Proverbs 31:21 | Bible Study | Clothed in Scarlet

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Introduction: Proverbs 31:21 | Give Hope

Welcome to our Bible study  ‘AT FORESTS EDGE’! Let’s explore Proverbs 31:21 together!

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, we will look at the twenty-first 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, 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 20! 

Proverbs 31:21

“She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.”

Proverbs 31:21 NKJV

Strong’s Definitions of Proverbs 31:21:

clothed- 

(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible  H3847)לָבַשׁ lâbash, law-bash’; or לָבֵשׁ lâbêsh; a primitive root; properly, wrap-around, i.e. (by implication) to put on a garment or clothe (oneself, or another), literally or figuratively:—(in) apparel, arm, array (self), clothe (self), come upon, put (on, upon), wear.

scarlet- 

(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible  H8144)שָׁנִי shânîy, shaw-nee’; of uncertain derivation; crimson, properly, the insect or its color, also stuff dyed with it:—crimson, scarlet (thread).

Proverbs 31:21 Definitions from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary:

CLOTHED, 

participle passive 

Covered with garments; dressed; invested; furnished with clothing.

SC’ARLET,

 noun

1. A beautiful bright red color, brighter than crimson.

2. Cloth of a scarlet color.

All her household are clothed with scarlet Proverbs 31:21.

SC’ARLET, adjective of the color called scarlet; of a bright red color; as a scarlet cloth or thread; a scarlet lip.

Summary of Proverbs 31:21

She has no fear of the cold of winter because her family is clothed with warm, good-quality clothing represented by the scarlet color.

My notes from Proverbs 31:21

The first impression I have from reading this passage was the obvious: she doesn’t worry. As a mother, we all tend to worry about our families. 

We worry about what they will wear, whether they are clothed appropriately, and whether my child forgets their jacket somewhere. We worry about a number of things throughout the day, week, month, year. You get the picture.

The Proverbs 31 woman does not worry about the cold because she has prepared ahead of time and taken precautions to clothe her household before the cold comes. 

She not only clothes them but she uses the best possible material available to clothe her household. 

This intrigued me to look deeper into “scarlet” clothing. I thought to myself what is so significant about red clothing that the Proverbs 31 woman would clothe her entire household in it?

Clothed in Scarlet: More Than You Knew

I took a trip down the rabbit hole: join me as I map out what I have uncovered about this scarlet material!

Scarlet Worm

The Hebrew word shânîy is a term to represent the red color of a specific bug called the “Coccus ilicis”, currently called Kermes. 

In the Levant and parts of ancient Europe, the Kermes insect lived on a species of small evergreen Oak (Kermes Oak). The pregnant female would cling to the Oak unmoving and easy to collect. Once the Kermes bugs were collected and then dried they were used to make dyes that are scarlet in color.

Kermes are tiny and look like a seed. So much so that at one point it was believed that it was seeds being used to make these scarlet /crimson pigments! Imagine that surprise!

 This insect, generally mistaken for a plant, was known in the Roman world as grani coccum “the grain of scarlet.”

Crimson Influence

The Etymology Online Dictionary describes Crimson as a “highly chromatic deep red color,” early 15c., cremesin, “cloth dyed deep purplish-red,” also as an adjective, “of a crimson color,” from Old Italian carmesi, cremesi (c. 1300), later carmisino, cremesinus, “crimson color; cochineal dye,” from Arabic qirmizī (see kermes). 

For a similar transfer of the dye word to generic use for “red,” compare Old Church Slavonic čruminu, Russian čermnyj “red,” from the same source. The French form in 15c.-16c. when the word entered English was cramoisin. “The word in Italian came from Arabic, and the word in all other European languages came from Italian via exports of silk cloths from Italy.” [“English Words of Arabic Ancestry”]

The scarlet cloth that the Proverbs 31 woman gave to her household was made by dying the wool cloth with a pigment sourced from an insect. I found this interesting, and from an artist’s perspective, I was not surprised. Insects are a common source of pigments.

Proverbs 21:21 Scarlet Clothing was Rare

Scarlet-dyed clothing would have been considered fine clothing and extremely costly due to the intense labor involved in every aspect of creation.

This gave me slightly more insight into Proverbs 31:21. This amazing woman was not only prepared, but she provided the best she possibly could for those around her.

Of course, I couldn’t stop there. Now armed with the knowledge of the Scarlet fibers, I wanted to know more. So I looked into where scarlet occurred elsewhere in the bible.

Scarlet in the Bible

The Hebrew word for scarlet is shânîy and it occurs 42 times in 42 different verses of the bible. I am not going to overload you with every verse so I will list a few and link to the resource in case you would like to read them all.

 Gen 38:28

And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.”

Exo 28:8

“And the intricately woven band of the ephod, which is on it, shall be of the same workmanship, made of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen.

 Lev 14:4

“then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop.

Jos 2:21

Then she said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.

2Sa 1:24

“O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

Who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury;

Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

Sng 4:3

Your lips are like a strand of scarlet,

And your mouth is lovely.

Your temples behind your veil

Are like a piece of pomegranate.

