Proverbs 31:22

Pro 31:22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing [is] silk and purple.

Ver. 22. Her clothing is silk and purple.] Suitable to her husband’s condition, who is a principal man. {Pro 31:23} That is excellent counsel that Tertullian gives women, Vestite vos serico pietatis, byssino sanctitatis, purpura pudicitiae: {a} Clothe yourselves with the silk of piety, with the satin of sanctity, with the purple of modesty, &c. See 1Pe 3:3-4.

{a} Lib. de cultu faem.

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.

31:22-24 A capable wife’s industriousness enables her husband to distinguish himself among community leaders. In ancient Israel, civic leaders met at the city gates to conduct trials and make decisions.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

coverings of tapestry--or, "coverlets," that is, for beds.

silk--or, "linen" (compare Exo 26:1; Exo 27:9)

and purple--that is, the most costly goods.

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 22. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry]

13. She is not regardless either of her own person, or of the decent, proper appearance of her presses and wardrobe. She has coverings or carpeting for her guests to sit upon; she has also tapestry, מרבדים marbaddim, either tapestry, carpeting, or quilted work for her beds; and her own clothing is שש shesh, flne flax, or linen cloth, and purple; probably for a cloak or mantle. The fine linen or cotton cloth of Egypt is probably intended. I have often seen it wrapping the bodies of mummies; it is something like our coarse calico. The purple was supposed to have been dyed by a precious liquor obtained from the pinna magna, a large shellfish, of the muscle kind, found on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. I have seen some of them nearly two feet in length. But it is a doubt whether any such liquor was ever obtained from this or any other fish; and the story itself is invented merely to hide the secret, the proper method of dying purple; which was kept so well that it certainly died with the ancients.

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

22. coverings] i.e. carpets or cushions, to be spread out on the bed or divan. Comp. Pro_7:16.

silk] Rather, fine linen, as the word is rendered both of Egyptian robes of honour (Gen_41:42) and of the Jewish High-priest’s garments (Exo_28:39), as well as of the coverings of the Tabernacle (Exo_26:1; Exo_27:9; Exo_27:18).

Though it is not improbable that silk may have been among the articles of commerce introduced by Solomon, there is no certainty as to when it was first known to the Hebrews. See Smith’s Dict. of Bible, Art. silk. The rendering of the LXX. here (ἐκ δὲ βύσσου καὶ πορφύρας ἑαυτῇ ἐνδύματα) is interesting when compared with the “purple and fine linen” (ἐνεδιδύσκετο πορφύραν καὶ βύσσον) of the rich man in the parable (Luk_16:19). His fault was not that he dressed richly and fared sumptuously, but that he did not “spread forth his hand to the poor, and reach forth his hands to the needy” (Pro_31:20, above).

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 maketh herself coverings of tapestry,.... For the furniture and ornament of her house, or for her bed; which may signify the ordinances of the Gospel, and the decent, orderly, and beautiful administration of them, wherein the church has communion with her Lord; see Sol 1:16. The Vulgate Latin version renders it, "garments of divers colours", such as was Joseph's coat, Gen 37:3; and, in a spiritual sense, may be applied to the above mentioned garments, and agrees with what goes before and follows;

her clothing is silk and purple; the Tyrian purple, which, Strabo says (x), is the best; or purple silk, silk of a purple colour: or rather fine linen of this colour; a dress suitable to a queen, as the church is, who is represented as clothed with clothing of wrought gold, with raiment of needlework, Psa 45:9; see Eze 16:10. This is not her own natural clothing, for she has none by nature that deserves the name; nor of her own working, not works of righteousness done by her; nor of her own putting on, but what Christ has wrought out for her, and clothes her with; and which is very rich in itself, the best robe, very ornamental to her; her wedding garment, and which will last for ever; see Isa 61:10.

(x) Geograph. l. 16. p. 521.

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

Silk - Better, fine linen, the byssus of Egypt.

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

Tapestry, for the beds and floor. --- Linens, or cotton; byssus, Exodus xxv. 4.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Coverings of tapestry, for the furniture of her house.

Silk and purple, which was very agreeable to her high quality, though it doth not justify that luxury in attire which is now usual among persons of far lower ranks, both for wealth and dignity.

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

22. Coverings of tapestry — Coverlets woven of wool and silk, often enriched with gold and silver, representing various figures. Latin critics render the passage simply, “She maketh for herself coverlets.” But some kind of ornamental work seems to be intended.

Silk — שׁשׁ, (shesh,) rather, fine white linen or cotton cloth, probably the byssus of Egypt. The word is applied to both linen and cotton fabrics. Silk was probably not known to the Hebrews in the age of Solomon.

