Proverbs 31

[6] In this part, an unnamed queen-mother (see "queen mother") gives instruction to her son, King Lemuel, on his duty to administer justice.

[2] This "Woman of Valor" has been described as the personification of wisdom, or in some sense as a description of a particular class of women in Israel, Persia, or in Hellenistic society.

[2] The word חיל (Ḥayil) appears in verses 10 and 29 of the passage, thought as the summary of the good woman's character.

Some scholars have suggested that it rather means "forceful", "mighty", or "valiant", because this word is almost exclusively used in the Tanakh with reference to warfare.

[10] Aberdeen theologian Kenneth Aitken notes that in view of the warnings against women portrayed as dangerous or adulterous in chapters 1 to 9, it is "fitting" that the book ends by "directing the attention of prospective bridegrooms to the ideal wife".

The chapter has been emphasized within the biblical womanhood movement, and a number of books have been published on the "Proverbs 31 woman".

"Adam and Eve" by Albrecht Dürer (1504)
"Adam and Eve" by Albrecht Dürer (1504)