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This chapter is added to Solomon's proverbs, some think because it is of the same author, supposing king Lemuel to be king Solomon; others only because it is of the same nature, though left in writing by another author, called Lemuel; however it be, it is a prophecy, and therefore given by inspiration and direction of God, which Lemuel was under in the writing of it, and putting it into this form, as his mother was in dictating to him the matter of it. Here is, I. An exhortation to Lemuel, a young prince, to take heed of the sins he would be tempted to and to do the duties of the place he was called to (Pro 31:1-9). II. The description of a virtuous woman, especially in the relation of a wife and the mistress of a family, which Lemuel's mother drew up, not as an encomium of herself, though, no doubt, it was her own true picture, but either as an instruction to her daughters, as the foregoing verses were to her son, or as a direction to her son in the choice of a wife; she must be chaste and modest, diligent and frugal, dutiful to her husband, careful of her family, discreet in her discourse, and in the education of her children, and, above all, conscientious in her duty to God: such a one as this, if he can find her, will make him happy (v. 10-31).

INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS 31 This chapter contains the last part of the book of Proverbs; which some reckon the fifth, others the sixth. It contains the instructions of the mother of a prince, whose name was Lemuel, which she gave unto him; and which are so valuable, as to be annexed to the proverbs of Solomon. The preface or introduction to them is in Pro 31:1; the address to her son, Pro 31:2. The vices she cautions him against are uncleanness and intemperance; which she dissuades from, because of the pernicious consequences of both to kings and to their subjects, Pro 31:3. Advises rather to give wine and strong drink to poor people, such as are in distress; as being more useful to them, at least less prejudicial, Pro 31:6; and exhorts her son to the duties of his office; by pleading the cause of the poor and injured, and administering justice to them, Pro 31:8. And then at large describes a virtuous woman; perhaps designed as an instruction to her son in the choice of a wife, Pro 31:10; though more than that may be intended by it.

She considereth a field, and buyeth it,.... The field are the Scriptures, in which are hid the rich treasures of Gospel doctrines and promises; and the church, and all truly enlightened persons, consider to what use this field may be put, to what account it will turn; how profitable the Scriptures are, for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness; what a rich mine and valuable treasure is in them; things more desirable, and of greater worth, than thousands of gold and silver; and therefore will buy this field at any rate, and not sell it; will part with all they have before they will part with that; even life itself, which in an improper sense is called buying of it, though it is without money and without price; see Mat 13:44; with the fruit of her hand she planteth a vineyard; her own vineyard, whose plants are an orchard of pomegranates, Sol 1:6; who through the ministry of the word, are planted in the house of the Lord, and flourish there; this the church is said to do by her ministers, who plant and water, as Paul and Apollos did, Co1 3:6. And it is observable, that in the Hebrew text there is a double reading; the "Keri", or marginal reading, is feminine; but the "Cetib", or writing, is masculine; to show that she did it by means of men, she made use of in her vineyard for that service; it being, as Aben Ezra observes, not the custom and business of women to plant vineyards, but men. It may be rendered, "he planted", and be applied to her husband, Christ; who, through the ministry of the word in his church, plants souls in it; and happy are they who are the planting of the Lord! trees of righteousness, that he may be glorified, Isa 61:3.

[The text] speaks of the church as a virtuous soul possessing the tree of knowledge and the tree of life. [The church possesses] knowledge as the law, and life as the Word. For she herself [is the church] who came out of the rib of Christ and was found by her bridegroom to be a woman of sound mind and strength, guarding the faith of her bridegroom as she awaits his [return] again from heaven.

After saying, “Being farsighted she has bought a field,” as though you were to say, “What did she buy it with?” it adds, “With the fruit of her hands she has planted a property.” … The property it means, you see, lies in the future; that was suggested by the word farsighted.

"She considers a field and buys it, etc." The field means the possession of the heavenly inheritance. About which the patriarch blessedly speaks to his son Isaac: "Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed" (Genesis XXVII). For the odor of the saints is as the odor of a field which the Lord has blessed, because with the whole intent of their mind they contemplate what the fullness of blessing is in the homeland of the heavenly kingdom. Therefore the Church considered the field and bought it, because she diligently learned what are the joys of eternal life, and strove to labor whatever she could for their attainment. She even planted a vineyard from the fruit of her hands, because she established holy scripture from the fruitful deeds and words of her faithful, through which to strengthen the minds of her listeners in faith and love of their Redeemer. Nor is it irrelevant if by the name of vineyard we understand it to represent the Church itself, which is designated by the strong woman, and the offspring of the vineyard are the sons of the woman. The woman planted the vineyard when the early Church widely spread the seeds of faith through the world by sending out preachers. For she considered the field when she saw that the entire world, horrid with the thorns of vices, needed a spiritual cultivator. She indeed bought it when, sending teachers everywhere, she conferred the talent of the word on listeners, so that by believing she may subject them to the most blissful servitude of Christ. Moreover, she planted a vineyard in that field when she founded the Church among the newly believing peoples by the full instruction of evangelical truth. Which vineyard she planted from the fruit of her hands, because the apostles and their successors not only instructed the peoples verbally, but also joined the testimony of good works and the signs of miracles to their words of doctrine. But even up to this day and indeed until the end of the world, a strong woman considers a field and buys it, and from the fruits of her hands she plants a vineyard, because the holy Church is always diligently searching whom it can convert to the faith. And whoever it finds to be receptive, it buys them with the money of the word, into the service of Christ; and in them it strives to plant the vineyard of Christ, or rather to make them the vineyard of Christ. And because anyone who desires to teach another should first abstain from evil himself and exercise himself in good deeds, it is rightly added:

(Pro. 31:1-31) On the title of this, the sixth part of the book, see Introduction. prophecy--(See on Pro 30:1).

and hence has means to purchase property.

This industry - a pattern for the whole house - this punctuality in the management of household matters, secures to her success in the extension of her household wealth: 16 ז She seeketh a field and getteth possession of it; Of the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. The field which she considereth, towards which her wish and her effort are directed, is perhaps not one beyond those which she already possesses, but one which has hitherto been wanting to her family; for the poet has, after Pro 31:23, an inhabitant of a town in his eye, - a woman whose husband is not a landlord, but has a business in the city. The perf. זממה precedes and gives circumstantiality to the chief factum expressed by ותּקּחה. Regarding זמם, vid., Pro 21:27. "לקח is the general expression for purchasing, as נתן, 24b, for selling. Thus the Aram. and Arab. אחד, while, (Arab.) akhadh w'ṭa, Turk. alisch werisch (from elmeḳ, to take, and wirmek, to give - viz. ṣâtun, in the way of selling; Lat. venum), post-bibl. משּׂא וּמתּן or מקּח וּממכּר, denotes giving and taking = business in general" (Fleischer). In 16b the Chethı̂b is, with Ewald and Bertheau, to be read נטע, and, with Hitzig, to be made dependent on ותקחה, as parallel obj.: "of her hands' fruit (she gaineth) a planting of vines." But a planting of vines would be expressed by מטּע כרם (Mic 1:6); and the Kerı̂ נטעה is more acceptable. The perf., as a fundamental verbal form, is here the expression of the abstract present: she plants a vineyard, for she purchases vines from the profit of her industry (Isa 7:23, cf. Pro 5:2).