The Woman of Valor
What shall I say, O my son? What, O son of my womb? What, O son of my vows? Proverbs 31:2 · Berean Standard Bible
His mother is asking emotional, rhetorical questions—basically saying, 'How do I even begin to tell you how important this is?'—to grab his attention before she shares what he desperately needs to hear.
She's not actually expecting him to answer these questions. This is how you emphasize something in that culture—by asking 'What can I say?' and 'What can I tell you?' It's her way of saying, 'This is so important I hardly know where to start.' The mention of 'my womb' and 'my vows' shows she made promises about raising him well.
Lemuel's mother, continuing her address to her son
You see throughout Scripture that the most important moments of instruction often begin with emotional honesty—a parent's desperation to help their child avoid what they've seen destroy others.
The mother appeals emotionally to her son, using intimate familial language to establish the urgency and personal stakes of what she's about to teach him.
The threefold address—'my son,' 'son of my womb,' 'son of my vows'—employs what literary critics call 'anaphoric intensification,' repeating the term to build rhetorical force. The 'son of my vows' likely refers to a child born in answer to prayer, making his moral formation a sacred trust. This reflects the ancient Near Eastern context where royal mothers (think of Bathsheba with Solomon) wielded considerable influence over succession and moral character of heirs.
Lemuel's mother, establishing her maternal authority and the covenantal seriousness of her instruction.
This echoes Hannah's dedication of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11) and resonates with the broader biblical pattern where God's purposes are accomplished through mothers who spiritually shape their sons. The personal, almost vocative intensity reflects maternal investment in moral theology—a counterweight to more formal, patriarchal wisdom transmission.
1These are the words of King Lemuel—the burden that his mother taught him:
2What shall I say, O my son? What, O son of my womb? What, O son of my vows?
3Do not spend your strength on women or your vigor on those who ruin kings.
4It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,
Read all of Proverbs 31 — Not a checklist but a celebration. Strength, generosity, wisdom, dignity — a life fully and fearlessly lived.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad