Bible Dictionary
Lemuel
Lemuel was a king whose mother instructed him with wise sayings recorded in Proverbs 31. His identity is uncertain; the name may refer to an otherwise unknown ruler or tribal leader.
Definition
Lemuel was a king whose mother taught him the sayings recorded in Proverbs 31:1-9. His name means “dedicated to God.”
Biblical Usage
Lemuel’s mother instructed him concerning kingly conduct, including sobriety, justice, and care for the needy. The following acrostic poem may possibly also come from the same source.
Historical Background
Nothing certain is known about Lemuel. He has been regarded either as an otherwise unknown king or as the ruler of an Arab tribe; rabbinical commentators identified him with Solomon.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Dedicated to God, a king whom his mother instructed (Prov. 31:1-9). Nothing is certainly known concerning him. The rabbis identified him with Solomon.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(dedicated to God), the name of an unknown king to whom his mother addressed the prudential maxims contained in (Proverbs 31:1-9) The rabbinical commentators identified Lemuel with Solomon. Others regard him as king or chief of an Arab tribe dwelling on the borders of Palestine, and elder brother of Agur, whose name stands at the head of (Proverbs 30:1)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>lem'-u-el (lemu'el, or lemo'-el): A king whose words, an "oracle (taught him by his mother)," are given in Pr 31:1-9; and possibly the succeeding acrostic poem (31:10-31) is from the same source. Instead of translating the word after this name as "oracle" some propose to leave it as a proper name, translating "king of Massa," and referring for his kingdom to Massa (Ge 25:14), one of the sons of Ishmael, supposedly head of a tribe or sheikh of a country. It is to be noted, however, that the words of Agur in the previous chapter are similarly called massa', "oracle" with not so clear a reason for referring it to a country. See for a suggested reason for retaining the meaning "oracle" in both places, PROVERBS, THE BOOK OF, II, 6.</p><p>John Franklin Genung</p>