# King Lemuel

This is the name of a king. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])

# What, my son? What is it, son of my womb? What do you want, son of my vows?

Possible meanings of the rhetorical question "What" are 1) "What are you doing?" or "You should not be doing what you are doing" or 2) "What shall I tell you?" or "Listen to what I am telling you" or 3) "Do not do the things I am about to warn you against." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])

# my son ... son of my womb ... son of my vows

The speaker wants the hearer to notice carefully and to respect the one who is talking to him.

# son of my womb

The womb is a synecdoche for the person. It is best to use a polite term for the body part in which babies grow before they are born.

# son of my vows

The "vows" could be 1) the mother's marriage vows or 2) a vow after she married that if God allowed her to have a child she would dedicate him to God.

# Do not give your strength to women

"Do not work hard trying to have sex with women," either outside of marriage or with concubines.

# or your ways to those who destroy kings

"or allow those who destroy kings to advise you"

# your ways

Possible meanings are 1) "the way you live your life" or 2) "the work you do"

# those who destroy kings

probably the immoral "women" to whom he is not to give his strength

# translationWords

* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/king]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/womb]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/vow]]