17 She girdeth H2296 her loins H4975 with strength, H5797 and strengtheneth H553 her arms. H2220
And the hand H3027 of the LORD H3068 was on Elijah; H452 and he girded up H8151 his loins, H4975 and ran H7323 before H6440 Ahab H256 to the entrance H935 of Jezreel. H3157
Then he said H559 to Gehazi, H1522 Gird up H2296 thy loins, H4975 and take H3947 my staff H4938 in thine hand, H3027 and go thy way: H3212 if thou meet H4672 any man, H376 salute H1288 him not; and if any H376 salute H1288 thee, answer him not again: H6030 and lay H7760 my staff H4938 upon the face H6440 of the child. H5288
Wherefore G1352 gird up G328 the loins G3751 of your G5216 mind, G1271 be sober, G3525 and hope G1679 to the end G5049 for G1909 the grace G5485 that is to be brought G5342 unto you G5213 at G1722 the revelation G602 of Jesus G2424 Christ; G5547
But his bow H7198 abode H3427 in strength, H386 and the arms H2220 of his hands H3027 were made strong H6339 by the hands H3027 of the mighty H46 God of Jacob; H3290 (from thence is the shepherd, H7462 the stone H68 of Israel:) H3478
The smith H1270 H2796 with the tongs H4621 both worketh H6466 in the coals, H6352 and fashioneth H3335 it with hammers, H4717 and worketh H6466 it with the strength H3581 of his arms: H2220 yea, he is hungry, H7457 and his strength H3581 faileth: H369 he drinketh H8354 no water, H4325 and is faint. H3286
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Proverbs 31
Commentary on Proverbs 31 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 31
This chapter is added to Solomon's proverbs, some think because it is of the same author, supposing king Lemuel to be king Solomon; others only because it is of the same nature, though left in writing by another author, called Lemuel; however it be, it is a prophecy, and therefore given by inspiration and direction of God, which Lemuel was under in the writing of it, and putting it into this form, as his mother was in dictating to him the matter of it. Here is,
Pro 31:1-9
Most interpreters are of opinion that Lemuel is Solomon; the name signifies one that is for God, or devoted to God; and so it agrees well enough with that honourable name which, by divine appointment, was given to Solomon (2 Sa. 12:25), Jedediah-beloved of the Lord. Lemuel is supposed to be a pretty, fond, endearing name, by which his mother used to call him; and so much did he value himself upon the interest he had in his mother's affections that he was not ashamed to call himself by it. One would the rather incline to think it is Solomon that here tells us what his mother taught him because he tells us (ch. 4:4) what his father taught him. But some think (and the conjecture is not improbable) that Lemuel was a prince of some neighbouring country, whose mother was a daughter of Israel, perhaps of the house of David, and taught him these good lessons. Note,
Now, in this mother's (this queen mother's) catechism, observe,
Pro 31:10-31
This description of the virtuous woman is designed to show what wives the women should make and what wives the men should choose; it consists of twenty-two verses, each beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order, as some of the Psalms, which makes some think it was no part of the lesson which Lemuel's mother taught him, but a poem by itself, written by some other hand, and perhaps had been commonly repeated among the pious Jews, for the ease of which it was made alphabetical. We have the abridgment of it in the New Testament (1 Tim. 2:9-10, 1 Pt. 3:1-6), where the duty prescribed to wives agrees with this description of a good wife; and with good reason is so much stress laid upon it, since it contributes as much as any one thing to the keeping up of religion in families, and the entail of it upon posterity, that the mothers be wise and good; and of what consequence it is to the wealth and outward prosperity of a house every one is sensible. He that will thrive must ask his wife leave. Here is,
Twenty chapters of the book of Proverbs (beginning with ch. 10 and ending with ch. 29), consisting mostly of entire sentences in each verse, could not well be reduced to proper heads, and the contents of them gathered; I have therefore here put the contents of all these chapters together, which perhaps may be of some use to those who desire to see at once all that is said of any one head in these chapters. Some of the verses, perhaps, I have not put under the same heads that another would have put them under, but the most of them fall (I hope) naturally enough to the places I have assigned them.