King James Version

Proverbs 31:4

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:

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Hebrew

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אַ֤לalnotאַלparticle, negative — “not”H408not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun, nothingnay, neither, [phrase] never, no, nor, not, nothing (worth), rather than.לַֽמְלָכִ֨יםlamlakhimto kingמֶלֶךְpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “to king”, the ordinary formH4428a kingking, royal.לְֽמוֹאֵ֗לlemoelLemuelלְמוּאֵלnoun, proper name — “Lemuel”H3927Lemuel or Lemoel, a symbolic name of SolomonLemuel.אַ֣לalnotאַלparticle, negative — “not”H408not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun, nothingnay, neither, [phrase] never, no, nor, not, nothing (worth), rather than.לַֽמְלָכִ֣יםlamlakhimto kingמֶלֶךְpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “to king”, the ordinary formH4428a kingking, royal.שְׁתוֹshetvobanquetשָׁתָהverb, qal, infinitive construct — “banquet”, the to-form of the verbH8354to imbibe (literally or figuratively)[idiom] assuredly, banquet, [idiom] certainly, drink(-er, -ing), drunk ([idiom] -ard), surely. (Prop. intensive of H8248 (שָׁקָה).)יָ֑יִןyayinwineיַיִןnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “wine”, the ordinary formH3196wine (as fermented); by implication, intoxicationbanqueting, wine, wine(-bibber).וּ֝לְרוֹזְנִ֗יםulerozenimand to princeרָזַןconjunction, preposition, verb, qal, participle, absolute — “and to prince”, a verb used as a describing wordH7336probably to be heavy, i.e. (figuratively) honorableprince, ruler.אוvalsoאוֹconjunction — “also”H176desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4); hence (by way of alternative) or, also ifalso, and, either, if, at the least, [idiom] nor, or, otherwise, then, whether.אֵ֣יehowאַיparticle, interrogative — “how”H335where? hence how?how, what, whence, where, whether, which (way).שֵׁכָֽרshekharstrong drinkשֵׁכָרnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “strong drink”, the ordinary formH7941an intoxicant, i.e. intensely alcoholic liquorstrong drink, [phrase] drunkard, strong wine.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine: nor for princes to say: 'Where is strong drink?'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; Nor for princes to say , Where is strong drink?

Young’s Literal Translation

Not for kings, O Lemuel, Not for kings, to drink wine, And for princes a desire of strong drink.

World English Bible

It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes to say, ‘Where is strong drink?’

Darby Translation

It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for rulers [to say], Where is the strong drink?

Douay-Rheims

Give not to kings, O Lamuel, give not wine to kings: because there is no secret where drunkenness reigneth:

Jewish Publication Society (1917)