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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
31:1-9 The Sayings of King Lemuel. The word translated oracle in v. 1 is the same as the word for "oracle" in 30:1; and, as in 30:1, some have preferred to see it as the name for a place called Massa. The ESV has followed the Masoretic text here; see note on 30:1-33 for more. No one knows who Lemuel was, or where he was king. Most suppose that he was not an Israelite (which is consistent with the fact that the words for son in 31:2 and kings in v. 3b have Aramaic spellings, and with the absence of the special name Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, from any of the sayings). The purpose of vv. 2-9 is to instruct in what the ideal human king ought to look like: he is judicious personally (vv. 3-4) so that he may attend well to protect others through justice (vv. 5, 9) and compassion (vv. 6-8). This description runs contrary to ordinary experience, now as in Bible times, where power is often pursued and used to the gain of the individual rather than for the sake of those being led. If Lemuel was in fact a ruler from outside Israel, then the call of these verses underscores the teaching of Proverbs that all rulers are called upon to rule justly and are judged accordingly (cf. the comments of Lady Wisdom in 8:14-16).
31:3 That this proverb refers to mistresses (or a harem) rather than to monogamous marriage is obvious from the plural women rather than "a woman." Having mistresses is a waste of a man's strength (perhaps meaning his wealth, but, in the present context of a king, more likely his energy and vigor for ruling well).
31:4-5 The calling of kings is to serve the well-being of their subjects, especially in protecting the rights of all the afflicted. They must never allow their judgment to be clouded by wine or strong drink.
31:6-7 The strong drink would help those in bitter distress to forget their poverty. This is often taken to mean that the king should provide strong drink to those who are perishing or in misery for medicinal purposes, that is, to relieve their pain. But it could also mean that the king should invite these people to a banquet where they can have some innocent merriment and forget their troubles for a while.
