Proverbs 31:4
It is not for melachim, O Lemuel, 1 it is not for melachim to drink yayin; 1 nor for rulers to crave strong drink; 1
Orthodox Jewish Bible
In The King James Version
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
In Context
3Give not thy strength unto nashim, 1 nor thy drakhim to that which destroyeth melachim. 1
Cross References
Leviticus 10:9Do not drink yayin nor strong drink, thou, nor thy banim with thee, when ye go into the Ohel Mo'ed, lest ye die; it shall be chukkat olam throughout your generations;
1 Kings 20:12And it came to pass, when Ben-Hadad heard this davar, as he was drinking, he and the melachim in the sukkot, that he said unto his avadim, Get ready to attack. And they set themselves in array against the Ir.
Esther 1:10On the yom hashevi'i, when the lev of HaMelech was tov with yayin, he commanded Mehuman, Bizta, Charvona, Bigta, and Avagta, Zetar, and Karkas, the shivat hasarisim (the seven eunuchs) that served in the presence of HaMelech Achashverosh,
Proverbs 20:1The yayin is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; 1 and whosoever is seduced to be led astray thereby is not wise. 1
Ecclesiastes 10:17Blessed art thou, O eretz, when thy melech is a nobleman, 1 and thy sarim (princes) eat in due season, 1 for strength, and not for drunkenness! 1
Isaiah 28:7But they also have gone astray through yayin, 1 and through strong drink are out of the way; 1 the kohen and the navi have erred through strong drink, 1 they are swallowed up with yayin, 1 they are out of the way through strong drink; 1 they go astray from the vision, 1 they stumble in rendering decisions. 1
Matthew Henry on Proverbs 31:2-10
Maternal Counsels to King Lemuel. 1 The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. 2 What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows? 3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: 5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. 6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto… Read the whole commentary →