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Thursday, August 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

New Life Version

Proverbs 31:29

"Many daughters have done well, but you have done better than all of them."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Economics;   Poetry;   Wife;   Women;   Thompson Chain Reference - Woman;   The Topic Concordance - Praise;   Virtue;   Women;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Industry;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Lemuel;   Letters;   Proverb, the Book of;   Woman;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Wife;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Beauty;   Woman;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Poetry;   Wife;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Education;   Lemuel;   Marriage;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Acrostic;   Proverbs, Book of;   Wisdom and Wise Men;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Acrostic;   Ethics;   Marriage;   Massa;   Song of Songs;   Trade and Commerce;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Home (2);   Parents (2);   Sirach;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Poetry;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Writing;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Daughter;   Go;   Virtue;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Acrostics;   Monogamy;   Poetry;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Many women have done noble deeds,but you surpass them all!”
Hebrew Names Version
"Many women do noble things, But you excel them all."
King James Version
Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
English Standard Version
"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."
New American Standard Bible
"Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all."
New Century Version
saying, "There are many fine women, but you are better than all of them."
Amplified Bible
"Many daughters have done nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], But you excel them all."
World English Bible
"Many women do noble things, But you excel them all."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Many daughters haue done vertuously: but thou surmountest them all.
Legacy Standard Bible
"Many daughters have done excellently,But you have gone above them all."
Berean Standard Bible
"Many daughters have done noble things, but you surpass them all!"
Contemporary English Version
"There are many good women, but you are the best!"
Complete Jewish Bible
ר "Many women have done wonderful things, but you surpass them all!"
Darby Translation
Many daughters have done worthily, but thou excellest them all.
Easy-to-Read Version
"There are many good women, but you are the best."
George Lamsa Translation
Many daughters have become rich, but you have excelled them all.
Good News Translation
He says, "Many women are good wives, but you are the best of them all."
Lexham English Bible
"Many daughters have done excellence, but you surpass all of them."
Literal Translation
Many are the daughters who act with virtue, but you rise above them all!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Many daughters there be yt gather riches together, but thou goest aboue the all.
American Standard Version
Many daughters have done worthily, But thou excellest them all.
Bible in Basic English
Unnumbered women have done well, but you are better than all of them.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
'Many daughters have done valiantly, but thou excellest them all.'
King James Version (1611)
Many daughters haue done vertuously, but thou excellest them all.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Many daughters [there be that] gather riches together: but thou goest aboue them all.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Many daughters have obtained wealth, many have wrought valiantly; but thou hast exceeded, thou hast surpassed all.
English Revised Version
Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Many douytris gaderiden richessis; thou passidist alle.
Update Bible Version
Many daughters have done worthily, But you excel them all.
Webster's Bible Translation
Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
New English Translation
"Many daughters have done valiantly, but you surpass them all!"
New King James Version
"Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all."
New Living Translation
"There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!"
New Revised Standard
"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Many daughters, have done virtuously, but, thou, excellest them all!
Douay-Rheims Bible
Many daughters have gathered together riches: thou hast surpassed them all.
Revised Standard Version
"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."
Young's Literal Translation
`Many [are] the daughters who have done worthily, Thou hast gone up above them all.'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all."

Contextual Overview

10 Who can find a good wife? For she is worth far more than rubies that make one rich. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will never stop getting good things. 12 She does him good and not bad all the days of her life. 13 She looks for wool and flax, and works with willing hands. 14 She is like ships that trade. She brings her food from far away. 15 She rises while it is still night and makes food for all those in her house. She gives work for the young women to do. 16 She gives careful thought to a field and buys it. She plants grape-vines from what she has earned. 17 She makes herself ready with strength, and makes her arms strong. 18 She sees that what she has earned is good. Her lamp does not go out at night. 19 She puts her hands to the wheel to make cloth.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

done virtuously: or, gotten riches

thou: Song of Solomon 6:8, Song of Solomon 6:9, Ephesians 5:27

Reciprocal: Ruth 3:11 - city Luke 1:28 - blessed Philippians 2:20 - I have Philippians 4:8 - virtue 2 Peter 1:3 - virtue

