Attributes of the Proverbs 31 Woman

Who is the Proverbs 31 woman and what does she look like in today’s terms? The Proverbs 31 Woman is the excellent wife described in Proverbs 12:4.  She is virtuous, worthy of honor, and a crown to her husband.  However, you do not have to be married to be virtuous; single women should be virtuous also.  The Proverbs 31 Woman has an amazing profile and aspiring to attain it is a worthy goal for both married and single women. 

One of the benefits of being a single Proverbs 31 Woman is that there is a man who is praying to God for you.  Imagine being the answer to your future husband’s dreams.  Imagine not having to do anything to find him because he is looking for you.  The 22 verses of Proverbs 31:10-31 informs the Christian man of the kind of wife he should seek and ask for in prayer.  This chapter teaches men to seek God’s wisdom so that he will be worthy of you, a woman of character and virtue.

From reading Proverbs 31:10-31, we learn that a Proverbs 31 woman has the following 14 characteristics that still apply today.

1. She is More Precious Than Jewels

Choosing a wife is an important decision for a man because even a man who is successful can be ruined by the wrong choice.  The verses that describe the Proverbs 31 Woman are actually an acrostic poem, with each verse beginning with a succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  How lovely, right?!  They poetically outline how she helps her husband and describes the influence she will have on his life.  The verses about the Proverbs 31 Woman demonstrate the importance of a wife.

A Proverbs 31 woman is hard to find; she is rare and very valuable (Proverbs 31:10). Knowing this about ourselves as women is key to everything else that follows.  We are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27-28) and crowned with honor and glory (Psalm 8:5)!  He calls us His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).  God desires for us to see ourselves as He does: loved, valuable, and cherished daughters.

See Related: 7 Ways to Renew Your Mind as a Daughter of God

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2. She is a Good Wife

A Proverbs 31 woman is a good wife to her husband. Her husband knows that she is trustworthy. She enriches his life; she is a comfort and an encouragement to him, doing him only good and not evil, all the days of her life (Proverbs 31:11-12).

The relationship we have with God should be our priority and our example.  From our relationship with Him our other relationships will be blessed.  God wants us to have a marriage that is filled with love, respect, and that honors Him.  He said that it is not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18) and has given us marriage so that we will not have to be.

For those of us who are not married yet, we can trust that if it is our desire, that it is God’s will for us.  While we wait, we can pray that God will send the right man and relationship that will honor Him.  In the meantime, we can focus on being good daughters to God and to our parents. Trustworthiness and being comforting and encouraging are characteristics that we should exhibit toward ourselves and others.

See Related: How to Trust God With Your Love Story

3. She is a Homemaker

The Proverbs 31 Woman looks for the things that she needs (such as wool and flax to spin), and gets food from afar and wakes up early to prepare it for her family. She is diligent and works late into the night (Proverbs 31:13-15, 18, 27). But she also had help, assigning tasks to her maids. She was able to hire help because she is prosperous.  By being a good manager of your home like she was, you will be able to bless many people–not just your family, but those you employ, who depend on your success for their own.

“The wise woman builds her house [on a foundation of godly precepts, and her household thrives], But the foolish one [who lacks spiritual insight] tears it down with her own hands [by ignoring godly principles].” – Proverbs 14:1 AMP

Here are five things you can do to begin building your Proverbs 31 Woman home:

1. Make God’s ways the foundation of your home: Learn God’s ways and His expectations regarding your life and the home you are building. “Through [skillful and godly] wisdom a house [a life, a home, a family] is built, And by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation].” – Proverbs 24:3 AMP
2. Make your home a sanctuary: Invite God’s presence to fill your home. Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in creating a home that is peaceful for us and for our guests. Placing our faith in Jesus creates an environment in our homes that is full of love and acceptance, one that is welcoming. “And by knowledge its rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.” – Proverbs 24:4 AMP
3. Have a plan for managing your home: Creating a routine for the morning and the evening, including creating a schedule for cleaning and other weekly and daily tasks, and having a system of organization in place, will help you to be more efficient. Develop good habits now so that you will be disciplined with staying on top of tasks and chores.  Identify areas of improvement and work on them. “She looks well to how things go in her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.” – Proverbs 31:27 AMP
4. Have a plan for practicing hospitality: Hospitality does not have to be elaborate or perfect. It is effective when you have done something, no matter how small, to show someone else that you are thinking of them.  Dedicate a few recipes for the purpose of serving guests and master them. You will want a dinner recipe which you can also serve for lunch, a dessert recipe or something you can serve with coffee, and a brunch recipe.  Keep the ingredients for these and simple recipes on hand so that you are always prepared.
5. Save: Though it may be tempting to live it up in your single days, plan for your future.  Be a good steward over what God has given you, not only in the gifts and talents department, but also with your money.  Make sure that you buy the things you need before splurging on the things you want.  And remember that the things you need include building an emergency fund. 

