Proverbs 31:24

Delivereth girdles unto the merchant— Herodotus, it seems, thought that the carrying on of commerce by the Egyptian women was a curiosity which deserved to be inserted in his history: it can hardly be thought an impropriety to take notice of this circumstance in a work calculated for the illustration of the Scriptures, and especially in a country where the women indeed spin, but the men not only buy and sell, but weave, and do almost every thing else relative to our manufactures. The commerce mentioned by Herodotus is lost, according to Maillet, from among the women of Egypt in general, being only retained by the Arabs of that country who live in the mountains. The Arabian historians say, that the women used to deal in buying and selling of things woven of silk, gold, and silver, of pure silk, of cotton, of cotton and thread, or simple linen-cloth, whether made in the country or imported; the men, in wheat, barley, rice, and other productions of the earth. Maillet, giving an account of the alteration in this respect in Egypt, affirms, that this usage still continues among the Arabs who live in the mountains; and, consequently, he must be understood to affirm, that the things which are woven among the Arabs, and sold, are sold by the women, who are indeed the persons that weave the men's hykes in Barbary, according to Dr. Shaw, and who doubtless weave in Egypt. Now this is precisely what the present passage supposes the Israelitish women who were industrious anciently did. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it, and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. However this may seem to our manners, it is what perfectly agreed with the simplicity of the most ancient times, and is accordingly retained by the Arabs, who are noted for keeping to old usage. See the Observations, p. 402.