A Fresh Look at Proverbs 31

It’s a portion of scripture that inspires and intimidates us. The ideal woman on the page seems capable of anything.

She gets up early, works with her hands, makes business deals, saves her husband money. Her children call her blessed.

And she does it all as only words of wisdom and kindness fall from her mouth.

But this passage is more than the reading on Mothers Day to lift us up (or make us feel guilty and inadequate).

In her new book Strength of a Woman: Why You are Proverbs 31, Lauren Crews unfolds the Hebrew acrostic that comprises this biblical description.

“Indeed, a woman of strength is priceless, worth more than precious jewels” (10).

Crews tells us that the “Hebrew word translated as ‘jewels’ is paniyn. Many commentaries agree the word means a small round object that has a red tint, usually defined as a coral or a pearl. The first time I read that definition of the word paniyn, I was immediately struck by how the description of small, round, red, and priceless objects resembled drops of blood, the precious red blood our Savior shed. As a woman of strength, you hold great value. You are so valuable to God He was willing to shed His precious blood for you. He paid this price for you; your worth is now above rubies, pearls, or other jewels.”

Crews’ text promises “redemptive stories of the most unlikely Proverbs 31 Woman.”

Reviewer Linda Evans Shepherd says the book explains that “the passage was not designed to make women feel overwhelmed by an impossible to-do list but rather serves to promote a warrior woman you can emulate as you love, work, build, and overcome your own life’s challenges.”

Perhaps we who’ve felt that intimidation while reading Proverbs 31 can find ourselves on these pages. We can see glimpses of ourselves in the stories Crews tells of the unlikely Proverbs 31 woman.

This beautiful book released onApril 16, 2020.

Photo Credit: Unsplash, Crews book cover

Nancy E. Head’s Restoring the Shattered is out in paperback! Get your copy here!

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Disclosure of Material Connection:  I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the entities I have mentioned. Restoring the Shattered is published through Morgan James Publishing with whom I do share a material connection. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”