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Proverbs 31:10-31 - Wisdom that Works

The concluding passage of Proverbs shows what wisdom looks like when it's put to work.


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Proverbs 31:10-31 Summary


This final passage of Proverbs paints a picture of perfection that few can truly achieve. While it showcases an ideal woman who excels in every realm of life, this passage is much deeper than a guide on how to be a good wife.


First of all, this passage is a work of art in and of itself. Although it's impossible to notice in English, this passage is an acrostic poem, with each line beginning with subsequent letters of the Hebrew alphabet (or more literally, the alefbet).


But most of all, this passage is a picture of Lady Wisdom, the woman the wise father encouraged his young son to seek in the opening chapters of Proverbs. When read in this context, the characteristics described become something that all people - both men and women - must seek to emulate in our own lives.



Dig Deeper


Wisdom is much more than a detached understanding of how the world ought to work, such as the theoretical musings of a philosopher or an isolated monk at the top of a mountain.