Amsal 31:19

31:19 Her hands ¹  take hold ²  of the distaff,

and her hands grasp the spindle.

Amsal 31:24

31:24 She makes linen garments ³  and sells them,

and supplies the merchants ⁴  with sashes.

[31:19]  ¹ tn The first word of the tenth line begins with י (yod) the tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[31:19]  sn The words for “hands” are often paired in poetry; the first (יָד, yad) means the hand and the forearm and usually indicates strength, and the second (כַּף, kaf) means the palm of the hand and usually indicates the more intricate activity.

[31:19]  ² tn The verb שִׁלַּח (shilakh), the Piel perfect of the verb “to send,” means in this stem “to thrust out; to stretch out.” It is a stronger word than is perhaps necessary. It is a word that is also used in military settings to describe the firmness and forthrightness of the activity (Judg 5:26).

[31:24]  ³ tn The first word of the fifteenth line begins with ס (samek), the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[31:24]  sn The poet did not think it strange or unworthy for a woman of this stature to be a businesswoman engaged in an honest trade. In fact, weaving of fine linens was a common trade for women in the ancient world.

[31:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “to the Canaanites.” These are the Phoenician traders that survived the wars and continued to do business down to the exile.