(Chapter 31)
The Words of King Lemuel
The last division of the book is the counsel of the queen mother to her son—“King Lemuel.” We do not know whether this was a name of endearment that Bathsheba had for Solomon, or whether it refers to some other person.
To have a kingdom that God would bless, his mother taught him that he had to be careful of the following:
The danger of women with loose morals—immorality (vss. 2-3).
The danger of alcohol—debauchery (vss. 4-7).
The danger of not maintaining justice in his kingdom—partiality (vss. 8-9).
The Virtuous Woman
The latter half of the chapter describes the ideal wife (Prov. 31:10-31). It is an acrostic poem following the 22 letter Hebrew alphabet:
She is priceless—a rare person (vs. 10).
She is trustworthy—meriting the full confidence of her husband (vss. 11-12).
She is industrious—she can sew & knit (vss. 13, 19).
She is a good cook (vss. 14-15).
She manages money well (vss. 16, 24).
She gardens (vs. 16).
She keeps herself fit (vs. 17).
She is charitable (vs. 20).
She doesn’t neglect her children (vss. 21, 27).
She doesn’t neglect her appearance (vs. 22).
She is a boon to her husband’s ministry (vs. 23).
She supplements her husband’s income (vs. 24).
She is wise & kind (vs. 26).
She is loved & respected by her family (vss. 27-28).
She fears the Lord & has a great reward waiting for her (vss. 29-31).
It significant that this woman’s “hands” are mentioned seven times, but her “mouth” is only mentioned once!
B. Anstey