Proverbs 31:11
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her,.... Christ her Maker is her husband, who has asked her in marriage, and has betrothed her to himself in righteousness; and of whose chaste love, and inviolable attachment to him, he is fully satisfied, as well as of her fidelity in keeping what he commits unto her; he trusts her with his Gospel and ordinances, which she faithfully retains and observes; and with his children born in her, who are nursed up at her side, to whom she gives the breasts of ordinances, bears them on her sides, and dandles them on her knees, as a tender and careful mother does,
so that he shall have no need of spoil; he shall never want any; by means of the word preached in her, prey and spoil shall be taken out of the hands of the mighty, and he shall divide the spoil with them; or have souls snatched out of the hands of Satan, and translated into his kingdom, Isaiah 53:12. The Septuagint version understands it of the virtuous woman, and not of her husband; "such an one as she shall not want good spoils"; now, prey or spoil sometimes signifies food, as in
Ps 111:5; and so Jarchi interprets it here; and then the sense is, she shall not want spiritual provisions; she shall have plenty of them from her husband, who reposes such confidence in her; or shall not want excellent treasures, as the Arabic version, which also understands it of her; such are the word and ordinances, and particularly precious promises, which are more rejoicing than a great spoil, Ps 119:162; and so Ambrose interprets {y} it of the church, who needs no spoils because she abounds with them, even with the spoils of the world, and of the devil.
{y} Enarrat. in loc. p. 1099. tom. 2.