The Woman of Valor
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink, Proverbs 31:4 · Berean Standard Bible
A king especially cannot afford to get drunk, because his mind needs to be clear to make the decisions that affect everyone under his rule.
In the ancient Near East, drinking wine was normal and not inherently sinful, but for a ruler, it was dangerous. If you're drunk, you can't judge fairly, can't respond to crises, can't protect your people. She's not being extreme—she's being practical about the unique burden of leadership.
Lemuel's mother, building on her warning about distraction
Throughout Scripture, you find warnings about intoxication when you have responsibilities—especially Ephesians 5:18 later on. The principle is simple: clarity matters when others depend on you.
The mother prohibits the king from consuming wine or strong drink, establishing sobriety as a non-negotiable requirement for his office and judgment.
The construction 'it is not for kings' (לֹא לְמֶלְכִים, lo l'melachim) employs what grammarians call 'categorical negation'—not merely prohibition but definition of what is unfitting for the royal office itself. Wine consumption in the ancient Near East wasn't inherently condemned, but royal drunkenness was universally recognized as catastrophic to governance. Mesopotamian wisdom literature similarly warns rulers about alcohol's effects on judicial discernment.
Lemuel's mother, establishing the ethical requirements of kingship.
This connects to Deuteronomic concerns about kingship (Deuteronomy 17:14-20) and anticipates New Testament parallels about leadership sobriety (1 Timothy 3:2-3, Titus 1:7). The passage recognizes that institutional integrity requires personal discipline—a principle applicable far beyond monarchy.
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,
5lest they drink and forget what is decreed, depriving all the oppressed of justice.
6Give strong drink to one who is perishing, and wine to the bitter in soul.
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