31:17

These two parallel lines are similar in meaning:

17a She girds herself with strength

17b and shows that her arms are strong.

31:17a

She girds herself with strength: This line is literally “She girds her loins with strength.” To prepare for difficult work, a person in that culture wrapped their tunic or robe tightly around their waist with a belt so that their clothing would not interfere with their movements. In this context, the wife figuratively girds herself with strength. It means that she begins to work vigorously.

In areas where people are familiar with the custom of fastening loose clothing around the waist, it may be possible to keep the figure of speech. For example:

She puts on strength like a belt (God’s Word)
-or-
She dresses herself with strength (English Standard Version)

Some other ways to translate this line without a figure of speech are:

She begins her work vigorously (NET Bible)
-or-
She does her work with energy (New Century Version)

31:17b

shows that her arms are strong: Here are some other ways to translate this verse part:

and shows how strong her arms can be (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
and her arms are strong (New Century Version)

General Comment on 31:17a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these parallel lines. For example:

She is a hard worker, strong and industrious. (Good News Translation)

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