Darby Bible
Proverbs 31:4
4It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for rulers [to say], Where is the strong drink?
Proverbs 31:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
- New International Version (NIV)It is not for kings, Lemuel— it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer,
- English Standard Version (ESV)It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink,
- New King James Version (NKJV)It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink;
Context of Proverbs 31:4
2What, my son? and what, O son of my womb? and what, O son of my vows? 3Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to them that destroy kings. It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for rulers [to say], Where is the strong drink? 5— lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the children of affliction. 6Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter of soul:
Read all of Proverbs 31Proverbs 31:4 word by word
אַ֤ל לַֽמְלָכִ֨ים׀ לְֽמוֹאֵ֗ל אַ֣ל לַֽמְלָכִ֣ים שְׁתוֹ־יָ֑יִן וּ֝לְרוֹזְנִ֗ים אֵ֣י שֵׁכָֽר׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Proverbs 31:4
- Leviticus 10:9Thou shalt not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, and thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tent of meeting, lest ye die — [it is] an everlasting statute throughout your generations,
- 1 Kings 20:12And it came to pass when he heard this word, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the tents, that he said to his servants, Set yourselves. And they set themselves against the city.
- Esther 3:15The couriers went out, being hastened by the king's commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the fortress. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was in consternation.
- Ecclesiastes 10:17Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a son of nobles, and thy princes eat in [due] season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
- Isaiah 28:7But these also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are they gone astray. The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink; they are overpowered by wine, they are gone astray through strong drink; they have erred in vision, they have stumbled [in] judgment.
- Daniel 5:2Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines, might drink in them.
- Hosea 4:11Fornication, and wine, and new wine take away the heart.
- Hosea 7:3They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
- Habakkuk 2:5And moreover, the wine is treacherous: he is a proud man, and keepeth not at rest, he enlargeth his desire as Sheol, and he is like death and cannot be satisfied; and he assembleth unto him all nations, and gathereth unto him all peoples.
- Mark 6:21And a holiday being come, when Herod, on his birthday, made a supper to his grandees, and to the chiliarchs, and the chief [men] of Galilee;
Commentaries on Proverbs 31:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4It is not for kings - to drink wine - An intemperate man is ill fit to hold the reins of government.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Some read: “nor for princes to say, Where is strong drink?” The “strong drink” Proverbs 20:1 was distilled from barley, or honey, or dates.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-7Drinking too much wine dulls the senses. A king needs to stay alert and should not drink too much alcohol.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-93-9. Succinct but solemn warnings against vices to which kings are peculiarly tempted, as carnal pleasures and oppressive and unrighteous government are used to sustain sensual indulgence. strength--mental and bodily resources for health and comfort. thy ways--or course of life. to that ... kings--literally, "to the destroying of kings," avoid destructive pleasures (compare Pr 5:9; 7:22, 27; Ho 4:11).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 31:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 31
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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Commentaries