There is every reason to conclude that these ancient Jews, unlike many
of their modern descendants, knew only the coarser phases of the
instinct which draws man to woman. They knew not romantic love for the
simple reason that they had not discovered the charm of refined
femininity, or even recognized woman's right to exist for her own
sake, and not merely as man's domestic servant and the mother of his
sons. "Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over
thee," Eve was told in Eden, and her male descendants administered
that punishment zealously and persistently; whereas the same lack of
gallantry which led Adam to put all the blame on Eve impelled his
descendants to make the women share his part of the curse too--"In the
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread"; for they were obliged to do
not only all the work in the house, but most of that in the fields,
seething under a tropical sun. From this point of view the last
chapter of the Proverbs (31:10-31) is instructive. It is often
referred to as a portrait of a perfect woman, but in reality it is
little more than a picture of Hebrew masculine selfishness. Of the
forty-five lines making up this chapter, nine are devoted to praise of
the feminine virtues of fidelity to a husband, kindness to the needy,
strength, dignity, wisdom, and fear of the Lord; while the rest of the
chapter goes to show that the Hebrew woman indeed "eateth not the
bread of idleness," and that the husband "shall have no lack of
gain"--or spoil, as the alternative reading is:
"She seeketh wool and flax and worketh willingly with
her hands. She is like the merchant ships: she bringeth
her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet
night, and giveth meat to her household, and their task
to the maidens. She considereth a field and buyeth it;
with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard....
She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable. Her
lamp goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to
the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.... She
maketh for herself carpets of tapestry.... She maketh
linen garments and selleth them; and delivereth girdles
unto the merchant."
As for the husband, he "is known in the gates, When he sitteth among
the elders of the land," which is an easy and pleasant thing to do;
hardly in accordance with the curse the Lord pronounced on Adam and
his male descendants. The wife being thus the maid of all work, as
among Indians and other primitive races, it is natural that the
ancient Hebrew ideal of femininity should he masculine: "She girdeth
her loins with strength, and maketh strong her arms;" while the
feminine charms are sneered at: "Favor is deceitful, and beauty is
vain."