31:31

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

31a
Give her the fruit of her hands,

31b and let her works praise her at the gates.

31:31a

Give her the fruit of her hands: The phrase the fruit of her hands refers to the things she has made or accomplished.

There are closely related textual and interpretation issues in this verse part. The Notes will discuss them together. Here are the main interpretations:

(1) Some scholars think that the Hebrew text has a verb that means “honor” or “praise.” This text means that people should praise the woman for what she has accomplished. They should reward her by giving her credit or public recognition for her achievements. For example:

Give her credit for what she has accomplished (NET Bible)

(2) The MT has “Give her some of the fruit of her hands.” It means that the people should give the woman a share of what she has made or earned. For example:

Give her a share in what her hands have worked for (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with most versions and scholars. This option better fits the parallelism with 31:31b that speaks of the praise that the woman deserves due to her accomplishments.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

Reward her for what she has done (God’s Word)
-or-
Praise her for all she has accomplished (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Honor her for all that her hands have done (New International Version (2011))

31:31b

and let her works praise her at the gates: This line has almost the same meaning as 31:31a. It means that she should be publicly honored at the normal gathering place near the gate of the city for all that she has accomplished. Some other ways to translate this line are:

let her achievements bring her honour at the city gates (Revised English Bible)
-or-
she should be praised in public for what she has done (New Century Version)

General Comment on 31:31a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts in these lines. See 31:31a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

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