Pro 31:21 | NET2full | STEP | She would not fear for her household in winter , because all her household were clothed with scarlet ,

‏ Proverbs 31:21

21 She would not ^{▼▼tn The first word of the twelfth line begins with ל (lamed), the twelfth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.} fear ^{▼▼tn The imperfect verb (תִירָא, tiraʾ) is used in its past habitual sense. The verbs describing the woman from verses 12-29 include 19 perfects and 9 preterites which describe actions with past time references. Thus the four imperfect verbs that describe her (vv. 14, 18, 21, 27) should be understood as modal and operating in a past time frame.} for her household in winter, ^{▼▼sn “Snow” is a metonymy of adjunct; it refers to the cold weather when snow comes. The verse is saying that this time is not a concern for the wise woman because the family is well prepared.}
because all her household were clothed with scarlet, ^{▼▼tn For the MT’s “scarlet” the LXX and the Latin have “two” or “double”—the difference being essentially the vocalization of a plural as opposed to a dual. The word is taken in the versions with the word that follows (“covers”) to mean “double garments.” The question to be asked is whether scarlet would keep one warm in winter or double garments. The latter is the easier reading and therefore suspect.}