Proverbs 31:1-2
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
VIII. Sayings of King Lemuel[a]
Chapter 31
1 The words of Lemuel, king of Massa,[b] the instruction his mother taught him:
2 What are you doing, my son![c]
what are you doing, son of my womb;
what are you doing, son of my vows!
Footnotes
- 31:1–9
Though mothers are sources of wisdom in Proverbs (1:8; 6:20), the mother of Lemuel is special in being queen mother, which was an important position in the palace. Queen mothers played an important role in ancient palace life because of their longevity, knowledge of palace politics, and loyalty to their sons; they were in a good position to offer him sound counsel. The language of the poem contains Aramaisms, a sign of its non-Israelite origin.
The first section, vv. 3–5, warns against abuse of sex and alcohol (wine, strong drink) lest the king forget the poor. The second section, vv. 6–9, urges the use of alcohol (strong drink, wine) so that the downtrodden poor can forget their poverty. The real subject of the poem is justice for the poor.
- 31:1 Massa: see note on 30:1–6.
- 31:2 My son: in the Septuagint, “my son, my firstborn.”
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.