1 The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him: 2 What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows? 3 Do not give your strength to women, Nor your ways to that which destroys kings. 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; 5 Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted. 6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart. 7 Let him drink and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more. 8 Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. 9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy. 10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. 15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night. 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle. 20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.
Commentary
Vs. 1-3 1 The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him: 2 What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows? 3 Do not give your strength to women, Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.
King Lemuel’s name means: “dedicated to God, or devoted to God” BBC, beyond that we know nothing of him. That said God gave both him and his mother wisdom and insight, and He has preserved that for us. Now her first advice to her son, to this young king, is that he should not give his strength to women, because having a harem of woman was the norm for ancient kings, and yet many a noble man and king has been ruined by his own lusts and passions (consider Neh. 13:26). Therefore, she wisely counsels her son not to follow that self-destroying path of lust (consider Prov. 5:1-14, 7:6-27).
Vs. 4-7 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; 5 Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted. 6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart. 7 Let him drink and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more.
In her second counsel to her son King Lemuel she warns about the excesses of drinking, since it is very easy for a young king to get caught up in all the privileges of his throne and indulge himself in intoxicating drink if he so desired. And so, her counsel is don’t do it! Don’t abuse all the privileges of holding great power and authority, which no doubt some of his piers would encourage him to do (consider 1 Kings 12:1-19). Instead keep your wits about you, because in order to survive and prosper a nation needs a sober ruler who will administer the law justly, and not pervert the justice due the afflicted (vs. 4-5). For corruption always begins at the top before it becomes justifiable on the street. Therefore, she tells him that strong drink is not for kings, but for those who are perishing, to alleviate their pain, and that the drinking of wine is for those who are of a bitter heart, for those who have nothing but despair, so that they may remember their misery no more (vs. 6-7).
Vs. 8-9 8 Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. 9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Therefore instead of being a king (or ruler) whose life is only lived for his own gain and indulgences, by courting the rich, the powerful, and the influential in his kingdom, being their spokesman and advocate, be a king, a ruler, for those who have no voice, who have no influential, nor powerful friends, for all those who are appointed to die. Because in the sight of God judging righteously and without partiality is a kings true calling and duty, and to defend the cause of the poor and needy is paramount in this.
This finial section in the Book of Proverbs now expounds the riches of finding a virtuous wife. For up until now the book of Proverbs has in various places warned the young man about the deceptive ways and self destroying consequences of being involved with an immoral woman. And so, in these finial 21 verses we get to see a beautiful picture of a virtuous wife, of her wonderful person and her generous spirit and nature which abounds with every noble quality and exudes moral excellence. And so what we will see pictured here in these finial verses is the antithesis to what we first read in Proverbs 2:10-22; 5:1-23; 6:20-35; 7:1-27; 9:13-18; 22:14 etc. about immoral woman and her evil and seductive ways.
Vs. 10-12 10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.
Such then is the value of having a virtuous wife that the Wisdom of God places her worth far above rubies, because by her, a man will not only keep his own person and resources safe, but by her diligence, wisdom, and sound counsels she will help him to prosper. Therefore, her husband can safely trust her, trust her to help him manage their and or their families’ finances. For she is not one who is given to vanity, who recklessly spends their income on frivolous things, instead she wisely considers her steps (her way of life) and all her purchases how these will affect her spouse and her families’ resources and future, for these go hand in hand. Therefore, by her wise decisions and choices her husband will have no lack of gain. His and her labors will not be spent in vain.
Vs. 13 “She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands.”
A virtuous wife is not only a woman of wisdom and character, but she also is a hard worker, a Godly woman whom seeks out the resources that she needs so that she can willingly work with her own hands to forward her families prosperity. And so, she does not try to live by the lies and Godless lives of popular cultures most prominent and self-indulgent haughty and arrogant pampered harlots! Instead she lives in reality, that there is only one Just God who will render to each one according to their works and their ways!
Vs. 14-15 14 She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. 15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants.
Here she is compared to the merchant ships which travel vast distances to bring valued goods and food and wares from afar, and so here her virtue of being a diligent person is being portrayed, of being one who rises early in the morning to prepare a meal for her household and a portion for her maidservants. For in ancient times, you didn’t just open the fridge and grab some milk and pour it on a bowl of cereal and call it done. No in ancient times eggs had to be gathered, livestock had to be milked, or slaughtered, flour had to be prepared and baked to make bread. These things all took time, and so the principal of rising early enough to prepare one’s family for the day ahead is what is being expounded here. For that is what a virtuous wife does, because her primary service and focus is on her family.
