Kindly explain Proverbs 31:23 in relation to the “gates” mentioned there.
Proverbs 31:23 says, “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.” The “gate” was where the elders of the city met in Israel where “judgments” (legal and judicial) were made. An elder in the gate was well-respected for his wisdom and his ability to be impartial in his judgments. It was a real place of prominence. If he had these virtues, he would be known (respected) by all the citizens of his city.
Now this was generally true of “every elder in the gate,” but in this verse the respect he is given is attributed especially to his wife, for the subject of verses 10-31 is the “virtuous woman” (verse 10) who is known for her excellent character that adds to the respect he receives. In verse 11 we learn that “the heart of her husband safely trusts her.” In verse 12 “she does him good.” In verses 13-15 we learn that she “willingly works with her hands” and “brings her food from afar”, and she also “rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household”; teaching us that she is not lazy, but an AMBITIOUS SHOPPER who has her family’s needs at heart. This is borne out also in verses 16 where she “considers a field and buys it; from her profits she plants a vineyard. And then we see her goodness extends beyond the home for verse 20 tells us that “she stretches out her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.” She is the opposite of the young widows in 1st Timothy 5:13 who are “idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.” That woman is IDLE though quite BUSY with her tongue, bringing harm to others instead of being good. As we go on in our chapter, we see she is INDUSTRIOUS (verses 21-22, 25), WISE and KIND (verse 26), and in verse 27 we read again of that she is NOT LAZY. It is no wonder “her children…call her blessed” and “her husband also, and he praises her” (verse 28). And her most precious virtue is seen in verse 30, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who FEARS THE LORD, she shall be praised.” Above all, she has a true REVERENCE for the Lord and her family and community know it, and thus we read in verse 31, “And let her own works praise her IN THE GATES.” As we saw at the beginning, her husband is “RESPECTED in the gates” but here we see that his wife is also “PRAISED in the gates.” I understand that it was not normal for a woman to be held in such high esteem “in the gate of the city” (that was the “man’s place to be honored”), but in the case of a woman with such unusual character she was publicly recognized for her many virtues. And her virtues ADDED to the respect of her husband who was “known in the gates,” for not only was he respected for his wisdom in judging legal and judicial affairs of the city, but he was respected for having a godly and caring wife.
I can’t help but think of the requirements for those who desire to be an “overseer in a local church,” which are quite similar to the requirements of “an elder in the gates.” We read in 1st Timothy 3:2, 4-5 that “an overseer….must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach….one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)” We saw the “elder in the gates” needed similar character traits if he was to be respected in his city. And then we saw that if he had a godly family with a “virtuous woman” by his side (known for the same character by her husband, children and her whole community), he would be respected all the more! This teaches us that whether we consider God’s dealings with Israel in the Old Testament, or His dealings with the Church today, His standards are the same. He looks for GODLY CHARACTER in the men who would be leaders, and He looks for godly character in their families as well. (DO) (581.5)