New King James Version
Proverbs 31:4
4It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating 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 Living Translation (NLT)It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine. Rulers should not crave alcohol.
Context of Proverbs 31:4
2What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows? 3Do not give your strength to women, Nor your ways to that which destroys kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; 5Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted. 6Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
Read all of Proverbs 31Proverbs 31:4 word by word
אַ֤ל לַֽמְלָכִ֨ים׀ לְֽמוֹאֵ֗ל אַ֣ל לַֽמְלָכִ֣ים שְׁתוֹ־יָ֑יִן וּ֝לְרוֹזְנִ֗ים אֵ֣י שֵׁכָֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 31:4
- Leviticus 10:9“Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations,
- 1 Kings 20:12And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard this message, as he and the kings were drinking at the command post, that he said to his servants, “Get ready.” And they got ready to attack the city.
- Esther 3:15The couriers went out, hastened by the king’s command; and the decree was proclaimed in Shushan the citadel. So the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Shushan was perplexed.
- Ecclesiastes 10:17Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes feast at the proper time— For strength and not for drunkenness!
- Isaiah 28:7But they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
- Daniel 5:2While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.
- Hosea 4:11“Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart.
- Hosea 7:3They make a king glad with their wickedness, And princes with their lies.
- Habakkuk 2:5“Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man, And he does not stay at home. Because he enlarges his desire as hell, And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied, He gathers to himself all nations And heaps up for himself all peoples.
- Mark 6:21Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries