Bible Strands
Proverbs 31:2
What shall I say, O my son? What, O son of my womb? What, O son of my vows?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — King Lemuel’s mother addresses her son at the moment she begins instructing him with a prophetic burden. She speaks directly to him before delivering her counsel on leadership and self-control.
The words — The Hebrew term בִּטְנִי (bitni) literally means “my womb,” and נְדָרַי (nedarai) translates to “my vows.” These terms anchor the speaker’s maternal identity and prior religious commitment.
The thread — The phrase “son of my womb” echoes in Isaiah 49:15, where maternal compassion illustrates divine faithfulness. The concept of a dedicated vow appears in 1 Samuel 1:11 and 1 Samuel 1:28, where a mother consecrates her child to God.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition of the speaker’s authority and the weight of her prior dedication. It requires the reader to attend to the instruction that follows with the same seriousness as a consecrated promise.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?
Cross-references
- Isaiah 49:15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!
- 1 Samuel 1:11 And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”
- 1 Samuel 1:28 I now dedicate the boy to the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.