Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 31:11

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

11. doth safely trust in her ] Or, trusteth in her, R.V. “The very first item in the catalogue of good qualities is the rarest of all: ‘the heart of her husband doth safely trust in her.’ The husband in nine cases out of every ten does not feel very confident that ‘she will do him good and not evil,’ and he sets a jealous watch over her, and places every valuable article under lock and key. His heart trusts more in hired guards and iron locks than in his wife.” Thomson, Land and Book.

so that he shall have no need of spoil ] Rather: and, as a consequence, shewing that his trust is not misplaced, he shall have no lack of gain, R.V. “Heb.; spoil,” R.V. margin. Comp. “we shall fill our houses with spoil” (same Heb. word) Pro 1:13. The gain which accrues to him from her thrift and industry shall be as rich as spoil.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

No need of spoil – Better, no lack of gain, lack of honest gain.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 11. The heart of her husband]

3. She is an unspotted wife. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her – he knows she will take care that a proper provision is made for his household, and will not waste any thing. He has no need for spoil – he is not obliged to go out on predatory excursions, to provide for his family, at the expense of the neighbouring tribes.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Doth safely trust in her, for the prudent and faithful management of all his domestic affairs, which are committed to her care.

So that he shall have no need of spoil; the sense is either,

1. He shall want no necessary provisions for his family, which are sometimes called spoil, or prey, as below, Pro 31:15; Psa 111:5; Luk 11:22. Or,

2. He shall not need to use indirect and unlawful courses to get wealth, by cheating or oppressing his subjects or others, as princes have oft done to maintain the luxury of their wives, and as Solomon himself afterwards did, of which see on 1Ki 12:4,10,11, because all shall be abundantly supplied to him by her providence.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

11. heart . . . trust in herHerelies on her prudence and skill.

no need of spoildoesnot lack profit or gain, especially, that obtained by the risk ofwar.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her,…. Christ her Maker is her husband, who has asked her in marriage, and has betrothed her to himself in righteousness; and of whose chaste love, and inviolable attachment to him, he is fully satisfied, as well as of her fidelity in keeping what he commits unto her; he trusts her with his Gospel and ordinances, which she faithfully retains and observes; and with his children born in her, who are nursed up at her side, to whom she gives the breasts of ordinances, bears them on her sides, and dandles them on her knees, as a tender and careful mother does,

Isa 60:4;

so that he shall have no need of spoil; he shall never want any; by means of the word preached in her, prey and spoil shall be taken out of the hands of the mighty, and he shall divide the spoil with them; or have souls snatched out of the hands of Satan, and translated into his kingdom, Isa 53:12. The Septuagint version understands it of the virtuous woman, and not of her husband; “such an one as she shall not want good spoils”; now, prey or spoil sometimes signifies food, as in

Ps 111:5; and so Jarchi interprets it here; and then the sense is, she shall not want spiritual provisions; she shall have plenty of them from her husband, who reposes such confidence in her; or shall not want excellent treasures, as the Arabic version, which also understands it of her; such are the word and ordinances, and particularly precious promises, which are more rejoicing than a great spoil, Ps 119:162; and so Ambrose interprets y it of the church, who needs no spoils because she abounds with them, even with the spoils of the world, and of the devil.

y Enarrat. in loc. p. 1099. tom. 2.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The reason for this is now given:

11 The heart of her husband doth trust her,

And he shall not fail of grain.

If we interpret , after Ecc 9:8, as subject, then we miss ; it will thus be object., and the husband subj. to : nec lucro carebit , as e.g., Fleischer translates it, with the remark that denotes properly the spoil which one takes from an enemy, but then also, like the Arab. danymat , can mean profit and gain of all kinds (cf. Rdiger in Gesenius’ Thes.). Thus also in our “ kriegen ” = to come into possession, the reference to war disappears. Hitzig understands by , the continual prosperity of the man on account of his fortunate possession of such a wife; but in that case the poet should have said ; for is gain, not the feeling that is therewith connected. There is here meant the gain, profit, which the housewife is the means of bringing in (cf. Psa 78:13). The heart of her husband ( ) can be at rest, it can rest on her whom it loves – he goes after his calling, perhaps a calling which, though weighty and honourable, brings in little or nothing; but the wife keeps the family possessions scrupulously together, and increases them by her laborious and prudent management, so that there is not wanting to him gain, which he properly did not acquire, but which the confidence he is justified in reposing in his wife alone brings to him. She is to him a perpetual spring of nothing but good.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

(11) So that he shall have no need of spoil.Rather, shall have no lack of gain. His incomings constantly increase from the prudent care of his wife.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

11. No need of spoil Rather, he shall not lack income, domestic prosperity. “Spoil” is here used in a tropical sense, though one of its definitions suits well here: “That which is gained by strength or effort.” Webster.

The heart of her husband confides in her:

He shall never lack domestic prosperity.

The meaning is, that such is her skill and care in the management of her domestic affairs, that her husband has full confidence that he shall suffer no loss; but, on the contrary, be largely benefited by her vigorous and well-directed exertions. “The Oriental husband, in many instances, is by no means confident that his wife can be trusted, and that she will always consult his interest, and not his injury. Hence, he commonly keeps a watch over her, and places all articles under lock and key. He trusts more in hired guards and iron locks than in his wife.” Muenscher. This is one of the natural results of polygamy and concubinage.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Pro 31:11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

Ver. 11. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her. ] He is confident of her love, care, and fidelity. He dare trust her with his soulsecrets, &c.; he doubteth not of her chastity, secrecy, or care to keep his family.

So that he shall have no need of spoil, ] i.e., Of necessary commodities: for these she will provide as plentifully by her industry as if she had shared in the spoils of a sacked and ransacked city. The Turks, when they took Constantinople, were so enriched, that it is a proverb among them to this day, if any grow suddenly rich, to say, He hath been at the sacking of Constantinople. a

a Turkish History, fol. 347.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

doth . . . trust in = hath confided in. Hebrew. batah. App-69.

no need = no lack.

spoil = gain,

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

trust

(See Scofield “Psa 2:12”).

Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes

2Ki 4:9, 2Ki 4:10, 2Ki 4:22, 2Ki 4:23, 1Pe 3:1-7

Reciprocal: Gen 39:6 – save Rth 4:10 – have I 1Sa 25:19 – But

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Pro 31:11-12. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her For the prudent and faithful management of all his domestic affairs, which are committed to her care; so that he shall have no need of spoil The sense is, either, 1st, He shall want no necessary provisions for his family, which are sometimes called spoil, or prey: or, 2d, He shall not need to use indirect and unlawful courses to get wealth, as by cheating, or oppressing his subjects, or others, as princes have often done to maintain the luxury of their wives, and as Solomon himself afterward did: because all shall abundantly be supplied to him by her providence. She will do him good, &c. She will improve and not waste his estate.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

31:11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of {h} spoil.

(h) He will not need to use any unlawful means to gain his living.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes