Pro 31:13 | KD | STEP | The poet now describes how she disposes of things: 13 ד She careth for wool and flax, And worketh these with her hands’ pleasure. The verb דּרשׁ proceeds, as the Arab. shows, from the primary meaning terere ; but to translate with reference thereto: tractat lanam et linum (lxx, Schultens, Dathe, Rosemüller, Fleischer), is inadmissible. The Heb. דרשׁ does not mean the external working at or manufacturing of a thing; but it means, even when it refers to this, the intention of the mind purposely directed thereto. Thus wool and flax come into view as the material of work which she cares to bring in; and ותּעשׂ signifies the work itself, following the creation of the need of work. Hitzig translates the second line: she works at the business of her hands. Certainly ב after עשׂה may denote the sphere of activity, ; Kings 5:30, etc.; but if חפץ had here the weakened signification business, πρᾶγμα, - which it gains in the same way as we say business, affair, of any object of care - the scarcely established meaning presents itself, that she shows herself active in that which she has made the business of her hands. How much more beautiful, on the contrary, is the thought: she is active with her hands’ pleasure! חפץ is, as Schultens rightly explains, inclinatio flexa et propensa in aliquid , and pulchre manibus diligentissimis attribuitur lubentia cum oblectatione et per oblectationem sese animans . עשׂה, without obj. accus., signifies often: to accomplish, e.g. , Ps. 22:32; here it stands, in a sense, complete in itself, and without object. accus., as when it means “ handeln ” [ agere ], , and particularly to act in the service of God = to offer sacrifice, ; it means here, and at Rth 2:19; , to be active, as at , to be effective; ותּעשׂ is equivalent to ותעשׂ בּמּלאכה or ותעשׂ מלאכתּהּ (cf. under ). And pleasure and love for the work, חפץ, can be attributed to the hands with the same right as at , discretion. The disposition which animates a man, especially his inner relation to the work devolving upon him, communicates itself to his hands, which, according as he has joy or aversion in regard to his work, will be nimble or clumsy. The Syr. translates: “and her hands are active after the pleasure of her heart;” but בחפץ is not equivalent to כּחפצהּ; also בּחפץ, in the sense of con amore (Böttcher), is not used.

‏ Proverbs 31:13

The poet now describes how she disposes of things: 13 ד She careth for wool and flax, And worketh these with her hands’ pleasure.

The verb דּרשׁ proceeds, as the Arab. shows, ^{▼▼The inquirer is there called (Arab.) daras, as libros terens.} from the primary meaning terere; but to translate with reference thereto: tractat lanam et linum (lxx, Schultens, Dathe, Rosemüller, Fleischer), is inadmissible. The Heb. דרשׁ does not mean the external working at or manufacturing of a thing; but it means, even when it refers to this, the intention of the mind purposely directed thereto. Thus wool and flax come into view as the material of work which she cares to bring in; and ותּעשׂ signifies the work itself, following the creation of the need of work. Hitzig translates the second line: she works at the business of her hands. Certainly ב after עשׂה may denote the sphere of activity, Exo 31:4; 1 Kings 5:30, etc.; but if חפץ had here the weakened signification business, πρᾶγμα, - which it gains in the same way as we say business, affair, of any object of care - the scarcely established meaning presents itself, that she shows herself active in that which she has made the business of her hands. How much more beautiful, on the contrary, is the thought: she is active with her hands’ pleasure! חפץ is, as Schultens rightly explains, inclinatio flexa et propensa in aliquid, and pulchre manibus diligentissimis attribuitur lubentia cum oblectatione et per oblectationem sese animans. עשׂה, without obj. accus., signifies often: to accomplish, e.g., Ps. 22:32; here it stands, in a sense, complete in itself, and without object. accus., as when it means “handeln” [agere], Pro 13:16, and particularly to act in the service of God = to offer sacrifice, Exo 10:25; it means here, and at Rth 2:19; Hab 2:4, to be active, as at Isa 19:15, to be effective; ותּעשׂ is equivalent to ותעשׂ בּמּלאכה or ותעשׂ מלאכתּהּ (cf. under Pro 10:4). And pleasure and love for the work, חפץ, can be attributed to the hands with the same right as at Psa 78:72, discretion. The disposition which animates a man, especially his inner relation to the work devolving upon him, communicates itself to his hands, which, according as he has joy or aversion in regard to his work, will be nimble or clumsy. The Syr. translates: “and her hands are active after the pleasure of her heart;” but בחפץ is not equivalent to כּחפצהּ; also בּחפץ, in the sense of con amore (Böttcher), is not used.