This chapter contains the last part of the book of Proverbs; which some reckon the fifth, others the sixth. It contains the instructions of the mother of a prince, whose name was Lemuel, which she gave unto him; and which are so valuable, as to be annexed to the proverbs of Solomon.

The words of King Lemuel Not what were spoken by him, but what were spoken to him; or declaring what his mother said, as what follows shows; of this king we have no account elsewhere under this name.

What, my son? &c.] What shall I call thee? though thou art a king, can I address thee in more suitable language, or use a more endearing appellative than this, and what follows? permit me, thy mother, to speak unto thee as my son: and what shall I say to thee? I want words, I want wisdom; O that I…

Give not thy strength unto women Strength of body, which is weakened by an excessive use of venery [[1]] with a multiplicity of women; see, ; and strength of mind, reason, and wisdom, which is impaired by conversation with such persons; whereby time is consumed and lost, which should be spent in…

It is not for kings, O Lemuel It is not fit for them, it is very unbecoming them; it is dishonourable to them, to such as Lemuel was, or was likely to be; or far be it from kings, let no such thing be do ne by them, nor by thee; it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink; it is…

Lest they drink, and forget the law The law of God by Moses, which the kings of Israel were obliged to write a copy of, and read over daily, to imprint it on their minds, that they might never forget it, but always govern according to it, (Deut. 17:18, Deut.

Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish Thou, O Lemuel, and other kings and judges, rather than drink strong drink yourselves, least to excess; give it out of your great abundance and liberality to poor persons in starving circumstances, who must perish, unless relieved; it will do them…

Let him drink, and forget his poverty Which has been very pressing upon him, and afflicting to him; let him drink till he is cheerful, and forgets that he is a poor man; however, so far forgets as not to be troubled about it, and have any anxious thoughts how he must have food and raiment [[9]];…

Open thy mouth for the dumb Not who are naturally so, but who cannot speak in their own behalf, either through want of elocution, or knowledge of the laws; or who are bashful, timorous, and fearful, being overawed by the majesty of a court of judicature, or by their prosecutors; or who, as they…

Open thy mouth, judge righteously Having heard the cause, pronounce a righteous sentence; deliver it freely and impartially, with all readiness and boldness, not caring for the censures of wicked and unjust men; and plead the cause of the poor and needy; who are oppressed by the rich, cannot plead…

Who can find a virtuous woman This part of the chapter is disjoined from the rest in the Septuagint and Arabic versions; and Huetius [[18]] thinks it is a composition of some other person, and not Lemuel’s mother, whose words he supposes end at ; but it is generally thought that what follows to the…

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her Christ her Maker is her husband, who has asked her in marriage, and has betrothed her to himself in righteousness; and of whose chaste love, and inviolable attachment to him, he is fully satisfied, as well as of her fidelity in keeping what he…

She will do him good, and not evil Or, repay good unto him, give him thanks for all the good things bestowed by him on her; will seek his interest, and promote his honour and glory to the uttermost; all the good works she does, which she is qualified for, and ready to perform, are all done in his…

She seeketh wool and flax To get them, in order to spin them, and work them up into garments; she stays not till they are brought to her, and she is pressed to take them; but she seeks after them, which shows her willingness to work, as is after more fully expressed.

She is like the merchant ships Not like a single one, but like a navy of them, that cross the seas, go to foreign parts, and come back laden with rich goods: so the church of Christ, and her true members, like ships of burden, trade to heaven, by prayer and other religious exercises, and return…

She riseth also while it is yet night That is, before the ascent of the morning, as Aben Ezra explains it, before break of day; a great while before day, as Christ is said to rise to pray, ; while it was yet dark; so the church here: which shows her affection for her family, her care of her…

She considereth a field, and buyeth it The field are the Scriptures, in which are hid the rich treasures of Gospel doctrines and promises; and the church, and all truly enlightened persons, consider to what use this field may be put, to what account it will turn; how profitable the Scriptures are,…

She girdeth her loins with strength Showing her readiness to every good work; and with what cheerfulness, spirit, and resolution, she set about it, and with what dispatch and expedition she performed it: the allusion is to the girding and tucking up of long garments, wore in the eastern countries,…

She perceiveth that her merchandise is good That it turns to good account; that her trading to heaven is of great advantage; that she grows rich hereby; that her merchandise with Wisdom, or Christ, is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereby than fine gold; and though her voyages…

She layeth her hands to the spindle As Penelope and her maidens did [[18]]. Or spinning wheel, more properly, the wheel itself, which is laid hold on by the right hand, and turned round; and her hands hold the distaff; the rock, stick, or staff, about which the wool is wrapped, which is spun, and…

She stretcheth out her hand to the poor Her liberality is very extensive, reaches to many, and at a distance; it is done with great cheerfulness and readiness; to do good and communicate, she forgets not, it being acceptable to her Lord and husband, ; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy;…

She is not afraid of the snow for her household That her family should suffer through the rigour of a cold season, when it is frost and snow; for all her household are clothed with scarlet: the Vulgate Latin version renders it, “with double” [[19]], that is, with double garments; and so the…

She maketh herself coverings of tapestry For the furniture and ornament of her house, or for her bed; which may signify the ordinances of the Gospel, and the decent, orderly, and beautiful administration of them, wherein the church has communion with her Lord; see .

Her husband is known in the gates Of the city, where courts of justice were kept, and causes heard and tried by the judges, the elders of the land, later mentioned; among whom the husband of the virtuous woman was, where he was known, taken notice of, and celebrated; not so much for the beautiful…

She maketh fine linen, and selleth it She not only seeks wool and flax, and spins it, but makes it up into fine linen, which she disposes of to advantage to herself and family.

Strength and honour are her clothing Strength, not of body, but of mind. The church is clothed with strength, as her Lord, head, and husband, is said to be, ; and which she has from him; for though she is the weaker vessel, and weak in herself, yet is strong in him; and is able to bear and do all…

She openeth her mouth with wisdom When she opens her mouth, for it is not always open, she expresses herself in a discreet and prudent manner; as well as speaks of things not foolish and trifling, but of moment and importance, and of usefulness to others: or “concerning wisdom” [[0]]; the church…

She looketh well to the ways of her household The business of her house, her domestic affairs; that her children and servants have convenient food, and in due season; that they have proper clothing, and keep their garments close about them, and unspotted; that everyone does the business of his…

Her children arise up As olive plants around her table; grow up to maturity of age, and ripeness of judgment, and so capable of observing things, and doing the work here ascribed to them: or they rise up in reverence of her, and respect to her, suitable to the relation they stand in to her: or…

Many daughters have done virtuously This, according to Aben Ezra and Gersom, is what was said by her husband and children, and which seems to be right; especially they may be thought to be the words of her husband.

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain A well favoured look, a graceful countenance, symmetry and proportion of parts, natural or artificial beauty, are vain and deceitful; oftentimes under them lies an ill natured, deformed, and depraved mind; nor is the pleasure and satisfaction enjoyed as is…

Give her of the fruit of her hands According to Aben Ezra, these are the words of her husband to her children; exhorting them to give her the praise and glory that is due unto her.