An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones. Proverbs 12.4

We live in a society where crowns are mere bridal ornaments, so we don’t quite understand its importance and what it represents to a king or queen. But the real meaning of a crown is power and legitimacy, this is to say, this biblical verse says that a virtuous woman is the power and legitimacy of her husband!

Why is this? Does a man need a virtuous woman by his side to have power and respect from others? Not necessarily. Many powerful and respected men do not have the privilege of having married a virtuous wife. The point here is that the crown, for those who possess it, is the LEGITIMACYof this power.

In other words, only the man that is married to a virtuous woman, in fact, DESERVESthis power!

And what does a virtuous woman have that’s so special to make her husband deserve so much respect and dignity?

If you read Proverbs 31, you will understand what she has that’s so special, but basically, she is rare, respectful, prudent, discreet, strong, gracious, hardworking, and God-fearing. Not bad, right?

Think of the opposite of this woman: she is vulgar, disrespectful, indiscreet, weak, rude, lazy, and of the flesh. This is why the rest of this passage, in Proverbs 12.4, says that the one who shames her husband (as opposed to the virtuous one) practically destroys him.

Going back to the virtuous woman, did you know that her husband is known among the elders? Without her, he’d be another man in the world, but with her, he is the man!

And to top it all off, now you can better understand Proverbs 18.22:

He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from Lord.

This virtuous wife, crown to her husband, is not any woman, nor can she be found everywhere, she is a rare find… she needs to be sought to be found.

In faith.