Proverbs 31 – watercress words by Dr Aletha

The Bible’s “Superwoman”

Who can find a virtuous woman?
for her price is far above rubies.
Proverbs 31:10, KJV, King James Version, public domain

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

If you’ve read or heard much of the Bible, you’re probably familiar with the Proverbs 31 “Virtuous Woman”. And if you attend church you’ve probably heard a sermon or a class about it. And you may have felt intimidated by trying to live up to this ideal woman.

More modern translations of the Bible translate the King James Version Bible word virtuous simply as “excellent, capable, noble, or truly good.”

But women can still feel they don’t measure up to the ideal.

Even though Vickey Courtney wrote her book, The Virtuous Woman: Shattering the Superwoman Myth, 20 years ago, not much has changed in women’s standards for themselves and others. And not just in the church.

With social media, we can quickly and easily compare ourselves to each other, and to popular “influencers”, causing us to feel even more pressure to measure up.

Shattering the Superwoman Myth

But Vicky Courtney shows us a different view of excellence, or what one Bible version calls a “woman of strength” (NRSUE).

2 women talking over coffee with open bibles — graphic from the Lightstock collection, an affiliate link

“Deep in the heart of every person is a desperate need to feel worth and value. Most people will end up defining their worth according to the world rather than by God’s standard of measure.

Defining our worth correctly is critical not only in our pursuit to be a virtuous (excellent) woman but for our overall mental health. One can wonder how many addictions, mental anxieties, and health problems could be avoided if the worth of the individual had been properly defined in the first place.

The virtuous (excellent) woman of Proverbs 31 had defined her worth according to God’s standards. “
Vicki Courtney

women standing with arms around each other

5 people young men and women with arms overlapping their shoulders

Click here to read the first chapter

another view to consider

THE BIBLE RECAP is a way to read through the Bible in a year, in the order the events happened (as well as is known), with a short, daily, easy-to-understand “recap” by Tara-Leigh Cobble. I’ve been doing it this year and understand the Bible better than ever.

Bible teacher Tara-Leigh Cobble, writer and speaker for THE BIBLE RECAP, gives her view on the virtuous woman in this YouTube video.

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