we can show that our interpretation that the Hebrew line is concerned with quality product is what the Holy Spirit wants us to focus.
A first key word is “sees” of the NIV that is translated from a Hebrew word (ṭāʿǎm) that literally may mean “to taste” in the sense of eating in small quantity as the word is used to describe the fact that Jonathan, despite his father’s ban on the soldiers from eating food, ate a small portion of honey, as recorded in 1 Samuel 14:29:
Jonathan said, “My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey.
Literally, the word can also refer to the sense of taste that is somewhat diminished by old age as the Hebrew word is used by Barzillai to express to David his loss of sense of taste in 2 Samuel 19:35:
I am now eighty years old. Can I tell the difference between what is good and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats and drinks? Can I still hear the voices of men and women singers? Why should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king?
However, it is used figuratively in the sense of experiencing something so that it may mean “to see, to perceive” in the sense of discovering by experience, as it is used in the invitation of the psalmist to experience God and see how good He is in Psalm 34:8:
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
It is because figuratively our Hebrew word may mean “to experience” that probably is the reasoning behind the use of the word “to enjoy” to translate the Hebrew word by the translators of the NAB. It is in the figurative sense that it is used in Proverbs 31:18 with the meaning “to perceive, to see.” Thus, the word is used in our passage to describe the capable wife’s evaluation or perception of what is described in the rest of the Hebrew line as we will note.
The second key word in the Hebrew line translated “profitable” in the NIV is a Hebrew word (sǎḥǎr) that may mean “profit from trade”, as it is used to describe the trading profit of Tyre that will be enjoyed by those who live for the Lord in Isaiah 23:18:
Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the LORD; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the LORD, for abundant food and fine clothes.
It may mean “merchandize” in Isaiah 45:14:
This is what the Lord says: “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and those tall Sabeans—they will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you, coming over to you in chains. They will bow down before you and plead with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you, and there is no other; there is no other god.’”
The meaning of our word is here disputed since some give it the meaning “gain” or “revenue” or “treasures.” Likewise, its meaning is disputed in our passage of Proverbs 31:18. Some give the meaning “profit” as reflected in GWT, some take its meaning “trading” as reflected in the NIV and CEB while others take the meaning “merchandize,” that is, commodities offered for sale as reflected in the NET and perhaps in the TEV and the NCV. It is probably the meaning “merchandize” that the Holy Spirit put in the mind of the human author as that makes most sense in the context of the capable wife’s activity of sewing to earn morning for her family, as we will note in verse 24.
A third key word in the NIV of Proverbs 31:18 is “profitable” translated from a Hebrew word (ṭôḇ) with a range of meanings but we will mention only two of these that are possible candidates in our passage of Proverbs 31:18. The word may mean “beautiful”, as it is used to describe the daughters of men that angels had sexual relationship in Genesis 6:2:
the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
The word may mean “good” in the sense of having desirable or positive qualities, especially for those suitable for a thing specified. Thus, it is in the sense of this meaning that God on reviewing what He created, declared them “good”, as for example, in Genesis 1:12:
The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
It is in this sense that a craftsman appraises the work of a welder in Isaiah 41:7:
The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer spurs on him who strikes the anvil. He says of the welding, “It is good.” He nails down the idol so it will not topple.
It is in the sense of having positive qualities the Hebrew word is used in Proverbs 31:18.
Considering the meanings of the Hebrew words used in the first line of Proverbs 31:18, it is our interpretation that the human author intended to convey that the capable wife evaluates her merchandize she produced for sale and concluded they were of high quality. This being the case, we are correct, in asserting that the attitude of the capable wife towards the things she produced was that of maintaining high quality. It is this interpretation that is reflected in the NCV that translated the first sentence of verse 18 as She knows that what she makes is good. Subsequently, we maintain that a spiritual minded person would be concerned to function in such a way that it can be said that the believer’s work is always of high quality. In any event, the first attitude of the capable wife mentioned in verse 18 is concerned with that of ensuring high quality product.
A second attitude of the capable wife that is mentioned in verse 18 is that of working hard to ensure she produced high quality product. This attitude manifests itself in working long hours if necessary. It is this attitude that is described in the second sentence of verse 18 and her lamp does not go out at night. Lamp although literal, may be understood figuratively in different ways. For example, it could refer to life that is cut off, as stated in Proverbs 13:9
The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.
