Introduction: Through my journey as a Christian I always heard reference to a Proverbs 31 woman under the light of her being a good

wife, or perhaps a good mother. Quite frankly, I became overwhelmed with the idea of women only being thought of a house cleaners and good mothers. Indeed, these two qualities are great to have as a mother, but what about her personal fulfillment and joy? Does this woman ever truly do anything for the benefit of her-self and Christ, other than provide for her family? With my own prior knowledge of gender inequalities and biblical studies, I began to dig deep into the topic of what a true Proverbs 31 woman represents. To be perfectly honest, this research has given a whole new perspective of this woman. I have found my own definition and identity as a Proverbs 31 woman. To help my readers understand what is being discussed, below I will include a copy of the Proverbs 31 scripture: Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her house hold, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
Comment [a2]: I like how you included the scripture so that your readers will know what youre talking about in the paper. Comment [a1]: Change to as

Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. (KJV Proverbs 31)

Annotated Bibliography

Comment [a3]: Consider maybe summarizing your themes of your lit review instead of each source Comment [a4]: Dont forget to add your lit review

Erre, Francine. "The Proverbs 31 Woman." Mutuality 15.1 (2008): 23-25. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. Francine Erre begins her article by stating that she believes women are more complex than most interpretations of the Proverbs 31 Woman. Although an argument is present, she states that she believes the Proverbs 31 woman has been misinterpreted and made into someone who is only a good wife, house cleaner, and mother. Erre quickly begins to back up her argument by breaking down verse 31 from Proverbs, Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. As I began to investigate deeper into the following verses after verse 31, I noticed that not only did her husband and children praise her; her town leaders did as well. Relating back to Francines article she states that if one was to be praised i t would surely be for more than just mothering, cooking and cleaning, which again proves that this woman was more than just the view that her opposition placed on her. Adding onto her article, Francine

introduced two terms that my audience may not be familiar with, which are; Proverbs and Verse. Proverbs is a certain book in the bible contains a lot of different wisdom quotes and advice to live by. Verse is a certain line or sentence within a book or chapter of the bible that is often quoted at once. This source adds to my conversation by adding on to the argument of whether Proverbs 31is sexist or is it just misinterpreted.

Laura Leonard. "A Proverbs 31 Woman." Christianity Today 54.2 (2010): 96. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. Laura Leonard article is on a woman who lives and abides by the idea of being a Proverbs 31 Woman. Ms. Eve Nunez has used her stand on governmental issues towards her love for children. As the vice president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, she educates constituents to Not only speak about making change but about being the change. Also, Eve works with Help4Kidz which ministers to Hispanic students by providing food, clothing, and the Word of God. Leonard states that all of Eve Nunezs work centers on Proverbs 31:8-9 which states speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. This source adds to my conversation by showing that being a Proverbs 31 woman is more than cleaning a house or cooking a meal. Being a Proverbs 31 woman is about helping those who cannot help themselves.

Hornok, Marcia. "THE PROVERBS 31 WIFE: What Determines Virtue?." Journal Of Dispensational Theology 17.51 (2013): 143-158. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

This article begins by stating that the evangelical feminist may have the perspective that this wife and woman is a successful career woman; however, the opposing side views her as a stay-athome mom making things and taking care of her family. Marcia Hornok states that although the two sides differ from each other in outstanding ways, that both the feminist and complementarian both believes that her success resides in fearing God, that is, keeping Him as the focus of everything. Critically examining both sides of the debate, the author concludes with the decision that the Proverbs 31 woman is both a homebody and a career woman, but at very different stages of her life. Before breaking down each side of the argument with relation to the Bible, Marcia gives an overview of Proverbs 31. Later, she states her conclusion on the argument by breaking it down into three consecutive parts; the early years, the middle years, and the later years. There are a massive amount of words in this article that not all of my readers will be able to understand if they are not familiar with the Bible; however, these words will be translated anytime that I use them throughout my paper. This source helps enhance my argument by providing a scholarly opinion to help me advance my opinion in the paper.

