![]() ![]() Nor your ways to that which destroys kings: Connected with the previous line, it seems that Lemuel’s mother warned him, and us all, against sexual and romantic obsession, something so powerful it destroys kings – even the greatest kings. “The point of the verse is that while it would be easy for a king to spend his time and energy enjoying women, that would be unwise.” (Ross)Ĭ. Both men and women need to remain faithful to God in regard to sex and romance, or they will give away their strength. Of course, it could also be rightly said that in sexual immorality and sex obsession a woman gives away her strength as well, but King Lemuel’s mother spoke this to her son, not directly to her daughter. ![]() The practice of sexual immorality and sex obsession gives away a man’s strength, in the sense of his spiritual strength, his self-respect, his self-control, his example and standing in the community. This speaks of an unhealthy obsession with romance or sex, which have a proper place in life, but should not be made into a reason for living. Do not give your strength to women: The sense is that an excessive sexual interest in women wastes a man’s strength. The latter epithet probably refers to a vow she made that, that if God gave her a son she would dedicate him to live according to God’s wisdom (cf. “She traces his close connection to her backward from the present, to his gestation in her womb and to her vows before pregnancy. Son of my vows: “A child born after vows made for offsprings is called the child of a person’s vows.” (Clarke) “There is an ocean of love in a parent’s heart, a fathomless depth of desire after the child’s welfare, in the mother especially.” (Trapp) He was her son but then also the son of her womb, having given birth to him, and finally, he was the son of her vows her promises and commitments. son of my vows: King Lemuel’s mother spoke to him with great tenderness, describing her connection with him in three ways. Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.Ī. (2-3) Warning a son of the danger of sexual immorality. ![]() Which his mother taught him: Perhaps like Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5) Lemuel had a Jewish mother who taught him the fear of the LORD and God’s wisdom. The utterance: Like Solomon (Proverbs 2:6) and Agur (Proverbs 30:1), Lemuel understood that his words were an utterance, a prophecy or revelation, from God.Ĭ. “With a minor punctuation change, however, one may translate Proverbs 31:1a as, ‘The sayings of Lemuel, king of Massa,’ instead of ‘The sayings of King Lemuel-an oracle.’ McKane notes that Massa may have been a north Arabian tribe (Genesis 25:14 1 Chronicles 1:30) and that several Aramaisms appear in the text.” (Garrett)ī. Most certainly Solomon did not write it.” (Clarke) If Agur was not the author of it, it may be considered as another supplement to the book of Proverbs. “There is no evidence whatever that Muel or Lemuel means Solomon the chapter seems, to be much later than his time, and the several Chaldaisms which occur in the very opening of it are no mean proof of this. “There have been many conjectures as to who King Lemuel was, but nothing certainly can be said.” (Morgan) But there is no evidence for this.” (Ross) “Jewish legend identifies Lemuel as Solomon and the advice as from Bathsheba from a time when Solomon indulged in magic with his Egyptian wife and delayed the morning sacrifices…. Several older commentators and Jewish legends often say Lemuel, the one belonging to God, was Solomon himself and his mother was Bathsheba. There was no king of Israel (or Judah) with this name, so either he was a foreign king, or it is a pen name for the author. ![]() He is not in any recorded list of the kings of Judah or Israel, so he was probably a pagan king who put his trust in Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, and through the fear of the LORD learned wisdom. The words of King Lemuel: As with Agur in Proverbs 30, we don’t know anything about King Lemuel. The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him:Ī. (1) The wisdom of King Lemuel – and his mother. Proverbs 31 – The Wisdom of King Lemuel A. ![]()
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