Purple — ארגמן, (argaman.) The root of the word is uncertain. Gesenius derives it from the Sanscrit. The Septuagint renders it porphura, and the Vulgate purpura. It is applied both to the purple fish and the purple colour. Here it means purple cloth. Purple and fine linen seem to have been used by the ancients conventionally for rich and elegant clothing. Comp. Luk_16:19. The editor of Calmet contends that argaman signifies “variegated,” or of different talents. He translates thus: Her upper garments (gown, robe) she makes of fine cambric, etc., wrought in pattern; and of brocade or tissue, her lower garment, (petticoat.) This good housewife does not despise the esthetic in her person and household. She discovers the utility of beauty as well as the beauty of utility.

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

MEM. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry (marbaddim); as Pro_7:16 (where see note). Pillows for beds or cushions are meant, though the translators are not of one mind on the meaning. St. Jerome has, stragulatam vestem; Aquila and Theodotion, peristrwmata , Symmachus, amfitapouv , "shaggy on both sides;" Septuagint, "She makes for her husband double garments (dissainav )." Her clothing is silk and purple. vve (shesh) is not "silk," but "white linen" (bussov , byssus) of very fine texture, and costly. Purple garments were brought from the Phoenician cities, and were highly esteemed. (see Son_3:10 Jer_10:9) The wife dresses herself in a way becoming her station, avoiding the extremes of sordid simplicity and ostentatious luxury. "For my own part," says St. Francois de Sales, quoted by Lesetre, "I should wish any devout man or woman always to be the best dressed person in the company, but at the same time, the least fine and affected, and adorned, as it is said, with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. St. Louis said that every one ought to dress according to his position, so that good and sensible people should not be able to say you are overdressed, nor the younger under dressed" ("Vie Devot.," 3:25). So the Church is clothed in fine linen, clean and white, even the righteousness which Christ bestows, (Rev_19:8) and invested in her Lord"s royal robe, who hath made her children kings and priests unto God. (Rev_1:6 Rev_5:10)

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

Tapestry - For the furniture of her house. Silk - Which was agreeable to her high quality.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

From the protecting, and at the same time ornamental clothing of the family, the poet proceeds to speak of the bed-places, and of the attire of the housewife:

22 מ She prepareth for herself pillows;

Linen and purple is her raiment.

Regarding מרבדּים (with ב raphatum), vid., at Pro 7:16. Thus, pillows or mattresses (Aquila, Theodotion, περιστρώματα; Jerome, stragulatam vestem; Luther, Decke = coverlets) to make the bed soft and to adorn it (Kimchi: ליפּות על המטות, according to which Venet. κόσμια); Symmachus designates it as ἀμφιτάπους, i.e., τάπητες (tapetae, tapetia, carpets), which are hairy (shaggy) on both sides.

(Note: Vid., Lumbroso, Recherches sur l'Economie politique de l'Egypte sous les Lagides (Turin, 1870), p. 111; des tapis de laine de premere qualit, pourpres, laineux des deux cts (ἀμφίταποι).)

Only the lxx makes out of it δισσὰς χλαίνας, lined overcoats, for it brings over שׁנים. By עשׂתה־לּהּ it is not meant that she prepares such pillows for her own bed, but that she herself (i.e., for the wants of her house) prepares them. But she also clothes herself in costly attire. שׁשׁ (an Egyptian word, not, as Heb., derived from שׁוּשׁ, cogn. ישׁשׁ, to be white) is the old name for linen, according to which the Aram. translates it by בּוּץ, the Greek by βύσσος, vid., Genesis, pp. 470, 557, to which the remark is to be added, that the linen [Byssus], according to a prevailing probability, was not a fine cotton cloth, but linen cloth. Luther translates שׁשׁ, here and elsewhere, by weisse Seide [white silk] (σηρικόν, i.e., from the land of the Σῆρες, Rev 18:12); but the silk, is first mentioned by Ezekiel under the name of משׁי; and the ancients call the country where silk-stuff (bombycina) was woven, uniformly Assyria. ארגּמן (Aram. ארגּון, derived by Benfey, with great improbability, from the rare Sanscrit word râgavant, red-coloured; much rather from רגם = רקם, as stuff of variegated colour) is red purple; the most valuable purple garments were brought from Tyre and Sidon.

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.)

linen

cloth made of flax yarn

Her husband is known

This can be translated in active form. The verb "know" is a metonym for respect. AT: "People respect her husband" (See: Active or Passive and Metonymy)

when he sits with the elders of the land

to make laws and settle arguments

translationWords

purple

gate

elder

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

beautiful bedspreads Heb. מרבדים, beautiful spreads for the bed, as in (above 7:16) “I have bedecked my couch with covers (מרבדים רבדתי).”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.