Proverbs 31:3

Pro 31:3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.

Ver. 3. Give not thy strength to women.] Waste not unworthily the fat and marrow of thy dear and precious time, the strength of thy body, the vigour of thy spirits, in sinful pleasures and sensual delights. See Pro 5:9.

Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.] Venery is called by one death’s best harbinger. It was the destruction of Alexander the Great, of Otho the emperor (called for his good parts otherwise Miraculum mundi), of Pope Sextus the Fourth ( qui decessit tabidus voluptate, saith the historian, died of a wicked waste), and of Pope Paul the Fourth, of whom it passed for a proverb, Eum per eandem partem animam profudisse per quam acceperat. The Lacedemonian commonwealth was by the hand of divine justice utterly overturned at Leuctra, for a rape committed by their messengers on the two daughters of Scedosus. And what befell the Benjamites on a like occasion is well known out of Jdg 20:29-48, that I speak not of the slaughter of the Shechemites, {Gen 34:25-29} &c.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pro 31:3. Give not thy strength unto women — The vigour of thy mind and body, which is greatly impaired by inordinate lusts, as all physicians agree, and frequent experience shows; nor thy ways — Thy conversation or course of life; to that which destroyeth kings — The same thing repeated in other words, as is very usual in these books; to the immoderate love of women, which is most destructive to kings and kingdoms, as was well known to Solomon, by the example of his father David, and by many other sad examples, left upon record in all histories.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3. Give not thy strength — The first clause warns Lemuel against the excessive indulgence of the appetites, (Pro_31:3-4.) Youths of every class are in great danger from this cause; but particularly youthful princes, who have greater opportunities of indulgence than others. The same is true of all in the more elevated positions of affluence. They can more readily command the means of gratifying their unlawful desires. This has always been remarkably the case with the more wealthy and powerful in Asiatic countries, where polygamy and concubinage exist as ancient and accepted institutions, sanctioned by immemorial usage. Indeed, a large harem, or seraglio, is rather regarded as a part of the necessary state of a chief or ruler, and indispensable to the respectability of the throne. This thoughtful mother had seen the evils flowing from this fruitful source, and warned her beloved son against them. This was the rock on which Solomon himself was wrecked. “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was (or had been) beloved of his God, and God made (had made) him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish (foreign, strange) women cause to sin.” Neh_13:26.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Meaning, that women are the destruction of kings, if they haunt them.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

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 Pro 5:9; Pro 7:22, Pro 7:27; Hos 4:11).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 3. Give not thy strength] Do not waste thy substance on women. In such intercourse the strength of body, soul and substance is destroyed. Such connections are those which destroy kings, מלכין melachin, the Chaldee termination instead of the Hebrew.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(3) Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.—A slight change in the punctuation will give a better sense, “to those that destroy kings,” i.e., women. Give not thy life to dissipation at their bidding. (Comp. Pro_6:24, sqq.; 1Ki_11:1).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3. that which] Or, with a slight change in the Heb., “them that”; thus preserving more exactly the parallelism with the first clause of the verse. Comp. Deu_17:17; 1Ki_11:1-8.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Give not thy strength unto women,.... Strength of body, which is weakened by an excessive use of venery (b) with a multiplicity of women; see, Pro 5:9; and strength of mind, reason, and wisdom, which is impaired by conversation with such persons; whereby time is consumed and lost, which should be spent in the improvement of knowledge: or "thy riches", as the Septuagint and Arabic versions, thy substance, which harlots devour, and who bring a man to a piece of bread, as the prodigal was, Pro 6:26; and even drain the coffers of kings and princes;

nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings; do not give thy mind to take such courses, and pursue such ways and methods, as bring ruin on kings and kingdoms, as conversation with harlots does; see Pro 7:26. Some think the design of this advice is to warn against any ambitious views of enlarging his dominions by invading neighbouring countries, and making war with neighbouring kings, to the ruin of them; but the former sense seems best. The Targum is,

"nor thy ways to the daughters of kings.''

Solomon was given to women, who proved very pernicious to him, Kg1 11:1. Some render it, "which destroyeth counsel" (c); for whoredom weakens the mind as well as the body.

(b) "Venus enervat vireis", Avienus. (c) Don Joseph apud Schindler. col. 990.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

To that which destroyeth - The temptations of the harem were then, as now, the curse of all Eastern kingdoms.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Women. This would destroy thy health, and tend to impoverish the kingdom. --- Kings, by injustice and ambition. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Thy strength; the rigour of thy mind and body, which is greatly impaired by inordinate lusts, as all physicians agree, and frequent experience showeth.

Thy ways; thy conversation or course of life.

To that which destroyeth kings; the same thing repeated in other words, as is very usual in these books; to the immoderate love of women, which is most destructive to kings and kingdoms, as was well known to Solomon by the example of his father David, and by many other sad instances left upon record in all histories.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Exhortation to chastity. Give not thy strength unto women. (comp. Pro_5:9) Chayil is "vigour," the bodily powers, which are sapped and enervated by sensuality. The Septuagint has so ; the Vulgate, substantiam tuam; but the prayerful, anxious mother would consider rather her son"s personal well being than his worldly circumstances, which, indeed, an Eastern monarch"s licentiousness would not necessarily impair. Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings; or, with a slight alteration in the punctuation (and an improved parallelism), to them that destroy kings; "expugnatricibus regum," as Schultens terms them. Women are meant; and the prince is enjoined not to surrender his life, conduct, and actions to the influence of women, who, both by the dissipation and sensuality which they occasion, and the quarrels which they provoke, and the evil counsels which they give, often ruin kings and states. (see the injunction, Deu_17:11) The Vulgate rendering, ad delendos reges, looks as if the warning was against making wars of conquest against neighbouring kings; but this is not a satisfactory parallel to the former clause. Septuagint, "Give not thy wealth unto women, nor thy mind, nor thy life unto remorse (usterobolian ). Do all things with counsel; drink wine with counsel." This seems to belong to the next verse.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Strength - The vigour of thy mind and body. Ways - Thy conversation, repeated in other words.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

The first admonition is a warning against effeminating sensuality:

Give not thy strength to women,

Nor thy ways to them that destroy kings.

The punctuation למחות sees in this form a syncopated inf. Hiph. = להמחות (vid., at Pro 24:17), according to which we are to translate: viasque tuas ad perdendos reges (ne dirige), by which, as Fleischer formulates the twofold possibility, it may either be said: direct not thy effort to this result, to destroy neighbouring kings - viz. by wars of invasion (properly, to wipe them away from the table of existence, as the Arabs say) - or: do not that by which kings are overthrown; i.e., with special reference to Lemuel, act not so that thou thyself must thereby be brought to ruin. But the warning against vengeful, rapacious, and covetous propensity to war (thus Jerome, so that Venet. after Kimchi: ἀπομάττειν βασιλέας, C. B. Michaelis, and earlier, Gesenius) does not stand well as parallel with the warning against giving his bodily and mental strength to women, i.e., expending it on them. But another explanation: direct not thy ways to the destruction of kings, i.e., toward that which destroys kings (Elster); or, as Luther translates: go not in the way wherein kings destroy themselves - puts into the words a sense which the author cannot have had in view; for the individualizing expression would then be generalized in the most ambiguous way. Thus למחות מלכין will be a name for women, parallel to לנּשׁים. So far the translation of the Targum: לבנת מלכין, filiabus (לאמהת?) regum, lies under a right supposition. But the designation is not thus general. Schultens explains catapultis regum after Eze 26:9; but, inasmuch as he takes this as a figure of those who lay siege to the hearts of men, he translates: expugnatricibus regum, for he regards מחות as the plur. of מחה, a particip. noun, which he translates by deletor. The connecting form of the fem. plur. of this מחה might certainly be מחות (cf. מזי, from מזה), but למחות מלכין ought to be changed into 'וגו 'לם; for one will not appeal to anomalies, such as 'לם, Pro 16:4; 'כּג, Isa 24:2; 'לם, Lam 1:19; or 'וגו 'הת, Kg1 14:24, to save the Pathach of למחות, which, as we saw, proceeds from an altogether different understanding of the word. But if 'לם is to be changed into 'לם, then one must go further, since for מחה not an active but a conditional meaning is to be assumed, and we must write למחות, in favour of which Fleischer as well as Gesenius decides: et ne committe consilia factaque tua iis quae reges perdunt, regum pestibus. Ewald also favours the change למחות, for he renders מחה as a denom. of מח, marrow: those who enfeeble kings, in which Kamphausen follows him. Mhlau goes further; he gives the privative signification, to enfeeble, to the Piel מחה = makhakha (cf. Herzog's Real-Wrterb. xiv. 712), which is much more probable, and proposes לממחות: iis quae vires enervant regum. But we can appropriately, with Nldeke, adhere to למחות, deletricibus (perditricibus), for by this change the parallelism is satisfied; and that מחה may be used, with immediate reference to men, of entire and total destruction, is sufficiently established by such passages as Gen 6:7; Jdg 21:17, if any proof is at all needed for it. Regarding the lxx and those misled by it, who, by מלכין and מלכים, 4a, think on the Aram. מלכּין, βουλαί, vid., Mhlau, p. 53.

(Note: Also Hitzig's Blinzlerinnen [women who ogle or leer = seductive courtesans] and Bttcher's Streichlerinnen [caressers, viz., of kings] are there rejected, as they deserve to be.)

But the Syr. has an idea worthy of the discourse, who translates epulis regum without our needing, with Mhlau, to charge him with dreaming of לחם in למחות. Perhaps that is true; but perhaps by למחות he thought of למחות (from מה, the particip. adj. of מחח): do not direct thy ways to rich food (morsels), such as kings love and can have. By this reading, 3b would mediate the transition to Pro 31:4; and that the mother refers to the immorality, the unseemliness, and the dangers of a large harem, only in one brief word (3a), cannot seem strange, much rather it may be regarded as a sign of delicacy. But so much the more badly does וּדרכיך accord with למחות. Certainly one goes to a banquet, for one finds leisure for it; but of one who himself is a king, it is not said that he should not direct his ways to a king's dainties. But if למחות refers to the whole conduct of the king, the warning is, that he should not regulate his conduct in dependence on the love and the government of women. But whoever will place himself amid the revelry of lust, is wont to intoxicate himself with ardent spirits; and he who is thus intoxicated, is in danger of giving reins to the beast within him.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Solomon has given us his father’s wise counsels. (Pro 4:4 .) Lemuel gives us his mother’s. Both have an equal claim to reverence. (Pro 1:8 .) Filled with deep anxiety, the impassioned tenderness bursts out in this godly mother, as if some besetting enticements were imminent, perhaps already working poison in her beloved son. What! my son — the son of my womb — of my vows? My heart is full. I must give vent. Have I endured all this travail in vain? Beware — Give not thy strength unto women. What a beacon had Solomon set up! (Proverbs 2. 5. 7.) What a beacon had he himself become! (Neh 13:26 .) These forbidden gratifications were ways that destroy kings. Such was the judgment upon David. His kingly authority was shaken. (2Sa 12:9-10 .) Solomon’s sin destroyed his kingdom. (1Ki 11:11 .) The fruit of this sin is shame. The end of it, without repentance, is death.

The anxious mother next warns against another cognate sin — intemperance. (Hos 4:11 .) The vice that degrades a man into a beast, is shameful to all, specially unseemly for kings. They are "the city set upon a hill." Men look, or ought to look, to them for guidance and example. What a sight for kings to drink wine and strong drink — to be given to it! Witness Elah†1 — Benhadad†2 — Belshazzar — "the princes of Israel made sick with bottles of wine"!†3 How was their high office and glory covered with shame! Sometimes it is pleaded as an excuse for sin. But if the drunken king forgets the law, and perverts the judgment,†4 will he not be held responsible? Ahasuerus was doubtless responsible for his unseemly conduct to Vashti.†5 Herod murdered the Baptist at an ungodly feast.†6 Priest and prophet "err through strong drink."†7 A wise veto therefore is set for the rulers of the Church — "not given to wine."†8

And yet the abuse of God’s blessing does not destroy their use. Wine is the gift of God. "It maketh glad the heart of man." (Psa 104:14-15 .) Yea — by a bold figure of its refreshment — it is said to "cheer God" also. (Jdg 9:13 .) Yet it is not for kings — for their indulgences and sinful excitement, but for those that need it. As restoratives and refreshments cordials are seasonable in the hour of need. Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish; as the Samaritan gave it to the wounded traveler (Luk 10:34 ); as Paul prescribed it for "the infirmities" of his beloved son in the faith. (1Ti 5:23 .) Many a sinking spirit may be revived, and forget his misery under a well-timed restorative. The rule therefore of love and self-denial is — Instead of wasting that upon thyself, in the indulgence of appetite, which will only debase thy nature; see that thou dispense thy luxuries among those, who really require them. Seek out cases of penury and wasting misery. Let it be an honor to thee to bring in the poor that is cast out into thine house, that he may forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.†9 May not this remind us of the Messenger of love, dealing with those that are ready to perish? (Isa 61:1-2 . Mat 11:28 .) Their conscience is loaded with guilt. Their hearts are heavy with a burden, which they can neither bear nor be rid of. He tells them of God’s love to sinners; the ransom found for them; the welcome assured to them. This is a cordial of strong drink, and wine such as they need. The heavy heart becomes "no more sad." (1Sa 1:18 . Act 16:34 .) The former poverty is forgotten, and his misery is remembered no more, and "the blessings of him that was ready to perish comes" upon him "that bringeth the good tidings." Happy minister, gifted like his divine Master, with the "tongue of the learned, that he should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary." (Isa 50:4 .)

Footnotes:

†1 1Ki 16:8-9 .

†2 1Ki 20:16 .

†3 Hos 7:5.

†4 A woman wrongly condemned by Philip of Macedon, when drunk, boldly exclaimed - ’I appeal to Philip, but it shall be when he is sober.’ Roused by the appeal, the monarch examined the cause, and gave a righteous judgment.

†5 Est 1:10-11.

†6 Mar 6:21-28.

†7 Isa 28:7; Isa 56:12 .

†8 1Ti 3:3 . Tit 1:7 .

†9 This was the classical idea of the power of wine. - ’Huic calix mulsi impingendus. ut plorare desinat.’ - Cicero, Tuscui. 3. ’Nunc vino pellite curas.’ - Hor. Od. l. i. 7. ’Vinum obliviosum’ (blotting out the remembrance of evil.) - Ib. Od. l. ii. 7. ’Tunc dolor et curæ rugaque frontis abit.’ - Ovid. The mixed wine which Helena gave to Telemachus, called Nepenthes, had such an effect as to remove sorrow, and to bury in forgetfulness past evils. - Odyss. D. 220, 221. Compare Mar 15:23 .

Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (1846) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Do not give Do not weaken.

your strength to women Heb. חילך, your strength.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.