“A wife of noble character”
A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies. (Proverbs 31:10 BSB)
What it sounds like today
A demure, virtuous, quietly good wife.
The cultural key
'Noble character' is a soft rendering of a strong Hebrew phrase: eshet chayil, literally 'a woman of chayil.' Chayil is a word of power, used for military might, valor, wealth, and capability, the same term applied to a 'mighty man of valor' like Gideon and to a whole army. So the famous poem that follows is not a portrait of a meek, retiring homemaker but of a formidable, competent powerhouse: she runs businesses, buys and plants a field, trades at a profit, girds herself with strength, and 'laughs at the days to come.' Applying chayil, a warrior's word, to a woman was a striking compliment. Rendered 'virtuous' or 'noble,' it sounds like gentle propriety; heard as 'valor,' it celebrates strength, enterprise, and command.
Recovered meaning
The phrase is eshet chayil, 'a woman of valor', chayil being the word for a warrior's strength and might. The poem praises a formidable, capable powerhouse, not quiet gentility.