“She is not afraid of snow for her household”: As the next line shows, the point of this line is that the housewife “is not afraid”, or “doesn’t worry” (Good News Translation), when cold weather comes, “when it snows” (Good News Translation, New International Version, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version). In places where people are not familiar with “snow”, we may translate “snow” as “when it is cold” or “in a cold time.” For “household” see verse 15.

“For all her household are clothed in scarlet”: There are different translations of this line due to two different ways to interpret the last word of the Hebrew text. Revised Standard Version, along with New International Version, renders the term that is found in the official Hebrew text as we have it, “scarlet”. In this understanding “clothed in scarlet” means “have expensive [or, high quality] clothing,” and this is the reason why the members of “her household” all keep warm in the cold weather. On the other hand, a few Hebrew manuscripts, supported by the Septuagint, the Syriac, and the Vulgate, have a term that means “double,” and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends following this as the text (“C” rating). Versions that do this say, for example, “For all of them are doubly clothed” (Scott) or “for they are wrapped in double cloaks” (Revised English Bible). A number of versions, however, give a rendering that expresses the sense of both possibilities: “warmly clothed” (New Jerusalem Bible). Both Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version follow this approach and give a model that is good for other translators: “her family has warm clothing.”

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 .