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Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

Proverbs 31:6

Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish. — For this is not waste, but an advantageous use of God’s gift. (Comp. St. Paul’s advice, 1 Timothy 5:23.) It was out of a merciful remembrance of this passage that the pious ladies of Jerusalem used to provide a medicated drink for criminals condemned to be crucified, in order to deaden their pain. This was offered to our Lord (Matthew 27:34), but He would not drink it, as He wished to keep His mind clear to the last, and was willing to drink to the dregs the “cup which His Father had given Him.”

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See also Proverbs 31:6 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Proverbs 31:6. _GIVE STRONG DRINK UNTO HIM THAT IS READY TO PERISH_] We have already seen, that inebriating drinks were mercifully given to condemned criminals, to render them less sensible of...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    The true purpose of the power of wine over man’s mind and body, as a restorative and remedial agent. Compare the margin reference. The same thought showed itself in the Jewish practice of giving a cup...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    VII. THE WORDS OF KING LEMUEL TAUGHT HIM BY HIS MOTHER CHAPTER 31 The Virtuous Woman “The words of King Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him”; this is the superscription of this chapter. W...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    SECOND DIVISION. SAYINGS OF LEMUEL. A manual of directions for kings. Proverbs 31:1. The title is uncertain. RV is not grammatically correct. Read _mg._ MASSA (_mg.),_ rendered oracle in Proverbs 31:3...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    OF HEAVY HEARTS. bitter of soul. Hebrew. _nephesh._ App-13....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _of heavy hearts_ Better, with R.V. text and A.V. marg., BITTER IN SOUL. Comp. 1 Samuel 1:10, where the same Heb. expression is used....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    VII. The Words of King Lemuel. Chap. Proverbs 31:1-9 We have here another short Appendix. King Lemuel records, as his oracle, or wise teaching, the counsel given him by his mother (Proverbs 31:1). Wi...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    CHAPTER 31 TEXT Proverbs 31:1-9 1. The words of king Lemuel: The oracle which his mother taught him. 2. Why, my son? and what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows? 3. Give not thy str...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. GIVE STRONG DRINK UNTO HIM THAT IS READY TO PERISH, AND ... UNTO THOSE ... OF HEAVY HEARTS. The use...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE MOTHER OF LEMUEL. THE EXCELLENT WOMAN 1-9. An exhortation addressed to king Lemuel by his mother, urging him to avoid women and wine. The latter leads to slackness and unfairness in the administr...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    OF HEAVY HEARTS] read, 'the bitter in soul.' The Talmud treats this verse as the foundation of the pious custom of the Jerusalem ladies, who provided medicated wine to dull the pain of those condemned...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    LESSONS ABOUT WISDOM PROVERBS _KEITH SIMONS_ CHAPTER 31 V1 These are the words of King Lemuel. This section is a difficult puzzle that his mother taught to him....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    This is a strange passage. Lemuel’s mother knew that a king should not drink alcohol. But she supposed that poor people should drink lots of beer and wine in order to forget their troubles. But she wa...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    תְּנוּ ־שֵׁכָ֣ר לְ אֹובֵ֑ד וְ֝ יַיִן לְ

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    CHAPTER 32 A GOOD WOMAN "O woman-hearts, that keep the days of old In living memory, can you stand back When Christ calls? Shall the heavenly Master lack The serving love, which is your life's fi...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE WORTHY WOMAN Proverbs 31:1-9 In these words of King Lemuel, we notice a mother's influence in the education of her son. A woman is never more nobly occupied than in warning her son against the se...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    This is the second section of the appendix. There have been many conjectures as to who King Lemuel was, but nothing certainly can be said. It is divided into two parts, the first of which consists of...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Drink. Hebrew shecar, particularly palm-wine. --- Are sad. Hebrew, "perish," being sentenced to die; (Mark xv. 23., and Amos ii. 8.) or, who grieve and mourn for one deceased. On such occasions no fo...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows? Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for ki...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 10 THROUGH 31. In chapter 10 begin the details which teach those who give ear how to avoid the snares into which the simple might fall, the path to be followe...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    GIVE STRONG DRINK UNTO HIM THAT IS READY TO PERISH,.... Thou, O Lemuel, and other kings and judges, rather than drink strong drink yourselves, least to excess; give it out of your great abundance and...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    _Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts._ Ver. 6. _Give strong drink to him, &c._] To those that stand at the bar, rather than to them that si...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _It is not for kings to drink wine_ Namely, to excess, as the next verse explains it: _Lest they drink and forget the law_ The laws of God, by which they are to govern themselves and their kingdoms; _...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, to those who are afflicted, heavy in heart, full of anxiety, who are on the point of expiring, AND WINE UNTO THOSE THAT BE OF HEAVY HEARTS, who are...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    OF PROPER KINGLY DEPORTMENT...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    In THE FINAL CHAPTER of the book has also a peculiar character, King Lemuel is the writer, but not the author, for he simply quotes the words of his mother. Actually, no king of Israel or Judah is kno...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    OF HEAVY HEARTS: _ Heb._ bitter of soul...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    UNTO HIM; which is to be understood comparatively, to him rather than to kings, partly because he needs a liberal draught of it more than kings do; and principally because if it proceed to excess, in...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Proverbs 31:6 Give H5414 (H8798) drink H7941 perishing H6 (H8802) wine H3196 bitter H4751 heart H5315...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Words of King Lemuel on the dangers of intemperance and the worth of a godly woman. CHARACTERS: God, Lemuel, his mother. CONCLUSION: A virtuous woman who has command of her own spirit, who...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Proverbs 31:1. _The words of king Lemuel._ Ancient kings had many names and surnames which embarrass history. The first name of Solomon was Jedidiah, or Jedid-jah, beloved of God. 2 Samuel 12:25. Lemu...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PROVERBS—NOTE ON PROVERBS 31:1 The Sayings of King Lemuel. The word translated “oracle” (v. Proverbs 31:1) is the same as in...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PROVERBS—NOTE ON PROVERBS 31:6 The STRONG DRINK would help THOSE IN BITTER DISTRESS to FORGET THEIR POVERTY. This is often taken to mean that the king should provide strong drink

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.— LEMUEL. This Hebrew word signifies “_For God_,” or “_belonging to God_,” and is regarded by most commentators as a proper name. THE PROPHECY. Delitzsch, Stuart, and many other Hebrew...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION PROVERBS 31:1 PART VIII. SECOND APPENDIX TO THE SECOND COLLECTION, containing "the words of Lemuel" on the subjects of impurity and intemperance....

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now the thirty-first proverb are, The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him (Proverbs 31:1). So these are really the words of King Lemuel's mother unto him. The advice of a go...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Samuel 1:10; 1 Samuel 30:6; 1 Timothy 5:23; 2 Kings 4:27; Psalms

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    To perish — To faint; for such need a cordial....

  • When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties, Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe, 1960

    Does this verse encourage drinking strong alcoholic beverages? PROBLEM: On the one hand the Bible speaks against strong drink, claiming it is a “mocker” and arouses “brawling” (Proverbs 20:1). On the...

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