Lexical Summary kishor: Concord, agreement, or binding Original Word: כִּישׁוֹר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance spindle From kasher; literally, a director, i.e. The spindle or shank of a distaff (pelek), by which it is twirled -- spindle. see HEBREW kasher see HEBREW pelek NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom kasher Definition a distaff NASB Translation distaff (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs כִּישׁוֺר noun [masculine] distaff (etymology dubious; perhaps, if meaning correct, from כשׁר (compare Sta§ 216 LagBN 182) = be straight, because it stands erect, De Str; ᵑ6  industry; whence ᵑ7 כּוּשְׁרָא, and likewise ᵑ7 כּוּנְשְׁרָא, also Proverbs 3:8, (for Hebrew שׁר), where Levy wirbelsäule, Stron the passage Jastr navel; but Str doubts etymological connection with כישׁור); — only in יָדֶיהָ שִׁלְּחָה בַכִּישׁוֺ֑ר Proverbs 31:19 ("" מָּֽלָךְ ׃ whirl of spindle). — As above De Now Str RV SS and others; > Ki AW Thes Rob-Ges whirl of spindle (AV spindle); see מֶּלֶךְ. Topical Lexicon Biblical Occurrence Proverbs 31:19 is the single occurrence: “She stretches out her hands to the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers” (Berean Standard Bible). The verse sits within the acrostic poem celebrating the “wife of noble character,” presenting the tool as an emblem of her industrious and skillful stewardship of the household. Historical and Cultural Background The distaff was a short staff or rod on which bundles of prepared flax or wool were wound before being spun into thread. In the ancient Near East the processes of carding, spinning, and weaving were typically carried out in the home courtyard or on the flat roof. Archaeology has uncovered numerous spindle whorls and loom weights from Iron Age Israelite sites, confirming the prevalence of domestic textile production. Because cloth was essential for clothing, trade, and cultic hangings (Exodus 35:25-26), the distaff represented an indispensable tool in daily life and a marker of economic contribution within the family. Symbolic and Theological Significance 1. Diligence and Wisdom: The virtuous woman’s use of the distaff embodies the biblical principle that wise labor provides for one’s household (Proverbs 31:27; Proverbs 10:4). Intertextual Connections • Exodus 35:25-26—Skilled women “spun with their hands” to furnish the Tabernacle, underscoring that Spirit-empowered craftsmanship can be an act of worship. Ministry Reflections and Applications • Affirming Vocational Diversity: The distaff reminds church leaders to honor every form of honest labor as service to God, equipping believers to see domestic, manual, or marketplace work as ministry. Christological Reflection Jesus was clothed in a seamless tunic “woven in one piece from top to bottom” (John 19:23). The unseen hands that spun and wove that garment, perhaps on a distaff and loom like those of Proverbs 31, silently testify that even humble craft served the incarnate Son. Such details point to the mystery that ordinary labor can participate in redemptive history. See Also Exodus 35:35; Isaiah 41:15; Luke 12:27; 1 Peter 4:10 Forms and Transliterations בַכִּישׁ֑וֹר בכישור ḇak·kî·šō·wr ḇakkîšōwr vakkiShorLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Proverbs 31:19 HEB: יָ֭דֶיהָ שִׁלְּחָ֣ה בַכִּישׁ֑וֹר וְ֝כַפֶּ֗יהָ תָּ֣מְכוּ NAS: out her hands to the distaff, And her hands KJV: her hands to the spindle, and her hands INT: her hands stretches to the distaff hands grasp 1 Occurrence |
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