John Hobbins of Ancient Hebrew Poetry posted this excellent Bible teaching in a comment on Compegalitarian:
First of all, a confession. The only book I know at all well is the Bible. In particular, the Hebrew Bible. I sometimes read it in translation, and when I do, I tend to get very upset. So much has been translated poorly.
I don’t know what your translation of Proverbs 31:10-11 has, but this is what the Hebrew says:
What a find is a woman of strength!
Her worth is far beyond that of rubies.
Her husband trusts her instinctively,
and he will have no lack of gain.One of my teachers, Michael Fox, points out, “Heb. “‘eshet chayil,’ is commonly translated “woman of valor.” “Woman of strength” would be a better translation. Heb. “chayil” refers to strength of all sorts, whether in physical or military prowess, in social influence, in wealth, or in personal ethical and intellectual powers, as here. Beneath all this woman’s virtues and talents lies a deep and solid strength of character.”
Guess what the highest compliment a man can be given in Hebrew? The SAME: ‘ish chayil, a man of strength. A man of strong character. A valiant, chivalrous man.
That’s what Boaz is called in Ruth 2:1: a prodigious man, “a man of strong and noble character.” The same phrase with the same meaning, ‘ish chayil, is found in Gen 47:6; Ex 19:21, and 1 Kg 1:42.
But of course, the main character in the book of Ruth is Ruth. She models the biblical ideal of womanhood. She is an independent thinker, assertive, even aggressive. She is submissive but only for the sake of the good. She persists until the right triumphs.
Boaz pays her the ultimate compliment in 3:11:
“Don’t be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of strong and noble character” (’shet chayil).”
BTW, NLT wrecks this verse. But then, every translation from KJV on messed up 2:1. Only if 2:1 and 3:11 are translated concordantly does what the Hebrew implies become clear: both Boaz and Ruth are individuals who stand out for their ruth, courage, boldness, and strength. They are each other’s equals. Naomi, the bitter, now saw the unbelievable. Her daughter found what she never found: “a place of rest” (3:1; cf. 1:9), that is, a marriage after God’s own heart. That is the biblical ideal.
The ideals of manhood and womanhood mirror each other in the Bible. It’s not just Ruth. It’s Shiphrah and Puah, Deborah, and Esther. It’s the “woman of character” of Proverbs 31. In the NT, a good example is the Syro-Phoenician woman.
All submission, even the endurance of abuse, by man or woman, with Jesus as the model, is goal-oriented in the Bible. If the goal is no longer reachable via submission, submission should end.
In the Bible, this is called fearing God rather than men. Complete insubordination is permitted whenever subordination threatens life and limb. It’s right there in Exodus 1:15-21.
You don’t have to be an egal to teach these things. It has nothing to with egalism. Shiphrah and Puah, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, and the Syro-Phoenician woman lived in very patriarchal contexts. They may well have all referred to their husbands as ‘my Lord.’ But that didn’t stop them for a minute.
“A woman of strength is the crown of her husband,” says Proverbs 12:4. A woman of courage and ruth, who stands up to the Lord himself if the situation requires it (Mark 7:24-30). Why a man would want anything less is beyond me.