When we build a home, it involves building a relationship with Christ Jesus as well as building up or edifying our family members and guests as we point them toward Him.

4. The Proverbs 31 Woman is Wise

The most important of the Proverbs 31 Woman’s attributes is her wisdom, which is rooted in her fear of the Lord (Proverbs 31:10, 30).  Wisdom itself is described as being more valuable than rubies (Proverbs 3:15 and 8:11) and poetically describes a woman in Proverbs 1:20-33 and 7:4-5.  The Proverbs 31 Woman places all of her faith in God, and that makes her wise, and that is what makes her valuable. The foundation for having the Godly wisdom of a virtuous woman includes:

Living for God’s glory.  Become a helper.  When you seek to live for yourself, that is self-centered.  Having personal happiness as your purpose and yourself as your authority is destructive.  We are to live as God would have us to live and not for our own glory.  Become a helper and serve Him.  Disciple younger women, teaching them what God says about womanhood (Titus 2:3-5; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8), and seek out older women to learn from.  Make God’s Word your authority. (Luke 1:38).

Receiving God’s help in dying to self.  It is really hard to lay down what we want for what God wants…until we learn firsthand that what God wants for us is always, always so much better than what we in our limited vision want for ourselves.  With the help of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, shine your light by being merciful, gracious, slow to anger, loving, faithful, and forgiving (2 Corinthians 3:18).  The Proverbs 31 Woman used her words to instruct others skillfully and with kindness.  This is not always easy to do, but we can do all things with God’s help.

The Proverbs 31 Woman is rewarded for her hard work with public praise.  She has a good reputation and is well known for her deeds, so her faithfulness in being a true daughter of God is all worth it. In order to become wise, we must spend time with the Lord.  Read and meditate on His Word, daily and make prayer, praise and worship a routine part of your day. She empowers herself spiritually, mentally, and physically to accomplish her assignments from God (Proverbs 31:16-19).

See Related: 3 Routines for Daughters of God

5. The Proverbs 31 Woman is Charitable

The Proverbs 31 Woman is generous. She shares what she has from her abundance, giving money to the poor and help to those in need (Proverbs 31:20).

This also includes giving your time and resources, or sharing your talents to teach others new skills that they can use in their own lives. Being a mentor is a priceless gift that is far more rewarding than the time it costs.

In addition to sharing your time and resources, you can also bless your community by sharing your wisdom.  More importantly, you can be a blessing by recognizing that those who may have less than you have can teach us as well.  Be humble and take the time to listen to their perspective.  People with less often have true happiness that is not dependent upon material things.  They have wisdom of their own to share and we should learn from them.

See Related:

• Ways to Bless Your Community
• 15 Ways to Clothe Yourself in Kindness

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6. She is Prepared for the Future

Our faith in the truth of God’s Word–that His love and promises never fail–guards us against the attacks of the enemy.  But we must remain mindful of and vigilant about the fact that we do have an enemy and that this enemy came to steal, kill, and destroy our lives.

It has been times like these where having a strong family is most important, where being prepared for the future like the Proverbs 31 Woman would be most beneficial. Not only is the Proverbs 31 Woman a trustworthy helpmeet for her husband, she also takes excellent care of her family. Like marriage, God created family, and family is an important part of God’s plan for His kingdom as we can see in Ephesians 3:14-15:

“For this reason [grasping the greatness of this plan by which Jews and Gentiles are joined together in Christ] I bow my knees [in reverence] before the Father [of our Lord Jesus Christ], from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name [God—the first and ultimate Father].”

The Proverbs 31 Woman has a spiritually healthy family.  I’m sure you have heard it said that a family that prays together, stays together.  But is that all that makes a family spiritually strong? What I have discovered is that praying together or even attending church, while important, is not all that is characteristic of a spiritually healthy family.

Here are five attributes of a spiritually strong family:

1. Has a Godly foundation: The Proverbs 31 Woman loves Jesus and follows His ways.  She also teaches her children the ways of her Heavenly Father and models the love of Christ for them.
2. Communicates: Her husband praises her, and her children and her husband call her blessed (Proverbs 31:28-29). Family members should edify and speak blessings over each other.
3. Holds each other accountable: Family members should encourage each other to live a life of faith and hold each other accountable when any do not (Ezekiel 33:8).  Every family member should be encouraged to plan a God-filled future and have high expectations and set Godly examples for each other (Hebrews 10:24-25a).
4. Gives grace: Every member should feel safe to make mistakes and learn from them. Forgiveness should be readily available (Proverbs 17:17b MSG).
5. Enjoys quality time together: A Proverbs 31 Woman spends her time on things which are pleasing to the Lord. Creating fun memories strengthens family ties.  Holidays, reunions, vacations, and other celebrations are perfect opportunities for bonding. God wants families to live together in peace (Psalms 133:1 CEB).

