Lives of Scripture

Lemuel is known only from the superscription of Proverbs 31: "The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him" (31:1). What follows is his mother's direct address to her son -- "What, O my son? And what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows?" (31:2) -- urging him, as a king, not to spend his strength on women who would destroy kings, and not to drink wine or strong drink, "for they will drink and forget what is decreed, and pervert the rights of all the afflicted" (31:3-5). Instead she instructs him to reserve strong drink only for comforting the perishing and the bitter of heart -- not for himself -- and to "open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy" (31:6-9). Scripture gives no further biography: no kingdom is confirmed, no reign narrated, no deeds recorded beyond this received instruction (see interpretive note on his disputed identity). What is preserved is a mother's wisdom to a son entrusted with power -- that self-control and justice for the voiceless matter more than royal indulgence -- words some read as introducing the following poem on the excellent wife (31:10-31), though that connection is not stated explicitly in the text.