Thank you for explaining part of your journey and interest in bible semantics, and how it has helped you in understanding the woman's role in Judaism and Christianity. It's a necessity (I have come to believe) to continually search for a clearer understanding of God's word.

I know that the way women were treated in TF is not a model to follow. There were many contradictions surrounding the female role in that group. A woman could find herself in a leadership position over a male, but, also, be used and abused as a sexual object.

An interesting group to consider is Bible Study Fellowship. I have attended their studies for five years now. They were founded by a woman, and continue to place a woman in the presidential position. Although there is a separate men's group, there are times when the president, a gifted speaker and Bible teacher, will find herself teaching men in some assemblies. The organization has been greatly criticized by some men and women for this. The former president, who is in her eighties, founded a missionary outreach in Africa called Rifiki (sp?). This is an orphanage that takes in young girls; places them in foster care, and teaches them the Bible and a trade; when they become adults and leave the Rifiki, they are then able to make a living on their own. I have met some strong women in BSF, but they all respect the role of men and never teach that women should assume spiritual authority over men.

Thank you for the references that you provided for my further research and study. I appreciate your sharing the things that you have learned in your classes. I feel that, today, we have a wealth of translations and commentaries, not to mention, original language sources that can aide us in our continued growth and understanding of God's word. Have you ever looked at the Net Bible. It has some very valuable commentaries, which use the original languages of the Bible. I found this passage below that supports much of what you have said about "virtue." You might find their further comments regarding Prov 31 enlightening, as well.

FROM THE NET BIBLE:

23sn The book of Proverbs comes to a close with this poem about the noble wife. A careful reading of the poem will show that it is extolling godly wisdom that is beneficial to the family and the society. Traditionally it has been interpreted as a paradigm for godly women. And while that is valid in part, there is much more here. The poem captures all the themes of wisdom that have been presented in the book and arranges them in this portrait of the ideal woman (Claudia V. Camp, Wisdom and the Feminine in the Book of Proverbs, 92-93). Any careful reading of the passage would have to conclude that if it were merely a paradigm for women, what it portrays may well be out of reach – she is a wealthy aristocrat who runs an estate with servants and conducts business affairs of real estate, vineyards, and merchandising, and also takes care of domestic matters and is involved with charity. Moreover, it says nothing about the woman’s personal relationship with her husband, her intellectual and emotional strengths, or her religious activities (E. Jacob, “Sagesse et Alphabet: Pr. 31:10-31," Hommages à A. Dont-Sommer, 287-95). In general, it appears that the “woman" of Proverbs 31 is a symbol of all that wisdom represents. The poem, then, plays an important part in the personification of wisdom so common in the ancient Near East. But rather than deify Wisdom as the other ANE cultures did, Proverbs simply describes wisdom as a woman. Several features will stand out in the study of this passage. First, it is an alphabetic arrangement of the virtues of wisdom (an acrostic poem). Such an acrostic was a way of organizing the thoughts and making them more memorable (M. H. Lichtenstein, “Chiasm and Symmetry in Proverbs 31," CBQ 44 [1982]: 202-11). Second, the passage is similar to hymns, but this one extols wisdom. A comparison with Psalm 111 will illustrate the similarities. Third, the passage has similarities with heroic literature. The vocabulary and the expressions often sound more like an ode to a champion than to a domestic scene. Putting these features together, one would conclude that Proverbs 31:10-31 is a hymn to Lady Wisdom, written in the heroic mode. Using this arrangement allows the sage to make all the lessons of wisdom in the book concrete and practical, it provides a polemic against the culture that saw women as merely decorative, and it depicts the greater heroism as moral and domestic rather than only exploits on the battlefield. The poem certainly presents a pattern for women to follow. But it also presents a pattern for men to follow as well, for this is the message of the book of Proverbs in summary.
24sn The poem begins with a rhetorical question (a figure of speech known as erotesis). This is intended to establish the point that such a noble wife is rare. As with wisdom in the book of Proverbs, she has to be found.

26tn Heb “a woman of valor." This is the same expression used to describe Ruth (e.g., Ruth 3:11). The term ????? (khayil) here means “moral worth" (BDB 298 s.v.); cf. KJV “a virtuous woman." Elsewhere the term is used of physical valor in battle, e.g., “mighty man of valor," the land-owning aristocrat who could champion the needs of his people in times of peace or war (e.g., Judg 6:12). Here the title indicates that the woman possesses all the virtues, honor, and strength to do the things that the poem will set forth.
27sn This line expresses that her value (Heb “her price"), like wisdom, is worth more than rubies (e.g., 3:15; 8:11).