PROV 31:25 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 31:10–31: This poem describes a capable wife who has good character

In Hebrew, this section is arranged in the form of an acrostic poem. Each of its twenty-two verses begins with a different letter, following the normal order of the Hebrew alphabet. The poem praises the character and abilities of an ideal wife. After an introduction that describes her value (vv. 10–12), the poem describes her activities and achievements in various areas (vv. 13–27). It concludes with praise by her family (vv. 28–29) and all the people (vv. 30–31). The last two verses also serve as the poet’s final conclusion. They summarize what is truly important in an ideal wife.Waltke (page 515) says that the final two verses are praise “by all.” Murphy (page 245) agrees that the “praise” in the final two verses is the “goal or purpose of the poem.”

Some other headings for this section are:

A good wife with many abilities

Description of a Worthy Woman (NASB)

A truly good wife (CEV)

Paragraph 31:25–27

This paragraph further describes the wife in terms of her character, reputation, and attitude (v. 25). It then describes the way she talks (v. 26) and the way she cares for her household (v. 27).

31:25

^25aStrength and honor are her clothing,

^25band she can laugh at the days to come.

31:25a

Strength and honor are her clothing,

¶ Her strength and honored/praised character are like the clothes she wears. They can be clearly seen.
¶ She is strong/energetic and her behavior is always good, so people respect her.
¶ She is respected/honored, because she is a strong person and no one can force/persuade her to do what is wrong.

Strength and honor are her clothing: This line describes her character and reputation in the community. It is a figure of speech. A person can easily see the quality of clothing that someone wears. Similarly, they can see the kind of person the wife is by the energetic way in which she works, her character, and her reputation. Some other ways to translate this figure of speech are:

Change it to a simile. For example:
Her strength and dignity can be seen like the clothes she wears.
Translate the meaning without a figure of speech. For example:
She is strong and respected (GNT)

Strength: In Hebrew, this word for Strength can refer to physical or military strength or power. It can also refer to “strong” character. A person with a strong character consistently does what is good and right. If possible, translate this word in a way that indicates both kinds of strength. In some languages, it may be necessary to use more than one word or phrase. For example:

her body is strong and her behavior is consistently good

she is energetic and she persists in doing what is right no matter what happens

honor: The word honor refers here to the woman’s reputation. It means that people respect her. Another way to translate this word is:

and is respected by the people (NCV)

31:25b

and she can laugh at the days to come.

She has no worries/fears when she thinks about the days that will come.
So she can smile/laugh as she anticipates what will happen in future days.
When she thinks about the future, she is cheerful/happy.

she can laugh at the days to come: This line describes her cheerful and confident attitude about the future. Some other ways to translate this line are:

she smiles when she thinks about the future (VOICE)

She looks forward to the future with joy. (NCV)

and not afraid of the future (GNT)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

עֹז־וְ⁠הָדָ֥ר לְבוּשָׁ֑⁠הּ

strength and,honor clothing_of,her

Here Lemuel’s mother speaks of this woman having Strength and splendor that other people notice. It’s as if she were wearing those qualities as clothing that other people could see. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly or use a simile. Alternate translation: “Everyone notices her strength and splendor” or “People notice her strength and splendor as if they were her clothing”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

עֹז־וְ⁠הָדָ֥ר

strength and,honor

See how you translated the abstract nouns Strength in [5:10](../05/10.md) and splendor in [4:9](../04/09.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

וַ֝⁠תִּשְׂחַ֗ק לְ⁠י֣וֹם אַחֲרֽוֹן

and,she_laughed to,a_day to_come

Here, the woman laughs because she feels confident and cheerful about what will happen in the future. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and she is confident about a future day”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

לְ⁠י֣וֹם אַחֲרֽוֹן

to,a_day to_come

Here, a future day refers to what will happen in the future. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “at what will happen in the future”

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.