The Bible says in Proverbs 18:22 “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.” Why is a wife referred to as a thing in the above scripture? Why did the Holy Spirit purposely allow the writer to use the word “thing” instead of “person”?
That is a “good” question! I believe there is a clear and simple answer to this question. One has said that the first part of this verse could be literally translated, “Find a wife, find good.” The thought then is “He who finds a GOOD WIFE, finds a GOOD THING. Of course, the “wife” is a “person” but the verse is teaching us that the wife will be “GOOD for the man.” She will be a blessing to him and proof that he has “obtained favor from the Lord.”
The thought of a wife being “good for the man” is brought out from the very beginning when God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him” (KJV). The next few verses bring out that God then formed every beast and fowl and brought them to Adam but “for Adam there was not found a help meet for him.” God knew the animals and birds would not provide the “help meet” (i.e. one who would be a “good helper” and one who would complement him) that Adam needed so in verses 21-24 we read, “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, MADE HE A WOMAN, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Adam knew, the moment God presented the woman to him, that this was exactly what he needed. She truly “completed him” and their relationship, as husband and wife, would be so intimate and mutually beneficial, that they are looked upon as “one flesh.” We could say “Adam had found a wife and in doing so he had found a GOOD THING.” It was NOT GOOD for him to be alone, but he was no longer alone so it was GOOD for him.
I want to add one more passage of Scripture before we close our meditation. In Proverbs 31:10-12 we read, “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.” This passage is actually a commentary on our verse (18:22), for it reaffirms the truth that “He who finds a wife finds a good thing.” As we said earlier, the words “find a wife” implies that the man “finds a GOOD wife” and here, in verse 10, she is called a “virtuous woman.” The word “virtuous” has been defined as “moral strength and excellence.” To find such a woman is invaluable, for the inspired writer says that “her price is far above rubies.” She is also referred to earlier in Proverbs as “a GRACIOUS woman” (11:16); “an EXCELLENT wife” (12:4); and “a PRUDENT wife” (19:14). If you read the rest of this chapter (verses 13-31) will see that she is also a “GOOD shopper” who isn’t lazy as she prepares food for her family (verses 13-15). She is a “GOOD worker” who provides not only for her family but for the poor (verses 16-27). She is a “GOOD testimony” to her family (and others) and they give her praise for her God-fearing virtue (verses 28-31). Let’s end how we started, “He who finds a GOOD WIFE, finds a GOOD THING!” (DO) (490.5)