H3927 H3927
Lemuel, king of Massa (recipient of Proverbs 31 oracle)
The name of a king who received wisdom instruction from his mother, preserved in Proverbs 31:1-9. He is identified as king of Massa, likely an Arabian tribe descended from Ishmael. Whether Lemuel is a personal name or a symbolic title (meaning 'belonging to God' or 'devoted to God') remains debated. Some Jewish traditions even identified him with Solomon, though most scholars see him as a distinct Arabian king.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A proper name (appearing with slight spelling variation as Lemuel/Lemoel) of a king who received maternal wisdom instruction. Found in Proverbs 31:1, 4, introducing the famous oracle about the virtuous woman. The name may be symbolic ('belonging to El/God') or a historical Arabian royal name. His connection to Massa links him to Ishmaelite genealogy (Genesis 25:14), suggesting non-Israelite wisdom integrated into Proverbs. 2×
AR["لَموئيلَ", "يا-لَموئيلُ"]·ben["লমূয়েল", "লমূয়েলের"]·DE["[למואל]"]·EN["Lemuel", "O-Lemuel"]·FR["למואל"]·heb["למואל"]·HI["लमूएल"]·ID["Lemuel"]·IT["Lemuel", "O-Lemuel"]·jav["Lemuel"]·KO["르무엘아", "르무엘의"]·PT["Lemuel"]·RU["Лемуэль", "Лемуэля"]·ES["Lemuel"]·SW["Lemueli"]·TR["Lemuel", "Lemuel'in"]·urd["لموئیل", "لموئیل-کی"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† לְמוּאֵל, לְמוֹאֵל n.pr.m. king of Massa (prob., v. מַשָּׂא); לְמוּ׳ Pr 31:1, למוֹ׳ v 4.