The hebrew word used in the place of noble was, "chayil". It means, "might, strength, power, able, valiant, virtuous, valor, army, host, forces, riches, substance, wealth." This word occurs, "244 times in the Hebrew Old Testament". In the majority of the cases the word meant, "strength, army, and wealth".
Other words used in place of NOBLE in other bible versions:
- Good: "to be desired or approved of"
- Virtuous: "having or showing high moral standards, chaste"
- Worthy: "deserving effort, attention, or respect"
- Capable: "having the ability, fitness, or quality necessary to do or achieve a specified thing"
- Intelligence: "the ability to acquire knowledge and skills"
- Competent: "having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully"
- Excellent: "extremely good, outstanding"
- Strong Character: "strong mental and moral qualities"
The Proverbs 31 Woman:
- A wife whose husband desires and approves of her.
- A wife who has high moral standards.
- A wife who is chaste (abstaining from extramarital sexual intercourse).
- A wife who deserves her husband's effort, attention, or respect.
- A wife who has the ability, fitness, and quality necessary to be a wife and mother.
- A wife who has the necessary ability to learn new ways to be a better wife and mother.
- A wife who is extremely good.
- A wife who is outstanding.
- A wife who has strong mental and moral qualities.
Main Ideas:
The Proverbs 31 woman's husband desired and approved of her. I'm sure he wanted to be around her. He approved of how she spent her time.
The Proverbs 31 woman wasn't just a great wife, she was a great person all around. She had high moral standards. I take this to mean that she was honest, hardworking, kind, loving, etc. I picture her as the embodiment of all the things that christian woman are supposed to be.
The Proverbs 31 woman was chaste. She didn't stray from her husband. She didn't even put herself in those kind of situations. She was not the kind of woman who would be messaging old boyfriends on Facebook or casually flirting with strangers. She kept all of that for her husband.
The Proverbs 31 woman is respected by her husband. Her husband shows her attention. Her husband WANTS to do things for her.
The Proverbs 31 woman had the ability and fitness to be a wife. She knew the things she needed to do and she had the stamina to get it done.
It doesn't say this in the passage but I'm sure the Proverbs 31 woman was always trying to figure out ways that she could improve or do something better.
The Proverbs 31 woman was a good person, everything she did was good. The Proverbs 31 woman was outstanding. She wasn't just a normal a wife, she was like a super wife.
To do my research I generally use:
The Women's Devotional Bible by Zondervan
Unger's Bible Handbook
Hebrew-Greek Keyword Study Bible
The Zondervan NIV Study Bible
The quotations above were taken from the Hebrew-Greek Keyword Study Bible.
