Proverbs 31:9

9 Open your mouth, judge righteousness, and defend [the] poor and needy.

Proverbs 31:9 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 31:9

Open thy mouth, judge righteously
Having heard the cause, pronounce a righteous sentence; deliver it freely and impartially, with all readiness and boldness, not caring for the censures of wicked and unjust men; and plead the cause of the poor and needy;
who are oppressed by the rich, cannot plead for themselves, nor fee others to plead for them; do thou do it freely and faithfully. Thus as Lemuel's mother cautions him against women and wine, she advises him to do the duties of his office in administering impartial justice to all, and particularly in being the advocate and judge of the indigent and distressed.

Proverbs 31:9 In-Context

7 He will drink and forget his poverty, and his misery he will not remember [any] more.

8 Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the {needy}.

9 Open your mouth, judge righteousness, and defend [the] poor and needy.

10 A woman of excellence, who will find? For her worth [is] far more than precious jewels.

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and gain he will not lack.