The Meaning of Proverbs 31:6 Explained

Proverbs 31:6

KJV: Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

YLT: Give strong drink to the perishing, And wine to the bitter in soul,

Darby: Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter of soul:

ASV: Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, And wine unto the bitter in soul:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Give  strong drink  unto him that is ready to perish,  and wine  unto those that be of heavy  hearts. 

What does Proverbs 31:6 Mean?

Context Summary

Proverbs 31:1-9 - The Worthy Woman
In these words of King Lemuel, we notice a mother's influence in the education of her son. A woman is never more nobly occupied than in warning her son against the seductions of pleasure and in giving him a high sense of that which is right. The sins of the flesh have been the peculiar snare of royal personages, preventing them from pleading the cause of the desolate and ministering judgment to the poor and needy. What a contrast to the glory of the sovereignty of Jesus! When Savonarola preached with his burning eloquence in Florence, the people cried, "Jesus is our King, only Jesus!" That is what we all need. He is the King of whom His subjects need never be ashamed.
We cannot interpret Proverbs 31:6 and Proverbs 31:7 as a divine injunction, but rather as an admission that alcohol imparts a temporary stimulus to the despairing and the dying. We must remember Proverbs 20:1. Still speaking of the king, Lemuel shows how best his influence can be employed, Proverbs 31:8 and Proverbs 31:9. But the same obligation and privilege rests on us all. [source]

Chapter Summary: Proverbs 31

1  Lemuel's lesson of chastity and temperance
6  The afflicted are to be comforted and defended
10  The praise and properties of a good wife

What do the individual words in Proverbs 31:6 mean?

Give strong drink to him who is perishing and wine to those who are bitter of heart
תְּנוּ־ שֵׁכָ֣ר לְאוֹבֵ֑ד וְ֝יַיִן לְמָ֣רֵי נָֽפֶשׁ

תְּנוּ־  Give 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
שֵׁכָ֣ר  strong  drink 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֵׁכָר  
Sense: strong drink, intoxicating drink, fermented or intoxicating liquor.
לְאוֹבֵ֑ד  to  him  who  is  perishing 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
וְ֝יַיִן  and  wine 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַיִן  
Sense: wine.
לְמָ֣רֵי  to  those  who  are  bitter 
Parse: Preposition-l, Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: מַר 
Sense: bitter, bitterness.
נָֽפֶשׁ  of  heart 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.