Amy Chase offers a fresh reading of the Proverbial Woman in Proverbs 31 that emphasizes the ambiguities and tensions that a dialogical reading of this text in its social context(s) offers. Attending to the role of narratology, affect theory, and feminist biblical interpretation, Chase helps the reader see that it is not unimportant which narrative we tell as words indeed create worlds. --L. Juliana Claassens, professor of Old Testament, Stellenbosch University The Proverbial Woman, like its biblical namesake, deserves great praise. Amy Chase has written a smart, compassionate, and compelling study of Proverbs 31. She attends to the complexity and literary art of the text while also inviting us to consider which voices might be neglected or silenced. The Proverbial Woman is a worthy guide to a complicated and important biblical text. --Rhiannon Graybill, Marcus M.

and Carole M. Weinstein & Gilbert M. and Fannie S. Rosenthal Chair of Jewish Studies, and professor of religious studies, University of Richmond You may not recognize the women at the end of Proverbs after reading The Proverbial Woman! Expertly attuned to class and gender dynamics, this analysis reveals both King Lemuel's mother and the eshet chayilas complicated, surprising, and even troubling figures. Many communities and commentators focus on these exceptional women, exalting especially the eshet chayil; Chase's reading exposes multifaceted figures more worthy of resistance than of emulation. --Jennifer L. Koosed, professor of religious studies, Albright College In The Proverbial Woman, Amy Chase artfully presents a fresh reading of Proverbs 31's poems, uncovering their multivalent meanings regarding the privileged class, vulnerable groups, dynamic dialogues between family members in their respective socioeconomic contexts, the silenced characters, and their elite counterparts. Her carefully crafted questions about the text engage the reader creatively in contemplating the implications of identity construction and deconstruction in the act of reading the text in its context.

--Chloe T. Sun, professor of Old Testament and program director of the Chinese Studies Center, Fuller Theological Seminary.