Verses 11-12 praise the wife in general terms for what she is to her husband.

“The heart of her husband trusts in her”: “The heart” is not a reference to affection but to the mind or thoughts of “her husband”. In the context of the whole line, most translations in English just say “Her husband. . ..” The verb “trusts” has the sense of “has confidence”: he is confident of her capacity as a manager of the household. In English the line may be rendered as “Her husband’s whole trust is in her” (Revised English Bible) or “Her husband has full confidence in her” (New International Version).

“And he will have no lack of gain”: This line is literally “he does not lack spoil” or “he will not lack spoil.” The noun “spoil” generally refers to what is taken or captured in war or by robbery, but it can hardly have that sense here. It most probably refers generally to things of value that come to the husband because of what his wife is able to do; so New International Version says “and [he] lacks nothing of value,” and Good News Translation expresses the same sense with “and he will never be poor.” In some languages it may be desirable to include the meaning that is understood but not stated in the Hebrew, that this happens to the husband because of his wife; for example, “and because of her he is never short of anything.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .