27 She looketh well H6822 to the ways H1979 H1979 of her household, H1004 and eateth H398 not the bread H3899 of idleness. H6104
Every wise H2454 woman H802 buildeth H1129 her house: H1004 but the foolish H200 plucketh it down H2040 with her hands. H3027
Well reported of G3140 for G1722 good G2570 works; G2041 if G1487 she have brought up G5044 children, if G1487 she have lodged strangers, G3580 if G1487 she have washed G3538 the saints' G40 feet, G4228 if G1487 she have relieved G1884 the afflicted, G2346 if G1487 she have diligently followed G1872 every G3956 good G18 work. G2041
And G2532 that ye study G5389 to be quiet, G2270 and G2532 to do G4238 your own business, G2398 and G2532 to work with G2038 your G5216 own G2398 hands, G5495 as G2531 we commanded G3853 you; G5213
Now G1161 we command G3853 you, G5213 brethren, G80 in G1722 the name G3686 of our G2257 Lord G2962 Jesus G2424 Christ, G5547 that ye withdraw G4724 yourselves G5209 from G575 every G3956 brother G80 that walketh G4043 disorderly, G814 and G2532 not G3361 after G2596 the tradition G3862 which G3739 he received G3880 of G3844 us. G2257
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Proverbs 31
Commentary on Proverbs 31 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 31
This chapter is added to Solomon's proverbs, some think because it is of the same author, supposing king Lemuel to be king Solomon; others only because it is of the same nature, though left in writing by another author, called Lemuel; however it be, it is a prophecy, and therefore given by inspiration and direction of God, which Lemuel was under in the writing of it, and putting it into this form, as his mother was in dictating to him the matter of it. Here is,
Pro 31:1-9
Most interpreters are of opinion that Lemuel is Solomon; the name signifies one that is for God, or devoted to God; and so it agrees well enough with that honourable name which, by divine appointment, was given to Solomon (2 Sa. 12:25), Jedediah-beloved of the Lord. Lemuel is supposed to be a pretty, fond, endearing name, by which his mother used to call him; and so much did he value himself upon the interest he had in his mother's affections that he was not ashamed to call himself by it. One would the rather incline to think it is Solomon that here tells us what his mother taught him because he tells us (ch. 4:4) what his father taught him. But some think (and the conjecture is not improbable) that Lemuel was a prince of some neighbouring country, whose mother was a daughter of Israel, perhaps of the house of David, and taught him these good lessons. Note,
Now, in this mother's (this queen mother's) catechism, observe,
Pro 31:10-31
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 (1 Tim. 2:9-10, 1 Pt. 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 upon it, since it contributes as much as any one thing to the keeping up of religion in families, and the entail of it upon posterity, that the mothers be wise and good; and of what consequence it is to the wealth and outward prosperity of a house every one is sensible. He that will thrive must ask his wife leave. Here is,
Twenty chapters of the book of Proverbs (beginning with ch. 10 and ending with ch. 29), consisting mostly of entire sentences in each verse, could not well be reduced to proper heads, and the contents of them gathered; I have therefore here put the contents of all these chapters together, which perhaps may be of some use to those who desire to see at once all that is said of any one head in these chapters. Some of the verses, perhaps, I have not put under the same heads that another would have put them under, but the most of them fall (I hope) naturally enough to the places I have assigned them.