Proverbs 31:10 | Bible Study | Virtuous Wife

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Introduction: Proverbs 31:10 Bible Study

Welcome, to the bible study series Know the Bible: Proverbs 31 verse 10. I am glad you are meeting me AT FORESTS EDGE, where women can study the word of God together and encourage one another while we walk out our faith, embrace womanhood, and live fearlessly.

In this study of Proverbs 31:10, we look at the tenth verse in context. I have broken the chapter up into mini-studies so that busy women like myself can take in the information in just a few minutes each day. 

If you have more time then feel free to continue to the next section whenever you are ready.

This study is perfect for a personal bible study or a women’s small group.

New here? The Proverbs 31 overview sets the stage for the context of the chapter, otherwise, let’s jump right into Proverbs 31 verses 10!

Proverbs 31:10

“Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.”

Proverbs 31:10 NKJV

Proverbs 31:10 Strong’s Definition:

Virtuous- (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible H2428)חַיִל chayil, khah’-yil; from H2342; 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).

Rubies- (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible H6443) פָּנִין pânîyn, paw-neen’; or פָּנִי pânîy; from the same as H6434; probably a pearl (as round):—ruby.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary Definitions from Proverbs 31:10:

VIR’TUOUS, adjective

1. Morally good; acting in conformity to the moral law; practicing the moral duties, and abstaining from vice; as a virtuous man.

2. Being in conformity to the moral or divine law; as a virtuous action; a virtuous life.

The mere performance of virtuous actions does not denominate an agent virtuous

3. Chaste; applied to women.

VIRTUE, noun vur’tu. [Latin virtus, from vireo, or its root. See Worth.] The radical sense is strength, from straining, stretching, extending. This is the primary sense of Latin vir, a man.]

2. Bravery valor. This was the predominant signification of virtus among the Romans.

Trust to thy single virtue

[This sense is nearly or quite obsolete.]

3. Moral goodness; the practice of moral duties and the abstaining from vice, or a conformity of life and conversation to the moral law. In this sense, virtue may be, and in many instances must be, distinguished from religion. The practice of moral duties merely from motives of convenience, or from compulsion, or from regard to reputation, is virtue as distinct from religion. The practice of moral duties from sincere love to God and his laws, is virtue and religion. In this sense it is true,

That virtue only makes our bliss below.

VAL’OR, noun [Latin valor valeo, to be strong, to be worth.]

Strength of mind in regard to danger; that quality which enables a man to encounter danger with firmness; personal bravery; courage; intrepidity; prowess.

When valor preys on reason, it eats the sword it fights with.

For contemplation he and valor form’d.

Ad valorem, in commerce, according to the value; as an ad valorem duty.

RU’BY, noun [Latin rubeo, to be red.]

1. A precious stone; a mineral of a carmine red color, sometimes verging to violet, or intermediate between carmine and hyacinth red; but its parts vary in color, and hence it is called sapphire ruby or orange red, and by some vermeille or rubicel.

There are two kinds of ruby the oriental or corundum, and the spinelle. The latter is distinguishable from the former by its color and crystallization.

The ruby is next in hardness and value to the diamond, and highly esteemed in jewelry.

2. Redness; red color.

3. Any thing red.

4. A blain; a blotch; a carbuncle. [The ruby is said to be the stone called by Pliny a carbuncle.]

Ruby of arsenic or sulphur, is the realgar, or red combination of arsenic and sulphur.

Ruby of zink, is the red blend.

Rock ruby the amethystizontes of the ancients, is the most value species of garnet.

RU’BY, verb transitive To make red.

RU’BY, adjective Of the color of the ruby; red; as ruby lips.

Summary of Proverbs 31:10

Verse ten begins an acrostic poem that lasts until the end of the chapter. Acrostics were used to help with memorization. In the original Hebrew language each line began with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order. 

This is also the beginning of a chiastic poem. A chiasm is a literary tool that arranges the lines in an x pattern. Where repeated lines mirror each other in meaning. You can find an example in the Proverbs 31 overview.

This lesson switches the focus from what not to do as a king, to what to look for in a wife. From this point on is a poem that was used to teach young Jewish men what to look for when selecting a wife. It also gave precedent on how a husband should value and trust his wife. 

To this day Jewish men sing this to their wife during shabbat dinner as a praise for all the hard work she does. 

Bathsheba understands the importance of a wife to a man and wants her son Solomon to understand that too. 

A virtuous wife literally translates into a wife of valor. Valor signifies strength and worth. 

For her worth is far above rubies. Rubies or precious stones at the time signified wealth. Rubies were the most valued of the precious stones. To have a virtuous wife was worth more than wealth. 

To find a wife like this was not easy. It would take effort, patience, and purpose. A wife of valor is rare, and if he were to find her his life would have blessings because of her that riches could not compete with.

My notes from Proverbs 31:10

Women Are Important

Proverbs 31 was not written to be a checklist that every woman needs to complete on a daily basis to become a virtuous woman. It was written as instruction on what to look for in a wife.

This fact does not mean that as a wife we should ignore this teaching as an impossible-to-achieve status. This is not so.

In fact, I propose we should take a look at the Proverbs 31 woman for inspiration to become the woman God created us to be. 

God loves women, He created us after all with a purpose. In the beginning, there was no companion found suitable for Adam, so God took a part of Adam from him and created the first woman, Eve. 

Eve was made to be a helpmate for Adam. She was the mother of all living. We are all her direct descendants. God had us in mind when creating her. 

A helpmate was meant to be a companion and helper. Adam without Eve would be missing a part of himself. In a marriage, a husband without his wife is missing a part of himself. She embodies everything he can not be. With her, they are stronger together. 

