Proverbs 31:6-7 | Bible Study | Let Them Drink

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Introduction: Proverbs 31:6-7 Bible Study

Welcome, to the bible study series Know the Bible: Proverbs 31:6-7. I am glad you are meeting me AT FORESTS EDGE, where women can study the word of God together and encourage one another while we walk out our faith, embrace womanhood, and live fearlessly.

In this study of Proverbs 31:6-7, we will look at the sixth and seventh verses in context. I have broken the chapter up into mini-studies so that busy women like myself can take in the information in just a few minutes each day. 

If you have more time then feel free to continue to the next section whenever you are ready.

This study is perfect for a personal bible study or a women’s small group.

New here? The Proverbs 31 overview sets the stage for the context of the chapter, otherwise, let’s jump right into Proverbs 31:6-7!

Proverbs 31:6-7

“Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.”

Proverbs 31:6-7 NKJV

Proverbs 31:6-7 Strong’s Definition:

Perishing- (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible H6)אָבַד ʼâbad, aw-bad’; a primitive root; properly, to wander away, i.e. lose oneself; by implication to perish (causative, destroy):—break, destroy(-uction), not escape, fail, lose, (cause to, make) perish, spend, × and surely, take, be undone, × utterly, be void of, have no way to flee.

Bitter – (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible H4751)מַר  mar, mar; or (feminine) מָרָה mârâh; from H4843; bitter (literally or figuratively); also (as noun) bitterness, or (adverbially) bitterly:— angry, bitter(-ly, -ness), chafed, discontented, × great, heavy.

Heart- (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible H5315) נֶפֶשׁ nephesh, neh’-fesh; from H5314; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental):—any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, × dead(-ly), desire, × (dis-) contented, × fish, ghost, greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, × jeopardy of) life (× in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, slay, soul, tablet, they, thing, (× she) will, × would have it.

Forget- (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible H7911) שָׁכַח shâkach, shaw-kakh’; or שָׁכֵחַ shâkêach; a primitive root; to mislay, i.e. to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention:—× at all, (cause to) forget.

Poverty- (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible H7389)רֵישׁ rêysh, raysh; or רֵאשׁ rêʼsh; or רִישׁ rîysh; from H7326; poverty:—poverty.

Misery- (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible H8138) עָמָל ʻâmâl, aw-mawl’; from H5998; toil, i.e. wearing effort; hence, worry, whether of body or mind:—grievance(-vousness), iniquity, labour, mischief, miserable(-sery), pain(-ful), perverseness, sorrow, toil, travail, trouble, wearisome, wickedness.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary Definitions From Proverbs 31:6-7

PER’ISH, verb intransitive [Latin pereo, supposed to be compounded of per and eo, to go; literally, to depart wholly.]

1. To die; to lose life in any manner; applied to animals. Men perish by disease or decay, by the sword, by drowning, by hunger or famine, etc.

2. To die; to wither and decay; applied to plants.

3. To waste away; as, a leg or an arm has perished.

4. To be in a state of decay or passing away.

Duration, and time which is part of it, is the idea we have of perishing distance.

5. To be destroyed; to come to nothing.

Perish the lore that deadens young desire.

6. To fail entirely or to be extirpated. 2 Kings 9:8.

7. To be burst or ruined; as, the bottles shall perish

Luke 5:37.

8. To be wasted or rendered useless. Jeremiah 9:12.

9. To be injured or tormented. 1 Corinthians 8:11.

10. To be lost eternally; to be sentenced to endless misery. 2 Peter 2:12.

PER’ISH, verb transitive To destroy. [Not legitimate.]

BIT’TER, adjective

1. Sharp, or biting to the taste; acrid; like wormwood.

2. Sharp; cruel; severe; as bitter enmity. Hebrews 1:1.

3. Sharp, as words, reproachful; sarcastic.

4. Sharp to the feeling; piercing; painful; that makes to smart; as a bitter cold day, or a bitter blast.

5. Painful to the mind; calamitous; poignant; as a bitter fate.

6. Afflicted; distressed.

The Egyptians made their lives bitter Exodus 1:14.

7. Hurtful; very sinful.

Is an evil and bitter thing. Jeremiah 2:19.

8. