Proverbs 31:16 | Bible Study | Women’s Authority

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Introduction: Proverbs 31:16 Bible Study

Welcome, to the bible study series Know the Bible: Proverbs 31:16. 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 31:16, we will look at the sixteenth 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 verse 16!

Proverbs 31:16

“She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.”

Proverbs 31:16 NKJV

Proverbs 31:16 Strong’s Definition:

buy- (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible H3947)לָקַח lâqach, law-kakh’; a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of applications):—accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, × many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.

profit- (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible H2964)פְּרִי pᵉrîy, per-ee’; from H6509; fruit (literally or figuratively):—bough, (first-)fruit(-ful), reward.

Proverbs 31:16 Webster’s 1828 Dictionary:

BUY, verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive bought. pronoun bawt.]

1. To acquire the property, right or title to any thing, by paying a consideration or an equivalent in money. It differs from barter only in this, that in barter the consideration or equivalent is some species of commodity; in purchase, the consideration is money paid or promised. To purchase; to acquire by paying a price to the satisfaction of the seller; opposed to sell.

PROF’IT, noun [Latin profectus, proficio, to profit literally to proceed forward, to advance; pro and facio. The primary sense of facio is to urge or drive.

1. In commerce, the advance in the price of goods sold beyond the cost of purchase. Net profit is the gain made by selling goods at an advanced price or a price beyond what they had cost the seller, and beyond all costs and charges. The profit of the farmer and the manufacturer is the gain made by the sale of produce or manufactures, after deducting the value of the labor, materials, rents and all expenses, together with the interest of the capital employed, whether land, machinery, buildings, instruments or money.

Summary of Proverbs 31:16

The proverb 31 woman uses the profits she has made from her other endeavors to buy a field and turn it into a vineyard.

My notes from Proverbs 31:16

In that time it was considered a man’s job to physically plant a vineyard. She is taking more of a leadership/management role here. 

First, she considers the field. She studies it and decides whether it can sustain life. Will it serve her purpose?

Deciding it was a good investment, she used the money she earned from her previous jobs to purchase the field.

Then she hires workers and has the field planted with grape vines. I am sure she took time to research what types of vines thrive in her area and what can be produced from their fruit.

Earlier we saw that she worked with her hands on the spinning and textiles which I am sure she did alongside her female servants. 

Here we see that she has authority over men to carry out the tasks at hand. So many times people use the bible to paint women as subservient and less important than men, but here in this example, we see that is not true. She has authority, she is respected.

 She isn’t considered a man but has respect because of the respect her husband is given and the trust he has in her.

He trusts her to govern the household. She uses each of her endeavors to bless her family and those around her. 

This powerful woman is not seeking a specific career, glory, or pride to puff up her own ego. She puts her family first at all times and in doing so is blessed in return and lacks nothing.

Everything she does is out of love and in return she holds a place of honor in her home and community.

Simple Truths

1. Homemaking can include many jobs.
2. True leaders lead by example and serve others.
3. Women are held in a place of honor in the bible.

Questions:

1. Why do you think she used her money to buy a vineyard and not something perishable?
2. Why is it important to know that women are honored?
3. How is the world’s perception of the treatment of women different from how Jewish and Christian women are actually treated?

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.

The next study is Proverbs 31:17 or check out the previous study on Proverbs 31:15. Feel free to check out my favorite bible study tools.

I’d love for you to be my companion in this journey, and 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