Proverbs 31:4

Translations

Modern

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,

Traditional

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:

Literal

Not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for rulers strong drink,

Latin

Noli regibus, o Lamuel, noli regibus dare vinum, quia nullum secretum est ubi regnat ebrietas;

Original

Hebrew

English

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,

Notes

Proverbs 31:4–7

Drinking too much wine dulls the senses. A king needs to stay alert and should not drink too much alcohol.

Proverbs 31:1–9

Lemuel, like Agur, might have been from Massa (see study note on Proverbs 30:1). Lemuel’s mother teaches him to control his desires, especially for women and alcohol, so he can rule fairly.
Besides this passage, we know nothing about Lemuel.

Related verses

Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
Ecclesiastes 10:17
Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.
Isaiah 5:22
Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing strong drink,
Hosea 4:11–12
…to promiscuity, wine, and new wine, which take away understanding.
1 Kings 20:16–20
They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk.
Habakkuk 2:5
…and wealth indeed betrays him. He is an arrogant man never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself and collects all the peoples as his own.
Hosea 7:3–5
They delight the king with their evil, and the princes with their lies.
Isaiah 28:7–8
These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.
Mark 6:21–28
On Herod’s birthday, her opportunity arose. Herod held a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.
Daniel 5:2–4
Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king could drink from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines.
Esther 3:15
The couriers left, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was in confusion.
Leviticus 10:9–10
“You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come.

People

Lemuel: King mentioned in Proverbs; his mother taught him wisdom

Glossary

Lemuel Proverbs, Book of Spinner, Spinning

Topics

Drunkenness: General Scriptures Concerning Injustice: General Scriptures Concerning King: Drunkenness of, Forbidden King: Precepts Concerning Kings: Specially Warned Against: Intemperance Lemuel: Probably Refers to Solomon Liquor Rulers: Character and Qualifications of Total Abstinence: from Intoxicating Beverages Wine in Excess: Impairs the Judgment and Memory Wine: Admonitions Against the Use of Wine: Forbidden to Kings

Proverbs 31:4

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