Translation
Paraphrase
She has removed every obstacle to her effectiveness and strength and stamina have become some of her primary characteristics; her areas of strength have become even stronger through constant use.
Footnotes
1
The phrase “to gird up your loins” referred to times when a man would take the back part of his flowing tunic and tuck it tightly into the front part of his belt (often called a “girdle”). This created something similar to a pair of knee-length shorts which allowed him to work, run or fight a battle without the hindrances of a flowing garment around his feet. To my knowledge this was never done by a woman for it would have been inappropriate for her to show that much skin. Even the men would not show their legs above their knees, but exposing their legs from the knees down was OK in order to be able to do work or do battle. For these reasons the phrase “gird up the loins” was a word picture for removing hindrances.
This phrase was associated with strength, not because it gave more strength, but because it allowed one’s strength to be utilized without hindrances. It was a picture of someone who was prepared to use his strength to the fullest extent, and it has even been rendered as “man up.”
Therefore, the use of this phrase was in no way indicating that this woman would pull up her skirt in order to work, but it was communicating that she would remove all hindrances and let her work ethic and her capable abilities shine. For more info about the definition of a “girdle” see my notes on Prov 31:24.