The Proverbs 31 Woman: Cherished Symbol, Not Perfected Ideal
By Mikayla Lindgren, Class of 2026 – Digital Communication, Art & Design
Scripture itself, like almost everything in life, is multi-layered with those layers ranging from tangible fact to deeply metaphoric. 1 Author Michael Gorman explains that “a passage of Scripture is often like the center of a set of concentric circles, each circle representing each section of the biblical book”.
The Importance of Symbolism
Unfortunately, in our quest to give an account of our faith through tangibility, we have strayed from the equally important cornerstone of our faith: symbolism. God clearly has created our souls, hearts, and minds to need the symbolic narrative in addition to the tangible. If not, then Christ would not have told parables, or used other metaphoric language such as referring to Himself as the Temple, His body and blood as the wine and bread, or being the Living Water.
Today, when we discuss Theological and Biblical symbolism, we mostly limit symbolism to the cross, the Lion and the Lamb, the wine and the bread, evil serpents, as well as the color red. Symbolism in Scripture is vastly beyond these examples. Additionally, we now confuse symbolism to be the same as a perfected idea. We as women, made fully in the image of our Lord and Creator separate from our male counter-parts, have been estranged from one of the most beautiful symbols of our inherit worth in all of Scripture: Woman Wisdom. Due to the modernized combination of the words “symbol” and “ideal,” women have been confined to a distorted and warped view that separates them from the inherent symbolism within them.
Woman Wisdom Exhibits Beautiful Symbolism
Throughout the book of Proverbs, Woman Wisdom is seen contrasted with Woman Folly who lures both married and unmarried men to her bed, leading them to their ultimate destruction and separation from God. In Proverbs 9:4-6, Wisdom invites those who are simple to live and learn from her in her house, then in verses 16-17 Folly is seen mocking Wisdom by repeating her invitation but then twisting her words to lead the simple to live in self-destruction. Since Folly’s idle, tempting, and vile nature has been more attention-catching in modern conversation, Woman Wisdom has been diminished and transformed, resulting in Proverbs 31:10-31 being thought to describe an ideal wife rather than the beautiful symbol she is.
When examining the overall narrative of the book of Proverbs, one will see that the book begins and ends with Woman Wisdom in addition to subtle nods to her when the author writes of Folly. In Proverbs 8, ten entire verses are dedicated to describing the idea that Wisdom was with God when He created the world, portraying her as God’s oldest alliance (Proverbs 8:22-31). All of Proverbs 1:20-33, 8:1-20, and 8:32-36 are dedicated to the irreplaceable importance Wisdom has in a man’s life. This utilizes the imagery of a woman’s actions, capabilities, and insights to echo how essential Eve was in Adam’s life. In Biblical context, a man was to utilize his strength and empathy to protect his wife so that she may have a safe place to cultivate and thrive—notice how this says nothing about what he is entitled to. 2 She is to be protected, not because she lacks ability to protect herself, but because he cherishes her as he was intended to.
With the larger-than-life narrative context that Woman Wisdom is placed in, this helps to better understand her actions and purpose in Proverbs 31:10-31. While the majority of the verses in Proverbs 31:10-31 sound highly literal, the passage itself is originally intended to be completely symbolic and metaphoric. The passage was written in an intentionally exaggerated and emphasized way which utilizes the Hebrew alphabet in acrostic poetic style. 3 One example of symbolic imagery of the woman described in Proverbs 31:10-31 that is not literal, but rather a representation of women as a whole, is in verses 15 and 18. These verses showcase beautiful imagery of a woman rising before the dawn and working late into the night with her lamp. This lack of sleep would be unsustainable for a real woman, thus these verses indicate that Proverbs 31:10-31 is a symbolic eulogy for a woman’s life, highlighting her strengths, capabilities, and wisdom. Here is where the full circle comes back around for Woman Wisdom’s overall narrative in the book of Proverbs: she was present when the world began and her role is irreplaceable when the sun sets.
Woman Wisdom and the Modern Woman
The way Woman Wisdom is described runs parallel to how the Holy Spirit’s influence is described throughout Scripture. She convicts the obedient and Godly, meanwhile she rebukes the men (and women) who reject her teachings and follow Folly. Yes, Woman Wisdom is fictitious. However, she is used as a symbolic narrative tool that draws the obedient and God-seeking men closer to their Creator; showing them how they ought to cherish their female counterparts of the Imago Dei. That is the application of Proverbs 31 in a man’s life. It is not a checklist for the ideal Godly woman that some Christian men believe they are entitled to. Men are the living symbol of Christ’s love and dedication to the bride Imago Dei; to remove this symbolic imagery and love is to separate men from Wisdom and their Creator.
For women, Woman Wisdom reminds them of their beautiful inherit worth which is not dependent on their actions. Wisdom does not set an unattainable standard that God requires a woman to meet in order to prove her worth and faith to her husband or community. As women, we are the living symbol of Wisdom simply by seeking our God with a genuine heart. In Proverbs 9:35-36, Woman Wisdom states “for whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”
My sisters and brothers, that is how we as humans glorify our Creator; not by our limiting actions in a fallen world but by our hearts seeking to live in our God’s truth. We as humanity are individual living symbols of our God’s love for us, not perfected ideas maximizing our earthly image.
Footnotes
1 Michael J. Gorman, Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2020), 81.
2 Satlow, Michael. Jewish Marriage in Antiquity. [Edition unavailable]. Princeton University Press, 2018. Accessed April 11, 2024. eBook.
3 Gordan D. Fee, and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth, 2 nd ed (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1993), 249.
