Proverbs 31:3

Footnotes

1. 5 The word translated “strength” refers to physical powers here, i.e., “vigor” (so ) or “stamina.” It is therefore a metonymy of cause; the effect would be what spending this strength meant—sexual involvement with women. It would be easy for a king to spend his energy enjoying women, but that would be unwise.
2. 6 The word “ways” may in general refer to the heart’s affection for or attention to, or it may more specifically refer to sexual intercourse. While in the book of Proverbs the term is an idiom for the course of life, in this context it must refer to the energy spent in this activity.
3. 7 The construction uses Qal infinitive construct לַמְחוֹת (lamkhot, “to wipe out; to blot out; to destroy”). The construction is somewhat strange, and so some interpreters suggest changing it to מֹחוֹת (mokhot, “destroyers of kings”); cf. 562 מָחָה Qal. 3. Commentators note that the form is close to an Aramaic word that means “concubine,” and an Arabic word that is an indelicate description for women.