Vs. 16-18 16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night.
With her family set for the day, she herself then is not idle, nor a gossip, nor a busybody wasting her time by messing in other people’s affairs, instead she is observant, looking for opportunities to build her home and family, for “She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard.” Vs.16 Thus when she sees a good opportunity to purchase some good land, she not only does so, but she also turns it into a more profitable venture by planting a vineyard in it. Thus, she is always thinking a head, thinking of how to prosper her families’ fortunes. And so by her diligence and wise choices she girds herself with strength and strengthens her own arms, for she knows how to spot a good deal and purchase or sell something when it is advantageous to do so (vs. 17-18). And when necessary, she even works into the night, because a wife and mothers’ role in managing the family, and its affairs, is never a 9-5 occupation. Sometimes it requires her to work late into the night. Its not that husband is not also a partner in this, it is just that in ancient times a mans work was almost always physical, which required not only great exertion, but also great amounts of nutrition and rest to get ready for the next day.
Vs. 19 “She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle.”
Here we see that she is willing worker, she is one who works with her own hands. In ancient times families were dependent upon their mother to mostly sew and make their clothing. As a child my mother made my and my sisters clothing until we were about three- four years old because finances were tight. Thus, a good wife not develops the skills necessary to help her family grow, but she also puts those skills and talents to work for her family’s betterment.
Vs. 20 “She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.”
Now not only is she a willing worker for her families betterment, but she also has a heart of compassion for those who have nothing. For “She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.”
Vs. 21-22 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Because she has put in the work and made preparations beforehand her family is warmly dressed for the fall and winter seasons. Indeed they are all well attired for those occasions that demand as much, and she even adorns herself in fine linen and purple (vs. 21-22). The notion then that it is wrong for a Godly woman or her children to be well attired in church is only pure legalism. For the only time being well attired is wrong for a Christian is when it becomes a means of public self-aggrandizement/display, or an act of pomp and arrogance and indifference towards others (1 Tim. 2:8-10; 1 Peter 3:3-6).
Vs. 23 “Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.”
Because she conducts herself and her affairs with wisdom and discretion her husband finds himself known and respected by all. And thus, he finds himself a welcomed seat amongst the elders and dignitaries of the land.
Vs. 24 “She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants.”
Once again, we are shown her hard-working ethic, that having provided clothing for her family she now uses that skill to make linen garments to sell in the market. Indeed, she even becomes a supplier of sashes for the merchants in the market place, which can only add to her own prestige, influence, and effectiveness to negotiate with them and others, when needed.
Vs. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come.
Because she follows all of the Godly traits of being a virtuous woman she is clothed with strength and honor! And so she shall rejoice in time to come because God Himself will always look favorably on her!
Vs. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
Such is the beautiful character of a virtuous woman, that she not only knows how to speak wisely, to give a timely word in due season, but she also speaks with kindness, for on her tongue is the law of kindness, and so she is a caring and compassionate woman, beautiful!
Vs. 27 “She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.”
Unlike the godless woman who lets her children run amuck and afoul of her neighbors and the law. She watches over the ways of her household; she knows where her children are, and what they are doing. Indeed, she guides them into doing good and useful, and productive things, which can be anything from helping her or their father at home, to more personal things like doing their homework, playing sports, or having some sort of creative hobby or activity which they enjoy doing, even volunteering or doing charitable works or basic chores at home all help children grow up into responsible people. Because all children need to have meaningful and enjoyable activities to do, and so she watches over them in this, because she herself does not live an idle life. Note: know your kids then and guide them into those areas in which they have their greatest interests and abilities.
Vs. 28-29 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.”
Such then is her person that she not only has the great respect of her children and husband, but she also has all their adoration and appreciation as well! Such a wife and mother then is more valuable to her family then priceless gems! And so she will be favorably remembered not only by her own family, but also many in her community in the years to come.
Vs. 30 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.
I love this closing passage for it rings with heavens truth! For charm is deceitful, it reveals nothing about what is in a person’s heart or life, and many a person has only been taken advantage of by the skillful charmers smile and self-confident demeanor. Beauty is passing, for just as the flower of the field wilts and fades away, so does what was once outwardly so desirable also become old and wrinkly. Therefore, better to build your person and life on fearing the Lord, for then you will always have God’s joy and favor and He will see to it that you are praised and honored long after the vain woman’s beauty and charm has failed and left her. Therefore, the Word of God cries out give the virtuous woman the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.
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