 Isa 1:18

“Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the LORD,

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

They shall be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They shall be as wool.

Jer 4:30

“And when you are plundered,

What will you do?

Though you clothe yourself with crimson,

Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,

Though you enlarge your eyes with paint,

In vain you will make yourself fair;

Your lovers will despise you;

They will seek your life.

As you can see scarlet was used in many situations, from saving life, to cleansing ceremonies. It was used on priestly garments and during childbirth. Women would clothe themselves in scarlet to portray wealth. This color usually gets a bad wrap. It’s associated with harlotry and sin however the color was used for very spiritual practices and for wealth.

The Scarlet Thread: Going Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole

I couldn’t help but notice the scarlet thread listed over and over again in many bible verses. The first was when Tamar gave birth to Judah’s twins. The midwife wrapped a scarlet thread around one baby’s hand Zerah (meaning glowing; dawn). Then the other brother was born first and obtained the name Perez (meaning Breach, burst forth, breakthrough).

I wondered if the scarlet thread had anything to do with the modern practice women who practice “Kabbalah” wear. The best source I could think of was a Jewish Rabbi who had a very clear explanation of this practice.

“As a matter of fact, the red thread (“roiteh bendel” in Yiddish) is one of those Jewish practices which has very little Jewish about it. The peddlers of red threads today claim that they come from a string wrapped around Rachel’s Tomb seven times and that they possess Kabbalistic powers, in particular warding off the Evil Eye. And in fact, there are rabbis who attest that similar customs have been a practice going back several generations. (Many tie a red string to a baby’s crib for protection.) Yet there is no known early source which mentions or condones the practice. If it has any Kabbalistic powers, there is no work on Kabbalah which makes any mention of it.

The only classic source which does mention the red thread expressly forbids its use, saying that tying a red thread on one’s fingers is an idolatrous practice (“darkei emori”) which we may not follow (Tosefta Shabbat 7:1). This is loosely based on Leviticus 18:3: “You shall not follow their ways.” Any heathen practice which relates to idolatry, superstition or immorality we may not imitate.”

Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld

You may or may not have heard of Kabbalah. Before I was a Christian it was among many occult subjects I was interested in and looked into. Thankfully, after I surrendered my life to the Lord, He has made a clear path that doesn’t include the occult. Which is very dangerous and I recommend you stay clear.

The Real Kabbalah

 The term Kabbalah refers to a sect of Jewish mysticism, which first emerged in the 12th century. It was concerned with the inner structure and processes taking place within the divine realms, on whose metaphysical dynamics the Kabbalists tried to exert influence.

Kabbalah has always been considered a practice of great power and severely restricted. Those involved weren’t even allowed to study it until they had wisdom and discernment. They would not be permitted to read any texts until after age 40.

New Age “Kabbalah”

The Kabbalah of the modern era actually has nothing to do with Kabbalah. It only emerged within the past 50 years. Those who take Kabbalah seriously consider it a perversion. “Kabbalah removed from Judaism is like a flower removed from its life source. It’s pretty, but dead.”

I don’t think the young people today who practice such things do so to take part in demonic practices. I’m sure they believe they are helping people or protecting themselves. They just lack knowledge.

Without the knowledge of Jesus Christ, no practice will be able to save us. No works, not even magic. Sometimes we seek to fill a hole inside our hearts and things like magic draw us in. It promises control in a world where we never feel in control. 

But it is only a lie. Unfortunately, the things we think we are manipulating for our good are actually being manipulated by other forces. Forces that once we get in too deep ultimately become our tormenters and not our help.

There is hope. No matter what covenant you made or what deception you fell for. The blood of Jesus can break every chain. All who call on him will be saved.

So instead of wearing a red string to protect us from the “evil eye”, we should cover ourselves with the crimson blood of Christ that washes away our sin, gives us new life, and ultimately is our fortress from all evil!

Obviously, Kabbalah was not even a thought when the proverbs were written. Other occult practices were thriving, but Proverbs 31:21 does not directly speak to any of that.

This is what I meant by Rabbit Hole. I began studying a verse. Learned about the origin of the words and found out about scarlet pigments. Then read about the thread and ultimately researched the popular red thread worn by many today, wondering if it had any connection. Hence my journey down the Rabbit Hole.

Simple Truths from Proverbs 31:21

1. The Proverbs 31 woman is meticulously prepared.
2. She clothes her entire household in the finest garments.
3. Scarlet pigments are sourced from a bug.

Questions to Ponder from Proverbs 31:21:

1. How can we prepare for external circumstances that we are aware of ahead of time, like winter?
2. Do we give our family our best?
3. The rabbit hole may not directly relate to our verse, but what can we take away from the information presented? Is there anything in your life you want to give to Jesus and let him cover you? (He will!)

As we wrap up this leg of our journey AT FORESTS EDGE, remember that every step brings us closer to a stronger, more vibrant faith. Let’s keep growing hope together!

I hope this in-depth women’s bible study of Proverbs 3:21 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 31:22. Or you can go back and read Proverbs 31:20 or 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, and let’s walk this journey together as we GROW HOPE!

Until we meet again,

Raeanna