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Proverbs 31

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Advice from King Lemuel's Mother 1–9

1
The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him. ​
2
What, my son? and what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows? ​
3
Give not thy strength unto women, Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. ​
4
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; Nor for princes to say, Where is strong drink? ​
5
Lest they drink, and forget the law, And pervert the justice due to any that is afflicted. ​
6
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, And wine unto the bitter in soul: ​
7
Let him drink, and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more.
8
Open thy mouth for the dumb, In the cause of all such as are left desolate. ​
9
Open thy mouth, judge righteously, And minister justice to the poor and needy.

The Woman of Valor (Eshet Hayil) 10–31

10
A worthy woman who can find? For her price is far above rubies. ​
11
The heart of her husband trusteth in her, And he shall have no lack of gain. ​
12
She doeth him good and not evil All the days of her life.
13
She seeketh wool and flax, And worketh willingly with her hands. ​
14
She is like the merchant-ships; She bringeth her bread from afar. ​
15
She riseth also while it is yet night, And giveth food to her household, And their task to her maidens.
16
She considereth a field, and buyeth it; With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. ​
17
She girdeth her loins with strength, And maketh strong her arms.
18
She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable; Her lamp goeth not out by night. ​
19
She layeth her hands to the distaff, And her hands hold the spindle.
20
She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. ​
21
She is not afraid of the snow for her household; For all her household are clothed with scarlet. ​
22
She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23
Her husband is known in the gates, When he sitteth among the elders of the land. ​
24
She maketh linen garments and selleth them, And delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25
Strength and dignity are her clothing; And she laugheth at the time to come. ​
26
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And the law of kindness is on her tongue. ​
27
She looketh well to the ways of her household, And eateth not the bread of idleness.
28
Her children rise up, and call her blessed; Her husbandalso, and he praiseth her, saying: ​
29
Many daughters have done worthily, But thou excellest them all.
30
Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; Buta woman that feareth Jehovah, she shall be praised. ​
31
Give her of the fruit of her hands; And let her works praise her in the gates. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Proverbs 31

Verse 1

the prophecy that his mother taught him — 'Prophecy' is massa, a burden or utterance, the word that also heads Agur's words in Prov 30:1. 'Taught' is yasar, to instruct or correct. What follows in vv.2–9 is the mother's teaching; the name Lemuel means 'belonging to God'. Compare 'the law of thy mother' (Prov 1:8).

Verse 2

the son of my vows — 'Son' is bar, a word borrowed from Aramaic and found elsewhere only in Ps 2:12, 'Kiss the Son'. 'Vows' is neder: Hannah 'vowed a vow' for a son and promised to give him to the LORD (1 Sam 1:11). The question 'what?' is pressed three times before she speaks.

Verse 3

Give not thy strength unto women — 'Strength' is chayil, the word behind the 'virtuous woman' of v.10 and 'virtuously' in v.29. 'That which destroyeth' is machah, to wipe out, the verb of 'blot out' in Ps 51:1. The law of the king had said, 'Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away' (Deut 17:17).

Verse 4

not for kings to drink wine — Wine (yayin) and strong drink (shekar) are the pair forbidden to the priests entering the tabernacle (Lev 10:9). Eccl 10:17 sets the opposite table: princes who 'eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness'. The reason follows in v.5.

Verse 5

forget the law — 'Law' is chaqaq, what is engraved or decreed, a statute; 'forget' is shakach. 'Pervert' is shanah, to change, and 'any of the afflicted' is literally 'sons of affliction' (bene oni): what is owed to the afflicted by judgment is altered when the one who judges has forgotten the statute.

Verse 6

ready to perish — 'Perish' is abad, to be lost; Job 29:13 uses it of 'him that was ready to perish'. 'Heavy hearts' is literally 'bitter of soul' (mar nephesh), as Hannah was 'in bitterness of soul' (1 Sam 1:10). Strong drink is placed with those in extremity, against the king's duty in v.4.

Verse 8

Open thy mouth for the dumb — 'Dumb' is illem, speechless: the king is to speak where another cannot. 'Appointed to destruction' renders bene chalop, a phrase found only here. The charge matches Ps 82:3, 'Defend the poor and fatherless', and Prov 24:11, 'deliver them that are drawn unto death'.

