Poor. Solon condemned to death, at Athens, the prince who should get drunk; and the Areopagites excluded from their assembly a judge who had dined in a tavern. (Laertius 1.; Atheneus xiii. 2.) read more
Of Proper Kingly Deportment v. 1. The words of King Lemuel, concerning whom nothing is otherwise known, the prophecy that his mother taught him, the words of instruction in the form of proverbial sayings which she imparted to him. v. 2. What, my son! an impassioned exclamation addressed to her son to keep him from choosing ways of evil. And what, the son of my womb! the expression being intended to show the depth of the true mother's attachment. And what, the son of my vows! the mother... read more
Second SupplementThe words of Lemuel, together with the poem in praise of the matronChap. 31a) Lemuel’s maxims of wisdom for kingsProverbs 31:1-91 Words of Lemuel the king of Massawith which his mother instructed him:2 Oh, my son! ah, thou son of my womb!oh thou son of my vows!3 Give not thy strength to women,nor thy ways to destroy kings.4 Not for kings, oh Lemuel,not for kings (is it becoming) to drink wine;nor for princes (wine) or strong drink;5 lest he drink and forget... read more
the Worthy Woman Proverbs 31:1-9 In these words of King Lemuel, we notice a mother’s influence in the education of her son. A woman is never more nobly occupied than in warning her son against the seductions of pleasure and in giving him a high sense of that which is right. The sins of the flesh have been the peculiar snare of royal personages, preventing them from pleading the cause of the desolate and ministering judgment to the poor and needy. What a contrast to the glory of the... read more
This is the second section of the appendix. There have been many conjectures as to who King Lemuel was, but nothing certainly can be said. It is divided into two parts, the first of which consists of his mother's advice to him. This advice urges him against becoming the slave of passion, warns him that while there may be some excuse for the man who is ready to perish if he take strong drink, it must be utterly avoided by kings and princes. And, finally, she sets before him the first duty of... read more
Proverbs 31:1-1 Samuel : . Second Division. Sayings of Lemuel.— A manual of directions for kings. Proverbs 31:1. The title is uncertain. RV is not grammatically correct. Read mg.— Massa ( mg.) , rendered “ oracle” in Proverbs 31:30, and here by RV, is the regular word for the oracles of the earlier prophets, but is strange in this connexion. There is a Mas’ a mentioned in the inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser IV along with Teima in N. Arabia. This was one of the traditional seats of wisdom,... read more
Forget the law; the laws of God, by which they are to govern themselves and their kingdoms. Pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted; which may easily be done by a drunken judge, because drunkenness deprives a man of the use of reason; by which alone men can distinguish between right and wrong, and withal stirs up those passions which incline him both to precipitation and partiality. read more
CRITICAL NOTES.—Lemuel. This Hebrew word signifies “For God,” or “belonging to God,” and is regarded by most commentators as a proper name. The prophecy. Delitzsch, Stuart, and many other Hebrew scholars render this word as a proper name, and read “The words of Lemuel, king of MASSA, which his mother taught him.” Miller reads the verse, “Words in respect to the Seed-of-God, a king; a prophecy in agreement with which his mother disciplined him,” and, as in the preceding chapter, applies it to... read more
Chapter 31Now the thirty-first proverb are,The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him ( Proverbs 31:1 ).So these are really the words of King Lemuel's mother unto him. The advice of a godly mother to her prince son who one day is to reign over the people. There are those who think that Lemuel is indeed Solomon, and that these are the words of Bathsheba unto Solomon. Whether or not that is so is a matter of argument among the theologians, of which I have no desire to enter... read more
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Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary - Proverbs 31:2-7
What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows? Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no... read more