A Virtuous Woman

We often refer to a woman of God as a “virtuous” woman. Let’s take a closer look at what that word means. Webster’s dictionary defines virtue as “morality, goodness or uprightness; a special type of goodness,” and we know that the word virtuous is simply an adjective derived from that word. While this is a good definition of the word, I looked up what it meant in the Strong’s Concordance to see if I could get a clearer understanding.

I referenced the word “virtuous” from Proverbs 31:10 which states, “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies,” and I found the Hebrew word chayil. This Hebrew word means a force, whether of men, means or other resources; in other passages it means an army, a man of valour, a host, forces, valiant, strength, riches, wealth, power, substance, might, and strong. Valiant men of war in the Bible were called chayil men!

It is no coincidence that the same Hebrew word used to define a virtuous woman is also used to define strength and power. I heard one woman say after a Sunday morning service at my church where our Pastor spoke on the value and worth of a godly woman that she had no idea how much power she had; she thought she was just suppose to sit around and look pretty. That is what a lot of people would hope for women to think, but I believe that the promise found in Jeremiah 29:11 of a future and a hope is for all people, men and women alike. God said his eyes are combing the earth, looking for someone who is available to do His work, and just like God is not racist, He is also not sexist.

I’m not in any way suggesting that women “take over” or anything because God clearly showed us His plan for husbands and wives in Ephesians 5, but I do want to begin to show how the Proverbs 31 woman was not simply a pretty face…she was a powerful, strong, dedicated and virtuous woman!