Proverbs 31:1 KJV
The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.
Proverbs 31:4 KJV
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
My devotional thoughts today are more of on the intellectual level than the heart. It occurred to me this morning that I had no idea who King Lemuel is. He was not, so far as I could remember, recorded as one of the Kings of Judah. I could not place him in the lineage of either Joseph or Mary, and yet here he is in the Proverbs. It seemed to me to be reasonable to want some sort of understanding concerning who he is.
I was correct that he is not found in the Bible anywhere but in these two references. But as to whom he is, there is little information. The name means "of God" or "devoted to God." Most writers I have access to believe this to be a reference to King Solomon and that Lemuel is either
A representative name or royal titleSimilar to the Pharaohs all being called Pharaoh or the same experience in other nations; Abimelech, I believe is another one of those family names that eventually became a title. Caesar was the same, as was Herod.
An endearing nameUsed by Solomon's mother to refer to him. Mother's are prone to give their children a special name that has meaning to them. Bathsheba may have referred to Solomon as being of God to remind her of the graciousness of the Lord despite the sin of she and King David. Referring to him as the son of her vows may remind her that he was conceived after the King had taken her to wife.
The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.
Proverbs 31:4 KJV
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
My devotional thoughts today are more of on the intellectual level than the heart. It occurred to me this morning that I had no idea who King Lemuel is. He was not, so far as I could remember, recorded as one of the Kings of Judah. I could not place him in the lineage of either Joseph or Mary, and yet here he is in the Proverbs. It seemed to me to be reasonable to want some sort of understanding concerning who he is.
I was correct that he is not found in the Bible anywhere but in these two references. But as to whom he is, there is little information. The name means "of God" or "devoted to God." Most writers I have access to believe this to be a reference to King Solomon and that Lemuel is either
A representative name or royal titleSimilar to the Pharaohs all being called Pharaoh or the same experience in other nations; Abimelech, I believe is another one of those family names that eventually became a title. Caesar was the same, as was Herod.
An endearing nameUsed by Solomon's mother to refer to him. Mother's are prone to give their children a special name that has meaning to them. Bathsheba may have referred to Solomon as being of God to remind her of the graciousness of the Lord despite the sin of she and King David. Referring to him as the son of her vows may remind her that he was conceived after the King had taken her to wife.
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