Leithart, Peter J. "The Warrior Wife." Touchstone: A Journal Of Mere Christianity 24.5 (2011): 9-10. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. This article includes conversation on a variety of topics throughout the history of Christianity. I decided to use the section titled, The Warrior Wife. This section comes from author Peter J. Leithart, whom is a male. His short section in this article states the relation of a warrior to a wife. He compares a wife who is strong (v.17), and she girds herself for her like a warrior going into battle (v. 17) to the Lord battling Pharaoh. Peter believes that the author of Proverbs 31 devotes heroic clichs to a woman who completes daily domestic tasks. He does not think poorly of

this woman; however, he sees her place in the household. He states that Proverbs 31 implies that household economy is one of the main fronts of that war, a field for the display of feminine prowess. This section of the article will enhance my conversation by providing the males take on the topic. Also, it provides me with a source to use that it is the opposite of my view.

DeFranza, Megan K. "The Proverbs 31 "Woman Of Strength": An Argument For A PrimarySense Translation." Priscilla Papers 25.1 (2011): 21-25. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. Similar to another article I plan on using, Megan DeFranza begins her article by stating that Proverbs 31 translations has hindered the true meaning of a Proverbs 31 woman. In the Old Testament, the word khayil is used more than 240 times. DeFranza discusses the different translations for the word throughout all versions of the bible and notes that although the word is used in the sense of army, its meaning in terms of the poem is strength or power. Throughout the remainder of the text Megan explains why it is important that translators keep the meaning woman of strength when referring to khayil to overcome the divergent views of men and women in the Hebrew Bible. This text will help further my conversation by providing meaning to the words that are often deleted from the Bible or translated into other words that show that women are truly strong and more than just house cleaners and cooks.

Burn, Shawn Meghan, and Julia Busso. "Ambivalent sexism, scriptural literalism, and religiosity." Psychology of Women Quarterly 29.4 (2005): 412-418. In this article, the two authors began by stating that perhaps religious texts hand off traditional gender-role divisions and have multiple passages that suggest complementary gender

differentiation. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God (Corinthians 11:3), this verse from the King James Version of the bible is said by the two authors to bring the suggestion of protective paternalism. Because the Bible is read by many, it has a wide chance of influencing and being translated into what others may believe it means. In some ways, the authors agree that by taking a literal approach to the scriptures cause for men to protect and provide for women. This summary is concluding by stating that womens resistance to gender roles has been pacified by masking gender inequality with chivalry. Since this article does contain a research section, there are words and charts that the reader may be unfamiliar with; however, throughout my conversation, I will not be using this section of the article. I decided to use this source to help further my conversation because I believe it will help my argument to include evidence of gender inequality directly from the Bible. Also, the thoughts that the two authors share in their article challenges me with the opposing argument.

Fan, Daniel. "Proverbs 31 Man." Mutuality 20.2 (2013): 10-11. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. This article tells the story of Daniel Fan after the tragedy of losing his job, he finds himself taking on more of the domestic duties that is labeled as womens work. He proves that folding sheets and cooking is not only a job for a woman. Throughout the duration of this article he goes on to discuss how his wife values his opinion on almost everything and how they work together as a team to make sure money is being brought into the home, as well as domestic tasks being completed. Although Daniel eventually got an at-home business going, his article shows that if we all pay attention closely, anyone can relate to the lady in Proverbs 31. Regardless of gender,

the virtues of this woman can be and should be displayed amongst all humans. This article can wrap up my conversation by letting my reader know that the Proverbs 31 woman is more than someone who is just a home-body or someone who submits to her husband. By having a man identify with this woman, alerts my reader that perhaps my take on this argument is well supported.