The sentence her lamp does not go out at night of Proverbs 31:18 although refers to a lamp burning all night may be understood in a figurative manner. Literally, for a lamp not to go out at night will imply that the capable wife would have to wake up periodically through the night to ensure that the oil holder for the lamp is filled with oil. If this is done, then it conveys the sense that she is devoted to her responsibility as the manager of the house. Thus, the literal sentence may be a way to convey that she is dutifully committed to ensure that she produces quality products without being concerned with the time she had to invest to do this. To achieve this, she works late into the night. The point is that the capable wife is a devoted manager that insures high quality product that requires her to work late into the night. This brings us to her actual activity that contributes to the financial stability of her household.
The capable wife sews clothes for commercial purposes. Her sewing activity is first described in the first sentence of Proverbs 31:24 She makes linen garments. The expression “linen garments” is translated from a Hebrew word (sāḏîn) that refers to clothing which is possibly a kind of undergarment, doubling as a night shirt for sleeping as well as day use hence means “wrapper, linen garments.” It is used to describe the article of clothing Samson offered the Philistines if they solved his riddle in Judges 14:12:
“Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.
It is also used in the list of women’s clothing Prophet Isaiah listed in Isaiah 3:23:
and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.
We have already noted that the capable wife makes articles of clothing for her family but we are sure this time that her sewing activity is for commercial purposes because of the verbal phrase and sells them. The verbal phrase makes a general statement in that unlike the second item she makes that we will get to shortly, there is no mention of those to whom the articles of clothing are sold. It is probably the case that she makes clothes to sell to neighbors as well as to those who are merchants. For otherwise, the human author would have waited to make his next statement about the woman’s second product before indicating that she sold the clothing she made. I am saying that we may have a situation where this capable wife is recognized by her neighbors as a good seamstress that other women request her to make clothes for them in addition to the ones, she makes to sell to those involved in trading business.
That aside, there is a second thing the capable wife sews which is a girdle or belt as it is described in the last verbal phrase of Proverbs 31:24 and supplies the merchants with sashes. The word “sashes” is translated from a Hebrew word (ḥǎḡôr) that means “belt, girdle.” It can refer to the belt of a warrior, as in 2 Samuel 18:11:
Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels of silver and a warrior’s belt.”
It refers to an article of a fashionable woman’s dress in Isaiah 3:24:
Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding.
In this passage, the Hebrew word is translated “sash” which is an ornamental band around the waist, likely made of some precious cloth. The capable wife produces this sash or belt also for commercial purposes because of the words “supplies” and “merchants.” The word “supplies” is translated from a Hebrew word (nāṯǎn) that means “to give” but with several other nuances. For example, it may mean “to give for money”, that is, to exchange for money or to sell as in the instruction to Israelites of how to handle their tithe that is to be eaten at God’s specified location in Deuteronomy 14:25:
then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose.
The expression exchange your tithe for silver is literally you may give it in for the silver. It is in the sense of transferring the possession of an object to another in exchange for something that the word is used in our passage. In effect, the capable wife either sold right away the belts or sashes she made for money or she consigned her products to merchants with the arrangement that when they are sold, she would from the proceeds give an agreed amount of commission to the merchants. In either case, she will realize profit from her sewing activities. This profit will then be added to the family resources; in this way, she has increased the financial health of the family.
We have considered the sewing activities of the capable wife that enables her to contribute to the financial stability of her household but in application not every wife will do the same thing she did. However, the principle of adding to the health of the family finances is one that every capable wife should be involved. There are at least two ways this can be done today. A wife may work outside of the home or she can work in the home. On the one hand, if she works, her come should be part of the family income. She is not to use it anyhow she wishes as her income belongs to her instead of the family. On the other hand, if she works in the home by taking care of the household affairs, then she could contribute by ensuring that she stretches the family resources by being conservative in her spending. She should learn to spend the family money wisely in such a way that she gets the best product for the least amount of money possible. She can also be on the lookout for opportunities to ventures that she can do at home to generate added income. In short, the capable wife should be wise to know how best to increase the family resources in keeping with her environment. By this we mean she should ask the Lord to give her wisdom to be a good manager of her family finances either by increasing it or stretching it for maximum benefit to the family. In any event, older women should encourage younger women to be involved in activities that will ensure they are good managers of their family affairs that will involve taking care of the food, clothing and finances of the family.
06/30/17