31:16–18

This paragraph describes the wife’s wise purchase and use of additional land (v. 16), her physical strength (v. 17), and her motivation to work even at night (v. 18).

31:16

16a She appraises a field and buys it;

16b from her earnings she plants a vineyard.

31:16a

She appraises a field and buys it: This line means that the wife goes to inspect a field. After she carefully thinks about the quality and value of the land, she buys it.

field: The term field refers in general to farmland. It can be used for any kind of crops or fruit trees. See how you translated this word in 24:30.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

She picks out a field to purchase (New American Bible)
-or-
After careful thought she buys a field (Revised English Bible)
-or-
She goes to inspect a field and buys it (New Living Translation (2004))

31:16b

from her earnings: The phrase her earnings refers to the money that she accumulates from her skillful management of the household and her sales of clothing (31:18, 31:24).

she plants a vineyard: This clause means that she plants grape vines in some farmland. The verse does not indicate whether this is the land she just bought or a different piece of land that the family already owned.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

from her own income she plants a vineyard (NET Bible)
-or-
She plants a vineyard from the profits she has earned. (God’s Word)
-or-
and with money she has earned she plants a vineyard (Good News Translation)

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