Proverbs 31: A Worthy Woman Who Fears God
A mother charges her royal son, then Proverbs praises the worthy woman whose worth far exceeds rubies.
Proverbs 31 (WEB)
1 The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him.
2 “Oh, my son! Oh, son of my womb! Oh, son of my vows!
3 Don’t give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings.
4 It is not for kings, Lemuel; it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes to say, ‘Where is strong drink?’
5 lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the justice due to anyone who is afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to him who is ready to perish; and wine to the bitter in soul:
7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
8 Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy.”
10 Who can find a worthy woman? For her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her. He shall have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax, and works eagerly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships. She brings her bread from afar.
15 She rises also while it is yet night, gives food to her household, and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field, and buys it. With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard.
17 She arms her waist with strength, and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp doesn’t go out by night.
19 She lays her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her arms to the poor; yes, she extends her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household; for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes for herself carpets of tapestry. Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing. She laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom. Faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household, and doesn’t eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things, but you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands! Let her works praise her in the gates!
Proverbs 31 (KJV)
1 The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.
2 What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?
3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Proverbs 31 (ASV)
1 The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him.
2 What, my son? and what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows?
3 Give not thy strength unto women, Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; Nor for princes to say, Where is strong drink?
5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, And pervert the justice due to any that is afflicted.
6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, And wine unto the bitter in soul:
7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more.
8 Open thy mouth for the dumb, In the cause of all such as are left desolate.
9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, And minister justice to the poor and needy.
10 A worthy woman who can find? For her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband trusteth in her, And he shall have no lack of gain.
12 She doeth him good and not evil All the days of her life.
13 She seeketh wool and flax, And worketh willingly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant-ships; She bringeth her bread from afar.
15 She riseth also while it is yet night, And giveth food to her household, And their task to her maidens.
16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it; With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17 She girdeth her loins with strength, And maketh strong her arms.
18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable; Her lamp goeth not out by night.
19 She layeth her hands to the distaff, And her hands hold the spindle.
20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household; For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24 She maketh linen garments and selleth them, And delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing; And she laugheth at the time to come.
26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And the law of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, And eateth not the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up, and call her blessed; Her husbandalso, and he praiseth her, saying:
29 Many daughters have done worthily, But thou excellest them all.
30 Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; Buta woman that feareth Jehovah, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; And let her works praise her in the gates.
Summary
This final chapter records the words of King Lemuel, the oracle his mother taught him. She charges her son not to give his strength to women or his ways to what destroys kings, and warns that wine is not for kings, lest they forget the law and pervert justice for the afflicted. Instead she calls him to open his mouth for the mute and desolate, to judge righteously, and to defend the poor and needy. The chapter then turns to the famous acrostic poem praising the worthy woman, whose price is far above rubies. Her husband trusts her; she works eagerly with wool and flax, rises while it is night to feed her household, considers and buys a field, plants a vineyard, opens her arms to the poor, and speaks with wisdom and kind instruction. Her children call her blessed and her husband praises her. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears Yahweh is to be praised.
Main Characters
- King Lemuel — The king who records and passes on the wise charge his mother taught him about leadership and justice.
- Lemuel's mother — The mother who urges her son to avoid what destroys kings and to defend the poor and needy.
- The worthy woman — The diligent, wise, generous woman of the acrostic poem whose fear of Yahweh makes her worthy of praise.
- Yahweh — The LORD whose fear, not charm or beauty, makes a woman truly praiseworthy.
Key Verse
Proverbs 31:30 (WEB)
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised.
Lessons Learned
- Godly leaders use their position and self-control to defend the poor, the voiceless, and the afflicted.
- A life of diligent, faithful work blesses a whole household and earns honest, lasting praise.
- True worth is found not in fleeting charm or beauty but in the fear of the LORD.
- Wisdom and kindness on the tongue, joined to hard work and generosity, make a person a blessing to many.
- Leaders must defend the voiceless. Lemuel's mother charges him to open his mouth for the mute, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy (Proverbs 31:8-9, WEB).
- Self-control protects sound judgment. It is not for kings to drink wine, lest they forget the law and pervert the justice due to the afflicted, tying restraint to right rule (Proverbs 31:4-5, WEB).
- Diligence blesses a household. The worthy woman works eagerly with her hands and rises while it is yet night to provide for her household, showing the dignity of faithful labor (Proverbs 31:13-15, WEB).
- Generosity flows from a worthy life. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy, so her strength serves others and not only herself (Proverbs 31:20, WEB).
- Wisdom and kindness mark her speech. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue, joining strong character to gracious words (Proverbs 31:26, WEB).
- The fear of the LORD is true beauty. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears Yahweh shall be praised, locating real worth in reverence for God (Proverbs 31:30, WEB).
- What does Lemuel's mother warn him to avoid, and what does she call him to do (Proverbs 31:3-9)?
- How does the worthy woman use her strength, skill, and resources (Proverbs 31:13-19)?
- How does she treat the poor and needy (Proverbs 31:20)?
- Why does the chapter say charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but the fear of Yahweh is praiseworthy (Proverbs 31:30)?
- What would it look like for you to let the fear of the LORD, rather than appearances, define your worth and your work?
- She warns him not to give his strength to women or to wine, which destroy kings and cloud judgment, and instead calls him to speak up for the mute and desolate, judge righteously, and defend the poor and needy (31:3-9).
- She seeks wool and flax and works eagerly, rises while it is still night to feed her household, considers and buys a field, plants a vineyard, and trades profitably, using her abilities with energy and foresight (31:13-19).
- She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy (31:20); her diligence and provision overflow into active generosity toward the vulnerable.
- Because charm and beauty are fleeting and can deceive, while reverent fear of the LORD is lasting and shapes a life truly worthy of praise (31:30); God looks at the heart, not appearances.
- Personal: invite members to reflect on whether they measure their worth by appearance and output or by their reverence for God, and to ask the LORD to root their identity in him (31:30).