Proverbs 31:1
“The words of king Lemuel; the revelation which his mother taught him.”
What does Proverbs 31:1 mean?
This verse opens one of the Bible's most famous passages about wisdom, introducing us to a mother's urgent counsel to her son, a young king. The "revelation" here isn't a mystical vision, but rather timeless truths passed down through maternal love and concern, spoken with the weight of spiritual conviction. We don't know much about King Lemuel or his mother historically, which is part of what makes this introduction powerful: what follows could be any devoted parent sharing their deepest values with someone they love who holds real power and influence. The fact that these words are preserved and honored tells us that wisdom spoken with love, especially when it challenges us to live with integrity, deserves our attention.