Proverbs 31:18

She knows ¹  that her merchandise is good, and her lamp ²  does not go out in the night.

Ge 31:40; Ps 127:2; Mt 25:3-10; 1Th 2:9; 2Th 3:7-9

¹ tn The first word of the ninth line begins with ט (tet), the ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

sn This is the word for “taste.” It means her opinion or perception, what she has learned by experience and therefore seems right.

² sn The line may be taken literally to mean that she is industrious throughout the night (“burning the midnight oil”) when she must in order to follow through a business deal (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 668); cf. TEV. But the line could also be taken figuratively, comparing “her light” to the prosperity of her household – her whole life – which continues night and day.