Proverbs 31:25

The poem of Proverbs 31 is an acrostic: each verse begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in order. It is a literary form used to describe something from A to Z — complete, ideal, not a checklist to hold real people to.

The phrase translated "virtuous woman" uses a word that elsewhere describes armies and valiant men. "Woman of valor" or "strong woman" is closer to the original.

The portrait that follows is economic and active: she considers a field and buys it, plants a vineyard, trades, produces and sells, cares for the poor and speaks with wisdom.

Verse 25 sums it all up with two metaphorical garments — strength and dignity — and an attitude toward the future: "she laughs at the time to come". It is not naïveté; it is the confidence of someone who prepared what could be prepared.

It is the text most used in tributes on Mother's Day and Women's Day.