Bible facts
The Proverbs 31 woman: who she is and what the text says
The “Proverbs 31 woman” is the portrait in Proverbs 31:10–31, a poem about a strong, wise, hard-working and generous woman. In Hebrew she is eshet chayil, “a woman of valor”. The poem ends by saying that beauty fades, but a woman who fears the LORD will be praised.
Where is the Proverbs 31 woman in the Bible?
At the very end of the book of Proverbs, in Proverbs 31:10–31. The poem opens with a question:
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
Verses 1–9 of the same chapter contain the advice King Lemuel’s mother gave her son. Scholars debate whether the poem about the virtuous woman belongs to that advice or is a separate text.
What does “virtuous woman” mean?
The Hebrew phrase is eshet chayil. The word chayil means strength, valor, capability — the same word used for mighty warriors. That is why translations vary between “virtuous woman”, “wife of noble character”, “strong woman” and “woman of valor”. The idea is not only moral goodness but someone capable and steady.
What does the poem describe?
- She is trustworthy and does good to her family (v. 11–12).
- She works, trades, buys a field and plants a vineyard (v. 13–19, 24).
- She helps the poor and needy (v. 20).
- She speaks with wisdom and teaches with kindness (v. 26).
- Her children and her husband praise her (v. 28–29).
The closing lines sum up the message:
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
A poem in alphabetical order
In Hebrew, each of the 22 verses (10 to 31) begins with the next letter of the alphabet, from aleph to tav. It is an acrostic: the form suggests a complete portrait, “from A to Z”.
How each tradition reads the text
- Jewish: in many homes the poem Eshet Chayil is sung at the table on Friday night, at the start of Shabbat, in honor of the wife and the women of the family.
- Christian: it is read as a model of life for women and also as a picture of character for anyone: work, generosity and the fear of God.
- Academic: many scholars see the poem as a personification of Wisdom, who appears as a woman in the first chapters of Proverbs. The book would then open and close with Wisdom in female form.
A portrait, not a checklist
Many readers say the text feels like an impossible standard. Read in the context of the book, it celebrates qualities — strength, wisdom, generosity — rather than demanding that one person do everything at once.
See also Bible verses about family.
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Frequently asked questions
Where is “who can find a virtuous woman”?
In Proverbs 31:10, the first verse of the poem that runs to verse 31.
What does virtuous woman mean in the Bible?
It translates eshet chayil, “woman of valor” or “strong woman”: someone trustworthy, hard-working, wise, generous and God-fearing.
Who wrote Proverbs 31?
The chapter is attributed to King Lemuel, who records his mother’s teaching (v. 1). Nobody knows who Lemuel was, and it is debated whether the poem of verses 10–31 is part of that teaching.
How many verses are in the Proverbs 31 poem?
22 verses, from Proverbs 31:10 to 31:31, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet.