Proverbs 31:1 Commentary and Bible Study

The name Lemuel means ‘By God’ or ‘To God’. Some understand this to be another pseudonym used by Solomon, just as he uses the name Agur in Proverbs 30:1. It may be a sobriquet given him by his mother, Bathsheba, or it may be a name he gave himself. Regardless, it indicates what David had sworn to Bathsheba – that Solomon would be the one to reign in his place (1 Kings 1:13,17), and that David understood him to be the son spoken of by God in the prophecy (2 Samuel 7:12-13). Solomon was therefore being prepared by his mother’s instruction for kingship, and her words were never forgotten. Solomon departed from these words for a significant portion of his life, but, in that experience, he proved the truth of what she had taught him all the more, for he found that if he had heeded her lessons, he would have avoided much suffering and dishonour on his kingdom. It is as if he will not mention his own official name again in Scripture after such a tragic fall, even though he has now been restored by the Lord. The influence of a mother is powerful and is remembered for life. How blessed are those who have godly mothers who from the earliest time teach them the Scriptures, which are able to make them wise unto salvation. The child’s natural love for his mother makes him value these lessons and reflect on them even if he departs from the straight way. Solomon had been taught essential lessons by one who had identified the special temptations to which kings are subjected. Even so, the passage has profit for every child of God, since the sins warned against are evils that may affect us all: sexual impurity, indulgence of the flesh, and indifference to the suffering of others and concern only for ourselves.