The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message, which his mother taught him.
Parallel translations
- WEB The words of king Lemuel; the revelation which his mother taught him.
- KJV The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.
- BSB These are the words of King Lemuel—the burden that his mother taught him:
- NKJV The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him:
- NASB The words of King Lemuel, the pronouncement which his mother taught him:
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
These are the words King Lemuel learned from his mother, an inspired oracle of motherly wisdom.
Overview
Lemuel is otherwise unknown, and the chapter preserves wisdom a godly mother taught her royal son. This heading honors the vital role of parental, and here maternal, instruction in shaping character. It reminds us that God's wisdom is passed down through faithful teaching in the home, a means of grace the church still treasures.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Prov 6:20My son, keep your father’s commandment, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching.
- Prov 1:8My son, listen to your father’s instruction, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching:
- 2 Tim 1:5having been reminded of the sincere faith that is in you; which lived first in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and, I am persuaded, in you also.
- 2 Tim 3:15From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.
- Prov 30:1The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 31:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.