Review of Proverbs 12

by Pastor Temilolu Olasijuwomi

While there are numerous lessons to glean from this chapter, I have chosen to turn the spotlight on the women. Shout out to my wife and all the great wives out there. One cannot overemphasis the role of a woman in the society. God knew how helpless men could be without women so he created the woman to help the man. His purpose for creating the woman has not change. A great wife can shape a man’s life for the better and another can turn a man into nothing.

Ladies unmarried or married must understand their role in the lives of a man and commit to fulfilling it once they accept him as their life partner. Let’s look at the 4th verse in several versions to give us a more robust interpretation of the verse.

Pro. 12:4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

AMP:  A virtuous and worthy wife [earnest and strong in character] is a crowning joy to her husband, but she who makes him ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

NLT: A worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones.

BBE: A woman of virtue is a crown to her husband; but she whose behaviour is a cause of shame is like a wasting disease in his bones.

Easy English: A good wife gives pleasure to her husband and she makes him happy. But a bad wife makes her husband ashamed. She causes him to be like a man who has weak bones.

GNB: A good wife is her husband’s pride and joy; but a wife who brings shame on her husband is like a cancer in his bones.

GW: A wife with strength of character is the crown of her husband, but the wife who disgraces him is like bone cancer.

HCS: A capable wife is her husband’s crown, but a wife who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.

ISV: A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband, but a wife who puts him to shame is like bone cancer.

MSG: A hearty wife invigorates her husband, but a frigid woman is cancer in the bones.

NKJV: An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.

NIV: A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

TNLT: A worthy wife is her husband’s joy and crown; a shameful wife saps his strength.

A key word here is that this woman is not in any way a burden to her husband. Rather, she is a burden lifter. She represents power and strength. It has never been fashionable that a woman depends entirely on a rich fellow.  A woman can also be rich and well established in business just like many women doing exploits out there. The virtuous woman here is industrious.

Child bearing can actually be very demanding, but should not stop you from pursuing your dreams as a woman. One who is blessed with a good wife is as happy as if he was on the throne, because she is nothing but a crown to him. Shout out to all those women who are beautiful on the inside and it radiates on the outside.

A beautiful face may get someone a wedding; it is a beautiful character that gets you a home and a great marriage. The preacher sufficiently emphasizes the inner qualities of a woman over their outward endowment. A beautiful person can suddenly look ugly just because of their attitude.

I think the Yoruba word “ADE ORI MI” the crown on my head was gotten from this verse. A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband. Another way to look at this is that a virtuous woman makes her husband feel like a king. This may not be fashionable, but it sustains marriages. The home is mostly a woman’s domain and her word is law. 

The man may be the head but the woman is most especially the neck and the other parts of the body. On the other hand a shameful woman can destroy a man’s support structure. a shameful woman can destroy her man. My prayer is that our homes be blessed as we grow in grace. That we shall enjoy stability in our marriages and homes in Jesus name.

Thanks for having me. God bless you all.