Reading for November 25th

 Read Proverbs 31.10-31. In 31.10-31:Praise of the capable wife. An acrostic poem of twenty-two lines, each line beginning with a successive letter of the alphabet. it is an encomium or a hymn praising a capable wife. A hymn does not dwell on inner feelings or the physical appearance of its hero but describes the hero's mighty feats of valor, in this case the wife's extraordinarily wise management of her great household. The narrator first describes the wife's wonderful deeds (vv. 11-27), a description that is completed by her own children and husband (vv. 28-31). In verses 19-20: The chiasmus at the center of the poem (hands ("yad") ... hands ("kap")// hand ("kap") ... hands ("yad") shifts the action from domestic to the public sphere in that the hands that weave the cloth (v. 19) now open wide in largesse to the poor beyond the household gates (v. 20). She is a blessing not only to her family but to the whole community. The hymn to the capable wife includes a metaphorical dimension. The heroic woman evokes Woman Wisdom of chs. 1-9. Her abundantly prosperous household illustrates the result of becoming a disciple of Wisdom (Ch. 8; 9.6, 11). The book began with a young person leaving the parental house to to found and maintain a new one. It ends with a splendid household provided by the wisdom of the capable wife. Visible within the house are all the blessings of wisdom-wealth, justice, generosity to the poor, reputation, children, and, most precious of all (compare 19.14), a good wife (or spouse). The pursuit of wisdom has brought every blessing. Comments or Questions..