Chapter 31 begins with 9 verses from King Lemuel. The last portion of this chapter is a poem about a godly wife. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/godly]])
This person is unknown in Scripture, other than here. It is important to recognize that the words in this chapter are words of his mother addressed to him. They are formed like advice of a mother to her son.
Verse 10 through 31 is tightly formed as a poem in the original language. There are 22 lines in the Hebrew language that each begin with a successive letter of the alphabet. However, each language will have a different set of letters. Therefore, it is important to realize this was a single composition with a single theme of a noble or godly wife.
King Lemuel advice to his son addresses themes of avoiding drinks with alcohol and of being fair and righteous (31:1-9). The final section about the godly wife addresses several themes, including the great value of a godly wife (30:10-12), her hard work (31:13-19), her generosity (31:20), her care for her family (31:21-23), and her dignity, wisdom, and fear of the Lord (31:25-31).
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