While reading the Book of Proverbs, you may have stumbled across King Lemuel's name. We know most of the Proverbs were penned by King Solomon—the third king of Israel, who bookmarked the end of the Golden Age of kings.
Scholars have debated the identity of King Lemuel. Is he Solomon? A fictional king? Or someone else?
In today's article, we'll explore the identity of King Lemuel, what he has to say in the book of Proverbs, and what we can learn from his teachings.
It depends on who you ask. King Lemuel shows up in Proverbs 31. If that passage sounds familiar, you may have heard of a Proverbs 31 woman. This woman is virtuous, runs her own business, and manages household affairs.
King Lemuel speaks to his mother, and his mother advises him to seek after a woman like that described in Proverbs 31.
Hence, in many Christian circles today, people will encourage men to go after Proverbs 31 types of women. Women who put God first and busy themselves with good work—whatever that work may look like.
In terms of the identity of King Lemuel, we have three prevailing theories that scholars have debated.
Theory 1: King Lemuel Is King Solomon
From the passage's description, it does seem that Lemuel is, in fact, a king. It would make sense that a king would look for a virtuous wife. A wrong choice could deter an entire nation. We saw what Jezebel did to influence King Ahab—although King Ahab was evil even without her sway.
Many scholars believe the mother speaking to Lemuel in the passage is Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. As a queen, she would've been expected to be virtuous and display many of the traits we see in Proverbs 31—even if her initial relationship with David was far from virtue-filled. It could also make sense that if Solomon penned a significant portion of Proverbs, he could also be Lemuel.
However, it doesn't make sense why Solomon wouldn't name himself in this passage. The name Lemuel means "devoted to God." So that wouldn't be far off from Solomon's life before his wives and concubines led him away from the Lord for a time. Still, we cannot say with 100 percent certainty if Solomon fits the bill.
Theory 2: King Lemuel Is King Hezekiah
Judah didn't have many good kings, but they did have the wonderful King Hezekiah. You may know him for the recent archeological finds of his tunnels. Or because he went to the Lord—when Assyria threatened to lay siege to Judah—and the Lord protected his people. Perhaps his mother, Abijah/Abi, taught him the significance of a godly wife.
Not many scholars have pointed to strong arguments for why they chose Hezekiah specifically.
Theory 2: King Lemuel Is a Fictional King
Since we have so few context clues as to this king's identity, and since we don't know any Israelite royals who went by the nickname Lemuel, it's not outside the realm of possibility that Lemuel didn't exist. Perhaps the person who penned Proverbs 31 intended to use a fictional character as a spokesperson for this message. We do see ancient writers sometimes doing this. For example, Plato has his mentor Socrates appear as a fictional character in his writings, using Socrates as a mouthpiece of Plato's ideas.
Some Jewish scholars have theorized that Lemuel may be a foreign fictional king, which would add an interesting lens to the discussion. What if the message is a Gentile king learning how to follow God?
Given the debate and few details we have (at least right now), the important point may not be the identity of Lemuel. Rather, the important point is what his mother's message says.
Lemuel's mother gives him a great deal of advice. First, she tells him not to focus so much on women—as it would be unfitting for a king. Perhaps this detail supports the Bathsheba/Solomon theory.
She also tells him to avoid alcohol and to speak up for the poor and oppressed.
Most of her advice, however, comes from the Proverbs 31 woman. She outlines a perfect, godly wife.
This woman works a manual labor job that brings in finances, provides for her family, manages household affairs, shows a great deal of the spiritual gift of hospitality, raises children, speaks with wisdom, and values virtues over personal appearance.
Often, Christians can cherry-pick from the passage—saying a woman must be one thing or another. I have often heard the argument, "Well, it says that she's a parent to the children, so that means that all women must be stay-at-home moms." Or I've heard the opposite, "Well, it says she works, so women are not godly if they aren't working full-time."
When we do this, I think we miss this chapter's point.
Proverbs 31 shows us that godly women follow their calling and make their husbands swell with pride from their virtues, kindness, parenting, and hard work.
Lemuel doesn't get off the hook by wanting a wife who has it all. He must advocate for those who don't have voices. Abstain from pleasures such as alcohol, and frankly be a Proverbs 1-30 husband.
Virtuous wives and husbands have large shoes to fill. And they can only do so by following the paths of righteousness and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform them. Then, and only then, can we follow King Lemuel's mother's advice about godly husbands and wives.
No matter the true identity of King Lemuel, we can learn a lot from him—and from his mother's advice.
First, we often misuse Proverbs 31 to bully women.
Sadly, if we're truly being honest with ourselves, the church can be brutal when it comes to women. If women stay home with the kids, they bring economic hardship to the family. If they both work and parent the kids, they're not invested enough in their children's lives. And if they work and have Dad stay home, they're emasculating their husbands.
We can often use passages like Proverbs 31 to shapeshift into our eisegetical viewpoint of marriage and gender roles. However, if we do this, we miss the whole point of this book of wisdom.
Virtuosity is hard. To find in relationships and to maintain once we've formed those relationships. It takes seeking God to maintain the traits of virtuous people we see in Proverbs.
Let's focus on our journeys in sanctification rather than dictating to men or women what they should or shouldn't look like.
Second, we need to exercise discernment when it comes to relationships.
Solomon married many women, and they led him astray from Yahweh.
Scripture heavily emphasizes godly relationships because they can make or break a spiritual walk with the Lord.
Better to wait for a man or woman who pursues the virtuous traits outlined in Proverbs than to settle for someone who does not put God first.
Finally, we need to read books in their full context.
Proverbs 31 is a beautiful passage. But if we don't read Proverbs 1-30, we miss the greater context of this book of wisdom.
Churches often place such a heavy emphasis on personal Scripture reading for this reason.
I would encourage you to read all of the Bible if you can. Stick to a Bible plan; don't get down on yourself if you fall behind.
That way, we can fully enjoy the beauty of passages like Proverbs 31, knowing the full overarching story of God's redemption.
Photo Credit: © iStock/Getty Images Plus/Yurii Kifor
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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