A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.
A woman of good character is like a crown of honor to her husband, but a woman who brings shame is like decay that eats away at his very bones.
This verse teaches that a person's character—whether honorable or shameful—deeply affects their spouse, either bringing them honor or causing them deep pain.
📚 Historical Context
This proverb was written in ancient Israel, where marriage was seen as a partnership that reflected on both families' reputations. In that culture, a woman's virtue or lack thereof directly impacted her husband's standing in the community. The imagery of a crown versus rotting bones would have been particularly vivid to people familiar with both royal symbolism and the reality of disease.
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