Equally important in the marriage but different, with different roles. And that is good.

As a wife, I want to be the closest companion my husband has. The first person he wants to share his day with. The person he can always confide in. 

Becoming a Proverbs 31 Homemaker

When we decided together that I would leave my job at the radio station and become a homemaker and homeschool teacher it was the best decision I could make for my family.

I had peace with leaving my career path because I saw that my family needed all of me. Before marrying my husband my oldest children and I had been through severe trauma and homelessness. I worked hard to provide a home and stability.

As a single mother and working all the time, they spent more time at school and with caregivers than with me. I picked them up after work, we did homework, fed them dinner, and then it was time for bed so they could do it all again the next day. 

My children needed me to be present to make them feel safe. Childcare was exorbitant and they could not get what they needed emotionally from the childcare providers that could only come from me as their mother. 

Working Mothers are Women of Valor Too

During that season of my life, I had no choice but to rely on others to raise my children during my working hours. And any mother who is working hard to provide for her family and do the best she can is a woman of valor. If this is your life right now, you are doing a great job. You are motivated by love for your children to make a life for them. I pray that God renews your strength each day. And that He shows you how precious you are!

My husband had a better income than I was bringing in, but his job is physically taxing and his hours were long. I wanted to relieve his stress by making our home a sanctuary he could come home to. He needed me just as much as our children do.

With 5 kids and 2 that had healing to do, making a peaceful home has not been an easy task. But I get up every morning and try my best no matter how hard it gets. I do it out of love for my husband and my children. And they are worth more than any paycheck or career I could have.

Homemaking is a Legitimate Calling

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying women shouldn’t work. Or that the only place for a woman is to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. On the contrary. Women are creative and capable and can do whatever it is they are led to do. 

Every woman is different and her path in life is not to be compared. I believe it is important to examine the motivation behind everything we take on. What and who are our actions serving? 

Homemaking gets a bad rap these days. As a young woman, I was constantly bombarded with messages that my career was primary and my worth would come from what I accomplished. I wanted to become someone great because “I am woman, hear me roar!” I should be able to accomplish so much and having children would just hold me back from my dreams. This is the biggest load of manure they are still feeding women today!

I realized my dreams

Upon reflection, I realized all my hopes and dreams were really a product of my desire to have a family. In my deepest heart, I wanted to be married to a man who actually loved me and treated me like I was rare. This could only happen from a man who knows how to love, which means his heart belongs to God!

I wanted to have children, be a loving mother to them, and raise them to be thriving adults. I wanted to teach them to be decent human beings who would walk with the Lord. Of course, I didn’t realize that until I was walking with the Lord myself.

As we continue in this proverb you will see a woman who takes on many business ventures. This is a woman who is not oppressed by marriage and children. On the contrary, her marriage and children are her motivation for every task she conquered. 

The Proverbs 31 woman is highly motivated to serve her family. Without her, they would be lacking. She doesn’t do it for fame. Everything she does is driven by love for her husband and children. As a result of that love in action, she is known and praised by others and so is her husband because of her. 

Wisdom is better than rubies

To be worth far above rubies means to be rare, precious, and unlike any other. A husband should appreciate his wife as the only woman on earth capable of filling everything he lacks. And she should understand that he is the only man capable of being everything she is not. Marriage is important and our roles should not be taken lightly.

Rubies are also compared to wisdom in the bible.
“For wisdom is better than rubies,
And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her”

Proverbs 8:11

The same comparison to finding a virtuous wife is also used when explaining the importance of wisdom. This leads me to believe a virtuous wife is a woman who walks in wisdom. She seeks wisdom from God and her actions are a direct result of that. 

A man who looks for a wise wife is also a wise husband.

Being a Proverbs 31 woman is being a wise woman.

Moving forward on the path of a Proverbs 31 woman, I choose to walk with God and ask Him for wisdom. He has already made a remarkable change in me. My perception of the world has vastly changed since becoming saved over a decade ago. Learning about Him and the sacrifice He made for me is life-altering. I am humbled that the God who created everything and is only good could look at a wretch like me and see this woman we see in Proverbs 31. Believe me, darling, He sees her in you too!

As you take each step in this journey of life, choose to seek wisdom. If you lack wisdom, ask God for it. He will give it to you! With wisdom comes understanding. So pursue wisdom with all of your might and God will use it to bring out that beautiful, honorable, valiant woman, He always intended for you to be!

Simple Truths From Proverbs 31:10

1. A virtuous wife is rare and should be sought after.
2. As women, we are capable of being a wife of valor.
3. The Proverbs 31 woman is not an impossible list. Also remember it takes place over her lifetime. Give yourself grace and time.
4. Marriage is a covenant and it takes both husband and wife fulfilling their roles to make it complete.
5. A Proverbs 31 women’s motivation is selfless love.
6. Wisdom is key!
7. Husbands and wives should value their spouse above all other people on this earth! 
8. When we love others more than ourselves, service isn’t a burden, it’s a gift.

Questions to Ponder from Proverbs 31:10:

1. What actions make you feel like you are more valuable than rubies?
2. What have you done for your family because you were motivated by love?
3. List 3 strengths God has given you. You are a woman of valor!

Thank you, for meeting me here, AT FORESTS EDGE. I hope this in-depth women’s bible study of Proverbs 31 is a blessing to you. 

I’d love to know if you have gained insight from the study. 

If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior you can find out more about salvation.

Check out the next study Proverbs 31:11. Feel free to check out my favorite bible study tools.

I’d love for you to be my companion in this journey, join my newsletter where I share encouragement throughout the year for women to walk in faith, embrace womanhood, and live fearlessly. 

Until we meet again,

Raeanna