Sellers, Tina Schermer, et al. "Women Called: A Qualitative Study of Christian Women Dually Called To Motherhood And Career." Journal Of Psychology & Theology 33.3 (2005): 198-209. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. This article is a psychology study done on a group of Christian women who played the roles of being a wife, mother, and career driven. The author states that the cultural and religious messages received by women regarding motherhood and vocation often produce complicated dilemmas for women who seek to partake in both domains simultaneously. Since this has been a huge topic in todays society, this study allows us to further discuss and see how women actually handle maintaining three demanding roles at one time. There are no words or graphs included in this study that my readers may not be able to identify with. This study will help me advance in my conversation by using real life Christian women and their opinions on maintaining both work and motherhood to end my conversation by saying that it is completely possible to obtain the values of the Proverbs 31 woman, without limiting your life to staying at home and completing domestic tasks.

Phenomenal Woman. Perf. Maya Angelou. Oprah Winfrey Network. Harpo Productions, 12 May 2011. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

This famous poem is about an ordinary woman who is proud of whom she is. Dr. Maya Angelou states When you see me passing, it ought to make you proud. I say, It's in the click of my heels, The bend of my hair, the palm of my hand, The need of my care, 'Cause I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, thats me. This line represents the pride she takes in herself. Her physical up keep and her ability to care help plays a part of being a phenomenal woman. I decided to use this poem to help enforce the idea of what it means to be a true woman from the standpoint of poetry. Since this poem is widely known across the world, I feel as if my readers will be able to identify with the points I am making concerning the values of a Proverbs 31 woman. I am using this poem in my conversation to bring a different prospective of what it means to be a strong women and presenting that information in different varieties.

Interview with Operations Manager at Unplugged Charlotte, Ishmael Lowry. During this interview I was able to get the stand point of what a proverbs 31 woman is and if he thinks that the proverbs 31 woman is career and family motivated, or is she just a home-body. Ishmael states that he believes the Proverbs 31 is more career and family motivated. He says that people are often mislead in the true understanding of what a Proverbs 31 woman is and should understand that she is not just a shadow of her husband. Ishmael says that a woman has to be able to multitask, make important decisions, and lead the family along the side of her husband. Ultimately, he believes that a Proverbs 31 woman is equal to man in all parts. This interview is used to get a males perspective from Unplugged. I think this interview will help further my conversation by allowing my readers to read directly from someone I work along the side of to make Unplugged happen.

Comment [a5]: I like how you added the interview. It makes it more personal and adds another persons point of view on Proverbs 31 rather than just your stand point on it.

How is the Proverbs 31 woman characteristics implemented into modern society: A Narrative of the Research Paper In modern society, the standards and characteristics of women have been altered in many different aspects. Women are no longer expected to live at home and complete domestic tasks. Instead, women in our society are maintaining careers, motherhood, and marriage. With the major culture shift we have experienced in this generation, women still have reason to identify with the Proverbs 31 woman. However, due to the opposing argument of biblical women being held to the standards of being a house wife can alter or cause disagreement upon the relatable individuality of this woman in the existing society. Therefore, the scope of this inquiry will focus mainly on the interpretation of the Proverbs 31 woman and her role in society. I also hope to thoroughly explain how this woman can be related to in modern society. Through biblical knowledge and opinion, one may find that the Proverbs 31 woman is multifaceted. To begin, I would like to discuss the historical background on the Book of Proverbs. Through observing my topic, I learned that the Book of Proverbs is merely a collection of collections. This book focuses on wisdom, understanding, the commandments (Gods laws), sin and iniquity (breaking Gods laws), and many different comparisons between Gods way and Mans way of life. Proverbs is typically divided into two sections: one of which focuses on general knowledge and wisdom in verses 1-9, while Proverbs 31: 10-28 describes a virtuous woman. One topic of wisdom that Proverbs is widely known for discussing is the ideal characteristics of a woman and her stance in life. The description of a woman in Proverbs 31 was said to be a lesson written by Lemuels mother for Lemuel (a biblical king); however, other interpreters think it was something repeated amongst many Jews. For the sake of my conversation, you will often see me refer to this poem being written for Lemuels knowledge by
Comment [a8]: Id suggest rephrasing the beginning of the sentence to Throughout my observation. Comment [a7]: Good, strong sentence. It keeps the readers locked in because they want to know more now. Comment [a6]: I suggest changing it to women in our society maintain careers, etc.

