HEBREW WORD STUDY – WIFE – ISHAH אשׁה
Proverbs 18:22: “[Whoso] findeth a wife findeth a good [thing], and obtaineth favour of the LORD.”
Practically everyone who has attended a wedding is familiar with this verse. This familiarity creates some big problems in translation. For one thing, we are so familiar with the passage that we never stop to consider the basic context of the passage. The second problem is that if we try to fit a proper translation into the context people will cry out that we are changing the Word of God and burn us at the stake.
But let me ask you a couple questions. If you are married, really love your wife, would you call here a good thing, I mean a thing? A second thing, all you have to do is find a wife and you have favor with God. So if a 92-year-old billionaire marries a 22-year-old stripper he has found favor with God? It doesn’t say what kind of wife, just a wife. I say this purely for linguistical purposes, but if two homosexual men get married and one calls himself a wife does that mean he has found favor with God?
What I am saying is that the English word wife is going through changes as with any language. This next generation coming up will hear something much different when they hear the word wife than what our generation thought when we heard the word wife. My point being that just because your lexicons and Bible dictionaries are written over a hundred years ago call the word ishah a wife does not mean that what we view as a wife is what the ancients viewed as a wife.
Let me ask you this. One must find a wife. That fits today but even a hundred years ago and even today in certain cultures men do not find a wife, their marriages are arranged, somebody else finds the wife for them. Today a wife in our 21st Century is a person, male or female, who has a legal contract of marriage with another person.
There are eleven words in Hebrew that are rendered as wife. The word used in this verse is ishah which means a woman, wife, female, spouse, old woman and a hen. So we read in our text the word “wife” but that may not be the proper English word here.
Jacob had two wives, Leah and Rachel. Now how can a man have two wives when God created a man and woman to have one mate? Well, both are called an ishah both were wives in the eyes of man and earthly law but only one could be the wife in the eyes of God which was Rachel because Jacob loved Rachel and she loved him. Leah, unfortunately, was just an ishah in the sense of a woman. God does not command an angel to observe the marriage ceremony to make sure everything is properly signed, approved by the state and that the preacher is legally licensed.
So, in God’s eyes, when is someone married? When are you officially married or betrothed to Jesus? Jesus has given you an offer of marriage, a proposal if you prefer. Just as that young man holds out a ring and says “Will you?” and she wilts. So is marriage for life? Well, is our salvation for eternity?
My point is, in the eyes of God a wife not one who signs a legal contract and makes a vow. A wife is one whom the man loves and she loves him in return and a vow is made in love. So within the proper and emotional context Proverbs 18:22 should read: “Find a woman who loves you and is committed to you and you have found a good thing.” Ouch, that good thing hurts. For one thing, the word thing is not in the Hebrew text, it is only the word tov which means good. I check 26 modern translations and 18 say good thing. Translated by men obviously. The rest say simply good. Adequate, acceptable, ok. Not great, not excellent, just good. The Living Bible renders it as finding a treasure. Ah, now we are getting close to what I believe God intended. Still, the word good or tov means to be in harmony. He who finds a loving, caring committed wife finds someone who can bring him into harmony with God and will have favor with God.
As long as truth is determined by the power structure of the church and that is ruled by men, I am afraid you will not find my translation in any Modern English translation of the Bible. But I give it to you for your consideration.
Thank you for this teaching. I came upon this site, as I was trying to find the biblical definition for abide. I will definitely return here for my Bible study needs.
Taryn, that is a very intriguing observation! Thank you, for sharing!
For the first time I slightly disagree with you. I understand your context. But your example with Leah and Rachel does not fit. If a wife is considered someone the man loves and not just a wife and it is “good” (bringing the man into harmony with God) then the Leah and Rachel example falls apart. You can observe With each child Leah became more in harmony with God than Rachel ever did. Rachel ended her life in bitterness. Even Jacob rejected the name she gave her son Benoni and renames him Benjamin. Rachel blantantly Lied, worshiped idols and brought Jacobs whole household in danger with Laban. This is not harmony.
This is interesting to me. You mentioned bringing into harmony with God. Years ago, I was in a friendship with a guy. I really, really loved this guy, but looking back on it, I think I had just fallen for his potential, because the reality with him, was that he was a total liar and took my kindness/long suffering towards him for granted.
I had a dream of him and he wanted me to meet him on “Harmony Street”. But when I went there, he had not changed and was still telling lies and not being forthright and honest, so I left that street and he was angry with me. Eventually, in reality, I literally had to abandon the friendship, because at the end of the day, I was the one always having to make the concessions, whilst his behavior never, ever changed. He was angry at me for not coming into alignment with his error.
Sadly, I often shared with him about the love of God, and I do believe that my friendship with him was in part, the Lord extending his hand of mercy and favor towards him. But, looking back on it now, I’m glad I fled. It was unhealthy in the extreme(hindsight!). There could have never been a “good” thing in any future relationship with him. Sad, but lesson(brutally) learned! Now, I am slowly, gingerly, looking forward to discovering the right (God chosen) man for me. One who already actively loves and walks with my Father and who will love and walk with me in Christ. No more trying to drag the unwilling into relationship with the Lord. Talk about a dead work. Thanks for your commentary!
Thank you Chaim.
I agree that the power structure holds that vain way of understanding received by tradition from the forebears , about marriage. Honestly,for a marriage to really express the love and fellowship that Jesus desires and shall have one day with His Beloved, the
Understanding we have commonly via those words employed by the present translators would have to be completely changed. Revealed Spoken Word alone has the Creative Divine Power to accurately express God’s Heart here.
I appreciate your stand against mother whore.
Ruth Louise
Chain
David Stern’s CJB translation is “He who finds a wife finds a great good; he has won the favor of God.”
I don’t know if it is one of the translation that you check
Thank you sir for the invaluable insights into the Word of God. God bless you and your loved ones.
I truly, truly appreciate this lesson. I have questioned, in my mind, the interpretations of this text rendered by many. But, I dismissed it without delving more deeply into the original language and message of the text.
You are such a blessing to the body!