Wisdom · Chapter 31 of 31
Proverbs 31
King Lemuel records his mother's counsel: avoid what ruins kings, keep sober judgment, and speak up for the poor and voiceless. The chapter then celebrates the virtuous woman, worth far above rubies. She works with strength and foresight, provides for her household, trades wisely, helps the needy, speaks with wisdom and kindness, and fears the LORD. Her family calls her blessed.
What happens in Proverbs 31
The chapter has two parts. First, King Lemuel passes on the prophecy his mother taught him, warning him not to spend his strength on women or on wine that makes rulers forget the law, and charging him instead to open his mouth for those who cannot speak and to judge righteously for the poor and needy. The second part, an acrostic poem, asks who can find a virtuous woman, whose worth is far above rubies. It portrays her across a full life: she works willingly with wool and flax, rises while it is night to feed her household, considers a field and buys it, stretches her hand to the poor, clothes her household against winter, makes and sells fine linen, and speaks with wisdom and the law of kindness.
Her husband trusts her, her children rise up and call her blessed, and above beauty and charm she is praised because she fears the LORD.
Proverbs 31 in context
Proverbs closes with words attributed to King Lemuel, otherwise unknown, taught to him by his mother, one of the rare places Scripture preserves a queen mother's instruction. The famous poem of verses 10 to 31 is an acrostic, each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, a crafted portrait from first letter to last.
It gathers the book's whole vision of wisdom into a single living figure who embodies the fear of the LORD.
Main themes of Proverbs 31
Proverbs 31 (KJV)
1The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. 2What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows? 3Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. 4It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: 5Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. 6Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. 7Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more. 8Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. 9Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. 10Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. 11The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. 12She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. 13She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. 14She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. 15She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. 16She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. 17She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. 18She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. 19She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. 20She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. 21She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. 22She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. 23Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. 24She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. 25Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. 26She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. 27She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. 28Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. 29Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. 30Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. 31Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Verses to carry from Proverbs 31
“Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.”Proverbs 31:8
“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”Proverbs 31:10
“Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.”Proverbs 31:30
Thematic connection
How Proverbs 31 points to Jesus
This chapter is not a prophecy of Christ, yet its portrait of self-giving strength points toward him. The queen mother's charge to open one's mouth for the voiceless and plead the cause of the poor describes the very ministry Jesus took up, announcing good news to the poor and defending the powerless. The virtuous woman who rises before dawn to provide bread for her household, who clothes and feeds and never lets her lamp go out, offers a picture of tireless love that Christ fulfills toward his people.
Christian readers have long seen the church, the bride of Christ, in this faithful figure whose works praise her in the gates. Above all, her life shows that the fear of the LORD, not beauty or acclaim, produces enduring praise, the wisdom made flesh in Jesus.
Questions about Proverbs 31
What does the Proverbs 31 woman teach about virtue?
That true worth lies in character, not appearance. The poem praises her industry, wisdom, generosity, and kindness, then names their source in verse 30: she fears the LORD, while charm and beauty pass away. She is not an impossible standard to shame women, but a portrait of wisdom lived out, honoring God through faithful, others-centered work over an entire life.
Who was King Lemuel in Proverbs 31?
King Lemuel is named only here, and Scripture tells us nothing more about him. The chapter records not his own words but the prophecy his mother taught him. Some Jewish tradition identifies him with Solomon, though the text does not. What matters is the content: a mother's wise counsel to a king about self-control, justice, and honoring a woman who fears God.
Reflection
It is tempting to read this chapter as a checklist and feel measured against it. Read it instead as a portrait of what the fear of the LORD looks like when it fills an ordinary life. The final line moves the eyes from performance to reverence. What would change if you let God, not appearance or approval, be the root of your worth?
A prayer from Proverbs 31
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