Proverbs 31:27
in Proverbs 31She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
She looketh well to the ways of her household, And eateth not the bread of idleness.
KJV
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
⋯
This verse in Proverbs 31
Commentary
10 notes on this verseWhy should we dwell upon the amount of evil there is in idleness, when the apostle clearly prescribes that he who does not work should not eat? As daily sustenance is necessary for everyone, so labor in proportion to one's strength is also essential. Not vainly has Solomon written in praise: "and she has not eaten her bread idle."
This site's exposition
Strength and honour are her clothing
on Proverbs 31:25-31
Strength and honour are her clothing, and she shall rejoice in time to come answers the earlier line about her household's clothing with the clothing that is her own character. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness, and she looks well to the ways of her household, eating not the bread of idleness, the poem's last deeds before the verdict. Her children and her husband both rise to call her blessed, and the poem's motto lands at verse 30: favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised, the fear of the Lord that opened the book in chapter 1 closing it here. The final verse asks nothing further of her, give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates, the portrait ending where it began, in the public gate where her husband was known.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
She considers the ways of her household, etc. She considers the ways of her household, because she carefully investigates all the thoughts of her conscience. She does not eat the bread of idleness, because what she has perceived from understanding the sacred word, she shows …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
(2.) She is careful to fill up time, that none of that be lost. When day-light is done, she does not then think it time to lay by her work, as those are forced to do whose business lies abroad in the fields ( Ps. civ.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: 5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. 6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
); she inspects the manners of all her servants, that she may check what is amiss among them, and oblige them all to behave properly and do their duty to God and one another, as well as to her; as Job, who put away iniquity far from his tabernacle, and David, who would suffer no wicked thing in his house.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
She looketh well to the ways of her household,....
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
In Hebrew the verses begin with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order (compare Introduction to Poetical Books). Who . . . woman--The question implies that such are rare, though not entirely wanting (compare Pr 18:22; 19:14). virtuous--literally, "of strength," that is, moral courage (compare Pr 12:4;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
She looketh well to the ways of her household - 18. She is a moral manager: she takes care that all shall behave themselves well; that none of them shall keep bad company or contract vicious habits. A religious industry, or an industrious religion, is the law of her house. She can instruct them in religion, as well as she can teach them in their labor. In her house, diligence in business, and fervency of spirit, serving the Lord, go hand in hand. And eateth not the bread of idleness -
Modern Voices1 voice
Of the two sexes the woman is in the more powerful position. For the average woman is at the head of something with which she can do as she likes; the average man has to obey orders and do nothing else. He has to put …
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| צ֭וֹפִיָּה | tzofiyah | [she is] watching over | H6822 → | |
| הֲלִיכ֣וֹת | halikhot | [the] ways of | H1979 → | |
| בֵּיתָ֑הּ | beitah | household her | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| וְלֶ֥חֶם | velechem | and [the] bread of | H3899 → | 298 times |
| עַ֝צְל֗וּת | ʾatzlut | laziness | H6104 → | |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תֹאכֵֽל׃ | tokhel | she eats | H398 → | 810 times |
צ֭וֹפִיָּה[she is] watching over
tzofiyahH6822 →
הֲלִיכ֣וֹת[the] ways of
halikhotH1979 →
בֵּיתָ֑הּhousehold her
beitahH1004 →2046 times
וְלֶ֥חֶםand [the] bread of
velechemH3899 →298 times
עַ֝צְל֗וּתlaziness
ʾatzlutH6104 →
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תֹאכֵֽל׃she eats
tokhelH398 →810 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 14:1Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
it leads to
- Proverbs 31:10–31
A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies.
- Proverbs 24:3–4
By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established;
- Proverbs 21:9
Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
- Proverbs 31:10–31
Through
1 Thessalonians 4:11and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 4:6
Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.
- Ephesians 4:28
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.
- 1 Peter 3:4
but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.
- Ecclesiastes 4:6
Through
2 Thessalonians 3:6Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received…
it leads to
- 2 Thessalonians 3:10–11
For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.”
- 2 Thessalonians 3:7
For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not undisciplined among you,
- 2 Thessalonians 3:10–11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Basil of Caesarea, THE LONG RULES 37; Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; GK Chesterton, What's Wrong with the World, Woman (1910); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.