What is the meaning of Proverbs 31:3? Do not spend your strength on women “Do not spend your strength on women” (Proverbs 31:3a) is a mother’s caution to her royal son. She knows a leader’s energy is limited and precious, and sexual excess drains body, mind, and spirit. • Scripture warns that immoral relationships sap vitality—Proverbs 5:8-11 pictures a man whose “strength” and “years” are given to a stranger, and Proverbs 6:26 says an adulteress “preys upon your precious life.” • Samson’s downfall began when he “loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek” (Judges 16:4-21); his supernatural strength departed when he yielded to Delilah’s seduction. • Solomon’s “wives turned his heart after other gods” (1 Kings 11:1-4), diverting the vigor he once used for God’s glory. • David’s lapse with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11) illustrates how a single evening of misplaced passion led to cascading personal and national consequences. The verse is not condemning marriage or godly romance. It targets uncontrolled lust, repeated affairs, and the entanglements that follow. A wise man channels his strength toward righteous purposes: faithful covenant love (Ephesians 5:25-28), productive work (Proverbs 14:23), and service to God’s kingdom (Matthew 6:33). Your vigor on those who ruin kings “Nor your vigor on those who ruin kings” (Proverbs 31:3b) widens the warning. Certain companions—male or female—undermine rulers through flattery, manipulation, and immoral influence. • Proverbs 14:34 teaches, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” Sin-promoting relationships cripple leadership. • Wicked advisers ruined King Ahaziah (2 Chronicles 22:3-4), and Haman nearly destroyed Persia’s Jews by misleading King Xerxes (Esther 3). • Rehoboam listened to reckless friends and “did not listen to the people,” splitting the kingdom (1 Kings 12:8-16). • Proverbs 13:20 sums it up: “He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” The term “ruin” points to moral sabotage. When a leader gives his best energy to ungodly influencers, he invites disaster. Instead, he must guard his heart (Proverbs 4:23) and surround himself with God-fearing counselors (Proverbs 11:14). summary Proverbs 31:3 urges stewarding strength and influence with holy caution. Passion and relationships are gifts, yet unchecked desire and destructive companions drain power, cloud judgment, and topple even the mightiest. Wisdom directs our vigor toward faithful love, righteous counsel, and wholehearted devotion to the Lord, ensuring our lives—and any leadership we hold—honor the King of kings. |
    |