The Worthy, Vigorous, Substantial Woman - Reflections on Proverbs 31:10-31, Proper 20 Year B

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Proper 20.  September 22, 2024.  Proverbs 31:10-31.  “The Worthy, Vigorous, Substantial Woman”

          The ending of the book of Proverbs is surprising in at least two ways: first, the bulk of the remainder of the book has been a collection of instructions by male mentors to young men, but here we see a model woman, indeed an exemplary woman whose portrayal is nothing short of astonishing; second, because the model woman passage is set up by a peculiar literary creation, imagining the mother of one King Lemuel (completely unknown elsewhere), warning him to avoid contact with loose women—gold diggers?—(Prov.31:3) and to eschew wine and strong drink, “lest he drink and forget inscribed law and reverse the judgment of all the afflicted” (Prov.31:5). Wine and women must not be allowed to despoil the righteous work of a king, whose central role as leader is to “speak out, judge righteously and grant justice to the poor and wretched” (Prov.31:9). Such admonitions from mother to king are reminscent of the coronation psalm 72, warning clearly that no king should be diverted from his role as moral leader of the people of Israel. One might well imagine that the problematic narratives of King David may lie in the background of these admonitions.

          Now that we hear reiterated the leadership functions of all Israelite kings, through the figure of Lemuel, the book now ends in this amazing portrayal of a “worthy woman.” Much may be concluded from this portrait, but perhaps most importantly, the depiction of vss.10-31 at least partly balances the heavily masculine nature of the Hebrew Bible, a book which has been regularly called irredemiably patriarchal. It cannot be denied that the series of books is heavily dominated by men; they wrote the laws, carried out the violent acts, and in most cases pushed women into the background of Israelite daily life. Of course, there are exceptions to this general representation (see Judges 4-5; Exodus 1-2, 15; all the places where women are the singers, and thus historians, of the people), but this picture in Prov.31 may be the most important feminine rendering the Bible provides.

          One thing to note immediately is that the poem is an acrostic; that is, each succeeding line begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in order from aleph to tau. This is then a somewhat artificial creation, probably designed for easy memorization and recitation (see the very long Ps.119 for another example). The very fact that it was so designed suggests that the intent was to make it available for later study and use, thus emphasizing its importance for the tradition.

          It begins powerfully: “A worthy woman who can find?” (Prov.31:10). The word “worthy” is notable. In the book of Ruth (perhaps from the same century?) this word is used to describe both Boaz and Ruth. It means “worthy, vigorous, substantial, wealthy,” but the emphasis is far less on the wealth than on the worthiness of the person. Boaz may have been “wealthy,” but he is proved “worthy” by his treatment of Ruth, and Ruth is proved worthy by her treatment of her mother-in-law, Naomi. The worthy woman of Proverbs is worthy in multiple ways, as the poem describes.

          “She repays him (her husband) good and not evil
                 all the days of her life.” (Prov.31:12)

Unlike the shrewish and adulterous wives we meet in other parts of the book of Proverbs, and unlike the dangerous women that Lemuel’s mother warns her son against earlier in the chapter, this woman is thoroughly virtuous. And not only is she virtuous, she is also incredibly industrious, working tirelessly with “wool and flax,” like a successful merchant ship “making bread daily,” rising before dawn to make provision for the entire household, including the servant women under her charge (Prov.31:13-15). Not only that, she is a shrewd business person, thinking of nearby fields, “buying them and planting a vineyard thereon” (Prov.31:16).

          In addition, she stays up late into the night, making warm clothes in the winter, crimson garments for all in the house and linen and purple ones for herself (Prov.31:21-22). And while doing all of that, she is also known for great works of philanthropy towards the poor and the wretched (Prov.31:20). Meanwhile, her fortunate husband is “famed in the gates, when sitting with the land’s elders” (Prov.31:23). His wife’s munificent works are well known in the community, and her husband finds great honor among the male elders of the community. Here we find the origins of that famous song from “Fiddler on the Roof,” where Tevye, the milkman, dreams of riches so that he might “sit by the eastern wall” of the synagogue “seven hours every day,” while his dutiful wife keeps the household afloat with her labors.

          But perhaps the most important  characteristic of the worthy woman is that “she opens her mouth in wisdom, the teaching of kindness on her tongue” (Prov.31:26), so that “her sons rise up and call her happy, and her husband praises her” (Prov.31:28). The author concludes the picture by proclaiming “Grace is a lie and beauty mere emptiness—a YHWH-fearing woman is she who is praised” (Prov.31:30).

          Of course, this is a fantastically idealized portrait, and it has been said written by a man who longs for such a companion, like Tevye, who can free him for Torah study, while his wife toils away in pleasure for the entire community. I admit that I find the portrayal so over the top that it may be true that only a man could compose such a thing. Still, the fact that it concludes the book of Proverbs may suggest that, as Ruth makes plain, both men and women can be worthy ones; men are not the only ones capable of business acumen, not the only movers and shakers of a community. In that, the worthy woman is an important addition to our Bible’s pictures of human community, offering a picture of a woman never to be forgotten.