Verse 10

a virtuous woman — Chayil is strength, force, valour; Boaz tells Ruth, 'thou art a virtuous woman' (Ruth 3:11). From here to v.31 each of the twenty-two verses begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Her price is 'far above rubies' (paniyn), the comparison made of wisdom in Prov 3:15.

Verse 11

safely trust in her — Batach is to trust, the verb of Prov 3:5, 'Trust in the LORD with all thine heart'. 'Spoil' is shalal, booty or gain taken; 'shall have no need of spoil' is literally that he 'shall not lack' it (chaser). The husband (baal) is lacking nothing because of her management.

Verse 13

worketh willingly with her hands — 'Seeketh' is darash, the verb of Ps 34:4, 'I sought the LORD', here applied to wool (tsemer) and flax (pishteh). 'Willingly' is chephets, delight. Spinning by hand had its place in Moses' day, when the 'wise hearted' women 'did spin with their hands' (Ex 35:25).

Verse 14

the merchants' ships — 'Merchants' comes from sachar, to go about as a trader. 'Ships' is oniyyah, the feminine form of the word for Solomon's 'navy of ships' at Ezion-geber (1 Kings 9:26). 'Afar' is merchaq, a distant place: like a ship, she brings bread (lechem) from far.

Verse 16

She considereth a field — 'Considereth' is zamam, to plan or purpose, used of evil schemes (Prov 30:32, 'thought evil'; Ps 31:13), of the LORD's purpose (Jer 4:28), and here of a sound purchase. She buys (laqach) with 'the fruit of her hands' (peri), what she has earned in v.13, and plants a vineyard (kerem).

Verse 18

her candle goeth not out — 'Perceiveth' is ta'am, to taste, the verb of Ps 34:8, 'O taste and see that the LORD is good'. 'Candle' is ner, a lamp, the word of Prov 13:9, 'the lamp of the wicked shall be put out'. Hers does not go out (kabah, be quenched) by night.

Verse 20

stretcheth out her hand — 'Poor' (ani) and 'needy' (evyon) are the pair the king is to plead for in v.9; what the king does in judgment, she does with her hands. 'Stretcheth' is paras, to spread out. Prov 19:17 says, 'He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD'.

Verse 21

clothed with scarlet — Shani is the crimson dye, costly cloth: Saul 'clothed you in scarlet, with other delights' (2 Sam 1:24). 'Snow' is sheleg. She is not afraid (yare) of it because her whole household (bayit) is clothed (labash, wrapped round) in that costly warmth.

Verse 23

known in the gates — The gate was where the elders sat: Boaz took 'ten men of the elders of the city' there (Ruth 4:2), and judges were set 'in all thy gates' (Deut 16:18). The husband's standing in v.23 follows her management in vv.13–22, as Prov 12:4 says, 'A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband'.

Verse 25

Strength and honour are her clothing — 'Strength' is oz, and 'honour' hadar, the 'beauty' with which Job 40:10 bids a man array himself. 'Rejoice' is sachaq, to laugh, as in Job 5:22, 'At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh'; she laughs at the day to come.

Verse 26

the law of kindness — She 'openeth her mouth' (pathach), as the king is told to do in vv.8–9, but with wisdom (chokmah). 'Law' is torah, instruction, the word of Prov 1:8, 'the law of thy mother'; 'kindness' is chesed, covenant love. Her tongue carries both together.

Verse 28

call her blessed — 'Arise up' is qum; 'Call her blessed' is ashar, to pronounce happy. 'Praiseth' is halal, the verb that returns in v.30, 'she shall be praised', and v.31, 'let her own works praise her': one word three times in vv.28–31, passing from husband and children to the gates.

Verse 30

Favour is deceitful — 'Favour' is chen, grace or charm; 'vain' is hebel, breath, the word of Eccl 1:2, 'Vanity of vanities'. Prov 11:22 states the case, 'As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion'. The praise (halal) belongs to her who 'feareth the LORD', as Prov 1:7 opened the book.

Verse 31

the fruit of her hands — 'Fruit' (peri) is the word of v.16, where it planted a vineyard; here it is hers to receive. 'Her own works' praise her 'in the gates' (shaar), where her husband sat in v.23. Ps 128:2 gives the same line, 'thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands'.