his mother. Moreover, the poem itself is designed to show men what wives they should choose and can also show women how to be wives. A Proverbs 31 woman illustrates many qualities such as: leadership, business driven, care-taker, community activist, and Christian woman. In an article written by Laura Leonard, A Proverbs 31 Woman, discusses the life of Eve Nunez. As the vice president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and her work with Help4Kidz (providing low-income children with food, clothing, and ministry) she believes in educating people about making the change that they speak about. Stating that her work in the community centers on Proverbs 31 8-9 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute, Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy, Eve Nunez is a prominent example of what a Proverbs 31 woman represents in our society (Page #). This goes to say that a Proverbs 31 woman is more than being a wife and a mother. Ideally, this woman is a wellbalanced woman who actively participates in her community. Along with harmonizing the roles discussed above, it is most important that this woman maintains a relationship with Christ. Although many women in society demonstrate the basic qualities of a Proverbs 31 woman, it is only through personal development with God that a woman becomes fit as the woman in Proverbs 31. In todays society, women can take on any responsibility they want with limited amount of gender discrimination. In fact, the amount of single parent households with mothers raising their children has seen an extreme increase during this generation. Women in the 21st century can relate to the Proverbs 31 woman by observing her daily life. A single woman who is in the church and fully devoted to Christ can relate to Proverbs 31 by understanding and desiring her admirable ways. However, a married woman who is a Christian can relate to this woman because
Comment [a12]: How much of an extreme increase? Maybe put a statistic in here? Comment [a11]: Good flow from paragraph to paragraph. Each sentence flows well onto the next one. Comment [a10]: You may want to briefly list the roles just once more. Comment [a9]: Dont forget to add your page number in.

if her relationship is right with God, so will her marriage with her husband. This goes to say that she understands her duty as a wife, mother, and community activist. Daniel Fans article titled Proverbs 31 Man explains the story of how he found himself walking the path of a Proverbs 31 woman. He states that although he isnt capable of reaching all the qualities listed in Proverbs 31 that its okay, because Proverbs 31 isn't meant to be read as a checklist. It is a compilation of individual virtues, each of which is worthy of celebration (11). This means that no man or woman is perfect; however, it is within the effort to do right by Christ, your significant other, and the community that matters. Daniel also states It was not by choice, but by calling, that I found myself a Proverbs 31 man. And perhaps, if you look carefully, you will find yourself one as well (11). This goes to say that regardless of gender, anyone can relate to the woman found in Proverbs 31. Her whit, nature of caring, and ability to maintain her works in the community are traits all can desire to have. If Daniel Fan can relate to a woman, who was originally created for man, surely woman in this generation can as well. So What? Why is it Important That Women Relate to the Proverbs 31 Woman? After digging through the meaning of Proverbs 31 and the implications, the remaining question isso what? Why does this woman even matter? In short, this topic is vital to the modern community because we all have to have morals and certain standards to live by. Having a world full of Proverbs 31 Women would benefit our society in many ways. We would have well taken care of families and a community full of activists. Also, having a sense of belonging or values helps encourage our society to be the best that they can be. Anyone can take pride in being a good person, successful business owner, or community leader. Moreover, it is important that women connect to this chapter in the bible because it helps you grow in your faith in God. So many young girls wonder why their Mr. Perfect hasnt come along, or perhaps they worry
Comment [a14]: Are you saying that we dont have well taken care of families today? Or maybe just a few? Possibly say we would have more. Comment [a13]: This paragraph is very strong. It summarizes the whole paper very well and gives that so what factor to your line of inqury.

about past mistakes they have made. This is something that only Christ can handle. His most precious gifts to us are one of his sons/daughters that he sends to love us. Therefore, he will only do so in the circumstance that we are ready to handle the responsibility of taking care of someone else. It is important that we all connect to this woman in some way because we all need to have core values that help shape and mold our lives. After all, you know the saying Those who stand for nothing, fall for anything.
Comment [a15]: Great ending statement, it really puts more power to your paper.