The Proverbs 31 woman rejoices over the future because she makes sure that her family is ready for it. Every day, we need to make sure that we are putting on the full armor of God. We need to also make sure adding prayer so that we are guarded from the traps laid for us. Please see my post, How to Prepare for Emergencies for tips on an important way to be prepared for the future.

“and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may [reverently] fear Me forever, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.” – Jeremiah 32:39 AMP

7. She Outfits Her Home and Herself in Fine Linen

There is nothing wrong with a Christian liking fashion.  As disciples of Jesus, we have to be careful that we are representing Him in a way that honors Him.  That includes how we dress, so we have to make sure that we choose clothing that reflects our inner beauty.  I look forward to carefully putting together my looks.  How about you?

It is because of our inner beauty that we should give thought to how we dress.  We learn in Colossians 3:12-14 that we should clothe ourselves in these 7 things:

• Compassion
• Kindness
• Humility
• Gentleness
• Patience
• Forgiveness
• Love

We demonstrate these attributes with our actions,  which includes how we dress.  As a Christian, you may find yourself under a microscope.  Have you ever heard that you only get one chance to make a first impression?  Make sure you are giving the impression that you want to give.  As a believer, you are representing Christ Jesus.  Make sure that the impression you give is one that reflects Him and who you are in Him, accurately.

See Related:

• What to Wear This Spring
• What to Wear This Summer
• What to Wear This Fall

8. She Has a Husband Who is Well-Known and Respected

The Proverbs 31 woman has a husband who is known by the elders of the city; he is a leader (Proverbs 31:23).

Does he have leadership skills and if so, what is he leading you to do are important questions to ask when considering whether a man is marriage material. The Proverbs 31 woman’s husband sets a good example and has the respect of other men in the community.

See Related: Attributes of the Proverbs 31 Man

9. She Makes and Sells Clothing

The Proverbs 31 woman has a business. She uses fine linen to make and sell garments. She also makes sashes or belts to sell to the traders (Proverbs 31:24). For more information on how I started my business, please read my post about how I started my blog.

See Related: Inspiration for Starting Your Own Proverbs 31 Business

10. She is Strong and Graceful

The Proverbs 31 woman has class! She is confident and secure in her position, clothed in dignity and strength (Proverbs 31:25).

Having this kind of confidence is so important. It comes from knowing your worth as a daughter of the Most High God. Knowing Whose you are will guard your heart from the lies of the enemy.

See Related: Developing Inner Beauty

11. She Teaches with Kindness

The Proverbs 31 woman gives Godly counsel and teaches Godly wisdom with kindness (Proverbs 31:26).

This is important because as women who desire to be like the Proverbs 31 woman, we are to teach others what God has to say about issues that we are facing today, not sit silently or teach man’s wisdom. For more on our responsibility to be models for other women, please read my previous post, I Am a Model.

12. She is Blessed by Her Children and Husband

The Proverbs 31 woman has children who love her and call her good. Her husband also loves her and praises her for exceeding all other women (Proverbs 31:28-29).

This is an important example to follow; the Proverbs 31 woman has a faithful husband. Our expectation of any man worthy of consideration as husband should be that he be loyal and faithful to one woman.

See Related: Attributes of the Proverbs 31 Man

13. She Fears the Lord

The Proverb 31 woman reveres the Lord! Even after beauty fades, she is praised because of her steadfast and worshipful fear of the Lord (Proverbs 31:30).

It is important to work on inner beauty. This comes from always putting God first, concerning yourself only with whether He will be pleased by your actions and choices. For more on the topic of spending time with God, please read my previous post on morning devotion.

See Related: A Guide to Living the Virtuous Life

14. She Deserves Praise for Her Deeds

The Proverbs 31 woman is worthy of the fruit of her labor. She should be respected and well spoken of for all the good she has done. She should be allowed to enjoy the virtuous life (Proverbs 31:31).

For more insight into what it means to be a Proverbs 31 Woman, check out this video:

Let me know your thoughts about the Proverbs 31 Woman below. What would you add about the Proverbs 31 woman (or man!)? Please comment below.

Until next time,