Proverbs 31:1-14

The Words of King Lemuel

1 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:

2 What are you doing, my son?^[a] What are you doing, ¹son of my womb? What are you doing, ²son of my vows?

3 Do ³not give your strength to women, your ways to those ⁴who destroy kings.

4 ⁵It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings ⁶to drink wine, or for rulers to take ⁷strong drink,

5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and ⁸pervert the rights of all the afflicted.

6 Give strong drink to the one who ⁹is perishing, and wine to ¹⁰those in bitter distress;^[b]

7 ¹¹let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.

8 ¹²Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.^[c]

9 Open your mouth, ¹³judge righteously, ¹⁴defend the rights of ¹⁵the poor and needy.

The Woman Who Fears the Lord

10 ^[d]16An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than ¹⁷jewels.

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.

12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.

13 She ¹⁸seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.

14 She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.

Proverbs 31:1-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS 31

This chapter contains the last part of the book of Proverbs; which some reckon the fifth, others the sixth. It contains the instructions of the mother of a prince, whose name was Lemuel, which she gave unto him; and which are so valuable, as to be annexed to the proverbs of Solomon. The preface or introduction to them is in Pr 31:1; the address to her son, Pr 31:2. The vices she cautions him against are uncleanness and intemperance; which she dissuades from, because of the pernicious consequences of both to kings and to their subjects, Pr 31:3-5. Advises rather to give wine and strong drink to poor people, such as are in distress; as being more useful to them, at least less prejudicial, Pr 31:6,7; and exhorts her son to the duties of his office; by pleading the cause of the poor and injured, and administering justice to them, Pr 31:8,9. And then at large describes a virtuous woman; perhaps designed as an instruction to her son in the choice of a wife, Pr 31:10-31; though more than that may be intended by it.

Cross References

• 1. Isaiah 49:15
• 2. [1 Samuel 1:27]
• 3. [Proverbs 5:9]
• 4. [Proverbs 7:26; Deuteronomy 17:17; 1 Kings 11:1; Nehemiah 13:26]
• 5. Ecclesiastes 10:17; [1 Kings 16:9; 1 Kings 20:16]
• 6. [Hosea 4:11]
• 7. Proverbs 20:1
• 8. [Isaiah 5:22, 23]
• 9. Job 29:13
• 10. Job 3:20
• 11. [Psalms 104:15]
• 12. Job 29:12, 15, 16; [Isaiah 1:17]
• 13. Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 1:16
• 14. Jeremiah 22:16; [Isaiah 1:17]
• 15. ver. 20; Psalms 40:17; Psalms 86:1
• 16. Proverbs 12:4; Ruth 3:11; [Proverbs 18:22; Proverbs 19:14]
• 17. Job 28:18
• 18. [ver. 21, 22, 24]

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew What, my son?
• [b]. Hebrew those bitter in soul
• [c]. Hebrew are sons of passing away
• [d]. Verses 10-31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet