Proverbs 31:20

Pro 31:20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

Ver. 20. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor.] She laboureth with her hands to that purpose, {Eph 4:28} and findeth by experience that not getting but giving is the way to thrive. See my Common Place of Alms.

Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.] ‘Nittily needy,’ as one phraseth it. To those that are extremely poor she not only stretcheth but reacheth, not her hand only, but both hands; yea, she hath her almoners to give to those that she cannot go to, as Queen Anne Boleyn had. {a} For, besides what she dealt and distributed by the hands of others, she carried ever about her a certain little purse; out of which she was wont to scatter about daily some alms to the needy, thinking no day well spent wherein some man had not fared the better by some benefit at her hands. The like is told of Placilla, wife to the Emperor Theodosius, that for her courtesy and bounty to the poor she was called φιλοπτωχως, The poor man’s friend.

{a} Acts and Mon., fol. 957.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pro 31:20. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor — To relieve their necessities. Her designs are generous and noble; for she labours not only to supply her own and her household’s necessities, or to support her own state, much less to feed her pride and luxury; but that she may have wherewith to supply the wants of others, who crave or need her assistance. Which also procures God’s blessing upon her husband and children, and whole family, to whom, by this means, she brings both honour and advantage.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Industry enables her to be charitable.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 20. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor]

11. She is truly charitable. She knows that in every portion of a man's gain God requires a lot for the poor; and if this is not given, God's blessing is not in the rest. And she is not contented to give common alms. While with one hand (יד yad) she relieves the general poor, with both hands (ידיה yadeyha) she gives to the needy, לעני leaney, to the afflicted poor.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(20) She streteheth out her hand to the poor.—Either in sympathy or with alms; “yea, she reacheth forth (both) her hands to the needy;” she is keenly alive to their sorrows, and pities them and aids them with all her power.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20. stretcheth out] Rather, spreadeth out.

her hand] Lit. her palm. The whole expression, spreadeth out her palm (holding out the gift for acceptance) denotes the open-handed liberality with which she disperses abroad and gives to the poor (Psa_112:9; 2Co_9:9).

“The hand which is thus held out to the poor is precisely the hand which has been laid on the distaff and the spindle; not the lazy hand or the useless hand, but the hand which is supple with toil, dexterous with acquired skill.” Horton.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

She stretcheth out her hand to the poor,.... Her liberality is very extensive, reaches to many, and at a distance; it is done with great cheerfulness and readiness; to do good and communicate, she forgets not, it being acceptable to her Lord and husband, Heb 13:16;

yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy; she gives with both hands, liberally and largely. It may be applied to the church, giving spiritual food by her ministers to those who are poor in spirit, spiritually poor and needy, and who hunger and thirst after righteousness.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The industry is not selfish, but bears the fruit of an open-handed charity.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

To relieve their necessities. Her designs are generous and noble; for she labours not only to supply her own and her household necessities, or to support her own state, much less to feed her pride and luxury, but that she may have wherewith to supply the wants of others who crave or need her assistance; which also procures God’s blessing upon her husband, and children, and whole family, to whom, by this means, she brings both honour and advantage.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

20. Stretcheth out… to the poor — She spreads out or opens her palm. While exceedingly thrifty and industrious, she is not “close-fisted;” but generously opens her hand to every case of distress and need: an example of good economy and liberality — two virtues but rarely blended, unhappily, in the same person, either man or woman.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

CAPH. She is not impelled by selfish greed to improve her means and enlarge her revenues. She is sympathizing and charitable, and loves to extend to others the blessings which have rewarded her efforts. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor. "Hand" is here caph, "the palm," evidently containing alms. She knows the maxim, (Pro_19:17) "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord," etc.; and she has no fear of poverty. Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. "Hand," is here yod, with its nerves and sinews ready for exertion; (see on Pro_10:4) and the idea is that she puts forth her hand to raise and soothe the poor man, not being satisfied with dealing alms to him, but exercising the gentle ministries of a tender love. Septuagint, "She opens her hands to the needy, and reaches forth her wrist (karpon ) to the poor." Like Dorcas, she is full of good works and alms deeds. (Act_9:36) It is doubtless implied that the prosperity which she experiences is the reward of this benevolence. (Pro_22:9)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That which impels the housewife to this labour is not selfishness, not a narrow-hearted limitation of her care to the circle of what is her own, but love, which reaches out far beyond this circle:

20 כ She holdeth out her hand to the unfortunate,

And stretcheth forth her hands to the needy.

With כּפּיה, 19b, is connected the idea of artistic skilfulness; with כּפּהּ, here that of offering for counsel (vid., at Isa 2:6); with sympathy and readiness to help, she presents herself to those who are oppressed by the misfortunes of life as if for an alliance, as if saying: place confidence in me, I shall do whatever I can - there thou hast my hand! Hitzig erroneously thinks of the open hand with a gift lying in it: this ought to be named, for כף in itself is nothing else than the half-opened hand. Also in 20b we are not to think of alms. Here Hitzig rightly: she stretches out to him both of her hands, that he might grasp them, both of them, or whichever he may. She does not throw to him merely a gift from a distance, but above all she gives to him to experience her warm sympathy (cf. Eze 16:49). Here, as at 19a, שׁלחה is punctuated (with Dagesh) as Piel. The punctuation supposes that the author both times not unintentionally made use of the intensive form. This one verse (20) is complete in itself as a description of character; and the author has done well in choosing such strong expressions, for, without this sympathy with misery and poverty, she, so good and trustworthy and industrious, might indeed be pleasing to her husband, but not to God. One could almost wish that greater expansion had been given to this one feature in the picture.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

reaches out with her hand to poor

The hand is a metonym for the help the woman uses her hand to give. AT: "helps poor" (See: Metonymy)

reaches out with her hands to

These words translate the same words translated "puts her hands on" in Proverbs 31:19.

are clothed in scarlet

Here "scarlet" does not refer to the color of the cloth, but that the clothing is expensive and warm. AT: "have expensive, warm clothing" (See: Metonymy)

scarlet

The color red, but with a hint of orange.

translationWords

snow

household

clothe

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.