Proverbs 31:10

"Who can find a virtuous woman?" or "worthy woman," or "woman of worth," as some would read it. Elsewhere this word is translated 'worthy' (see Ruth 4:11; 1 Kings 1:52). The dictionaries say it means able, brave; or perhaps it holds something of all three meanings — virtuous, brave, able. Who can find such a woman? "For her price is far above rubies" — the most precious gem known to the ancients.

Clearly, virtue here does not only mean moral purity. It covers every mark of faithfulness, diligence and dependability that the chapter sets out. How refreshing to see these qualities in a woman, even in some measure! But this is impossible unless the grace of God has worked in her heart. No amount of money could ever repay her worth.

Proverbs 31 — probably written by Solomon — describes the ideal woman in great detail, the woman whose "price is far above rubies." Yet he never found her. "One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found" (Eccl. 7:28). But God could have found one for him!

We do not know for certain which precious stone this word means. Scripture names it as a symbol of great value: "the price of wisdom is above rubies," and the value of a virtuous woman is far above rubies (Job 28:18; Proverbs 3:15; 8:11; 20:15; 31:10).

Many people think the diamond is the rarest and costliest of gems, but that is a mistake. The precious ruby is worth six or seven times as much as the diamond. People in ancient times knew the diamond, yet Scripture always puts the ruby first. "Her price is far above rubies"; "the price of wisdom is above rubies," it says. The old Book is right about gems, you see, as it is about everything it touches.

Proverbs 31:10-31 is of exceptional excellence. Its order is perfect. Each following verse begins with the next letter of the alphabet, in order. Notice that this acrostic, which describes the woman of worth, the virtuous and hard-working wife, comes straight after "the words" of the king who was set apart, or devoted, to God.

Christ Himself is "the Alpha and the Omega" (the A to Z, in English), using up human language, as it were, in the effort to tell the endless glories of His person... And here, in this description of the one meant to represent His church, His bride, the whole alphabet is used to express her moral and household virtues and her excellence as a woman.

The word virtuous here has the sense of devoted and thrifty; she is a woman who holds in high regard the position she has through her relationship with her husband. In the light of this we might well ask ourselves: how much do we value the high dignity we have, now that we have been brought into association with Christ?

There is no need to read this description as a picture of the Church, as some have done. But this virtuous woman stands out brightly against the descriptions of "the strange woman," the adulteress mentioned again and again in Proverbs.