Cross-References

Genesis 28:13
And he saw the Lord standing above them. He said, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham, and the God of Isaac. I will give to you and your children after you the land where you are lying.
Genesis 31:2
Jacob saw that Laban did not show him as much favor as he did before.
Genesis 31:3
Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to those of your family. And I will be with you."
Genesis 31:10
I had a dream at the time the flocks were mating. I looked up and saw that the male goats which were mating with the female goats had black marks and spots.
Genesis 31:11
Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,' and I said, ‘Here I am.'
Genesis 31:24
But God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night. He said to him, "Be careful that you do not speak good or bad to Jacob."
Genesis 31:38
During these twenty years I have been with you, your female goats and sheep have not lost a young one. And I have not eaten the sheep of your flocks.
Genesis 31:39
I did not bring to you those that were torn by wild animals. I took the loss upon myself. You had me pay for what was carried away during the day or during the night.
Genesis 31:42
If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had not been with me, for sure you would have sent me away with nothing. God has seen my suffering and the work of my hands. So He spoke sharp words to you last night."
Genesis 31:53
The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." So Jacob promised by the fear of his father Isaac.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Many daughters have done virtuously,.... This, according to Aben Ezra and Gersom, is what was said by her husband and children, and which seems to be right; especially they may be thought to be the words of her husband. By these "daughters" may be meant false churches, such as the church of Rome and her daughters, who is the mother of harlots,

Revelation 17:17. These are "many", when the true church of Christ is but one, to whom she is opposed, Song of Solomon 6:8. These may do many virtuous things externally; may make a great show of religion and devotion; may have a form of godliness, without the power of it; and a name to live, and be dead. The Vulgate Latin version renders it, "many daughters have gathered riches"; or "have possessed riches", as the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, and so the Targum; and in this sense the phrase is sometimes used for getting riches and wealth; see Deuteronomy 8:17; and may well be applied to the false churches, the church of Rome and her daughters, who possess great riches and large emoluments, which yet in a short time will come to nothing,

Revelation 18:17;

but thou excellest them all; in real beauty, in true riches, in purity of doctrine, in simplicity of worship, in holiness of life and conversation, in undefiled religion, in doing good works, properly so called. Christ's church is "the fairest among women", Song of Solomon 1:8. So Ambrose interprets the daughters of heresies and heretics.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The words of praise which the husband Proverbs 31:28 is supposed to have addressed to the ideal wife.

Virtuously - The Hebrew word has primarily (like “virtus”) the idea of “strength,” but is used with various shades of meaning. Here (as in Proverbs 12:4; Ruth 3:11) the strength is that of character stedfast in goodness. In other passages (e. g., Genesis 34:29; Psalms 49:10) it has the sense of “riches,” and is so taken here by the Septuagint and Vulgate, see also the marginal rendering.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 31:29. Many daughters have done virtuously — This is undoubtedly the speech of the husband, giving testimony to the excellence of his wife: "Her husband also, and he praiseth her, saying, 'many daughters,' women, 'have done virtuously,' with due propriety as wives, mistresses, and mothers; 'but THOU,' my incomparable wife, 'excellent them all;' ואת עלית על כלנה veath alith al cullanah, but THOU hast ascended above the whole of them-thou hast carried every duty, every virtue, and every qualification and excellency, to a higher perfection, than any of whom we have ever read or heard." And let the reader seriously consider the above particulars, as specified under the different heads and subdivisions; and he will be probably of the same mind. But high as the character of this Jewish matron stands in the preceding description, I can say that I have met at least her equal, in a daughter of the Rev. Dr. Samuel Annesly, the wife of Samuel Wesley, sen., rector of Epworth in Lincolnshire, and mother of the late extraordinary brothers, John and Charles Wesley. I am constrained to add this testimony, after having traced her from her birth to her death, through all the relations that a woman can bear upon earth. Her Christianity gave to her virtues and excellences a heightening, which the Jewish matron could not possess. Besides, she was a woman of great learning and information, and of a depth of mind, and reach of thought, seldom to be found among the daughters of Eve, and not often among the sons of Adam.


 
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