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Amplified Bible

Proverbs 31:14

She is like the merchant ships [abounding with treasure]; She brings her [household's] food from far away.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Economics;   Industry;   Poetry;   Wife;   Women;   Thompson Chain Reference - Woman;   The Topic Concordance - Charity;   Praise;   Speech/communication;   Virtue;   Women;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Commerce;   Industry;   Ships;   Wives;   Woman;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Garments;   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;   Cloth, Clothing;   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);   Living (2);   Parents (2);   Sirach;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Poetry;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Handicraft;   Marriage;   Writing;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ships and Boats;   Woman;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Acrostics;   Monogamy;   Poetry;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
She is like the merchant ships,bringing her food from far away.
Hebrew Names Version
She is like the merchant ships. She brings her bread from afar.
King James Version
She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
English Standard Version
She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.
New American Standard Bible
She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar.
New Century Version
She is like a trader's ship, bringing food from far away.
World English Bible
She is like the merchant ships. She brings her bread from afar.
Geneva Bible (1587)
She is like the shippes of marchants: shee bringeth her foode from afarre.
Legacy Standard Bible
She is like merchant ships;She brings her food from afar.
Berean Standard Bible
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
Contemporary English Version
She is like a sailing ship that brings food from across the sea.
Complete Jewish Bible
ה She is like those merchant vessels, bringing her food from far away.
Darby Translation
She is like the merchants' ships: she bringeth her food from afar;
Easy-to-Read Version
She is like a ship from a faraway place. She brings home food from everywhere.
George Lamsa Translation
She is like the merchants ship, she brings her merchandise from afar.
Good News Translation
She brings home food from out-of-the-way places, as merchant ships do.
Lexham English Bible
She is like the ships of a merchant; from far off she brings her food;
Literal Translation
She is like the merchant ships, she brings in her food from afar.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
She is like a marchauntes shippe, that bryngeth hir vytayles from farre.
American Standard Version
She is like the merchant-ships; She bringeth her bread from afar.
Bible in Basic English
She is like the trading-ships, getting food from far away.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
She is like the merchant-ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
King James Version (1611)
She is like the merchants ships, she bringeth her food from afarre.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
She is like a marchauntes ship, that bryngeth her vittayles from a farre.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
She is like a ship trading from a distance: so she procures her livelihood.
English Revised Version
She is like the merchant-ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sche is maad as the schip of a marchaunt, that berith his breed fro fer.
Update Bible Version
She is like the merchant-ships; She brings her bread from far.
Webster's Bible Translation
She is like the merchant's ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
New English Translation
She is like the merchant ships; she brings her food from afar.
New King James Version
She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar.
New Living Translation
She is like a merchant's ship, bringing her food from afar.
New Life Bible
She is like ships that trade. She brings her food from far away.
New Revised Standard
She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food from far away.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
She is like the ships of the merchant, from afar, she bringeth in her food;
Douay-Rheims Bible
She is like the merchant’s ship, she bringeth her bread from afar.
Revised Standard Version
She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food from afar.
Young's Literal Translation
She hath been as ships of the merchant, From afar she bringeth in her bread.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar.

Contextual Overview

10An excellent woman [one who is spiritual, capable, intelligent, and virtuous], who is he who can find her? Her value is more precious than jewels and her worth is far above rubies or pearls. 11The heart of her husband trusts in her [with secure confidence], And he will have no lack of gain. 12She comforts, encourages, and does him only good and not evil All the days of her life. 13She looks for wool and flax And works with willing hands in delight. 14She is like the merchant ships [abounding with treasure]; She brings her [household's] food from far away.15She rises also while it is still night And gives food to her household And assigns tasks to her maids. 16She considers a field before she buys or accepts it [expanding her business prudently]; With her profits she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard. 17She equips herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] And makes her arms strong. 18She sees that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out, but it burns continually through the night [she is prepared for whatever lies ahead]. 19She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands hold the spindle [as she spins wool into thread for clothing].

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Proverbs 31:24, 1 Kings 9:26-28, 2 Chronicles 9:10, Ezekiel 27:3-36

Cross-References

Genesis 2:24
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 29:24
Laban also gave Zilpah his maid to his daughter Leah as a maid.
Genesis 29:29
Laban also gave Bilhah his maid to his daughter Rachel as a maid.
Ruth 4:11
All the people at the gate and the elders said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the household of Israel. May you achieve wealth and power in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

She is like the merchant ships,.... Not like a single one, but like a navy of them, that cross the seas, go to foreign parts, and come back laden with rich goods: so the church of Christ, and her true members, like ships of burden, trade to heaven, by prayer and other religious exercises, and return with the riches of grace and mercy, to help them in time of need; and though they have often difficult and dangerous passages, are tossed with tempests, and covered with billows; yet, Christ being their pilot, faith their sail, and hope their anchor, they weather the seas, ride out all storms, and come safe home with their merchandise;

she bringeth her food from afar: from a far country, from Egypt particularly, from whence corn for bread, as the word here used signifies, was fetched and carried in ships to divers parts of the world p; to which the allusion may be: in a spiritual sense, it may mean that the church brings her food or bread from heaven, the good land afar off; where God her father, Christ her husband, and her friends the angels are; with whom she carries on a correspondence, and from hence she has her food for her family; not from below, on earth; not dust, the serpent's food; nor ashes, on which a deceitful heart feeds; nor husks, which swine eat; but the corn of heaven, angels' food, the hidden and heavenly manna; the bread of life, which comes down from heaven; the Gospel of the grace of God, the good news from a far country.

p Bacchylides spud Athenaei Deipnosoph. l. 2. c. 3. p. 39.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The comparison points to the enlarged commerce of the Israelites consequent on their contact with the Phoenicians under David and Solomon; compare Proverbs 31:24.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 31:14. She is like the merchants' ships

3. She acts like merchants. If she buy any thing for her household, she sells sufficient of her own manufactures to pay for it; if she imports, she exports: and she sends articles of her own manufacturing or produce to distant countries; she traffics with the neighbouring tribes.


 
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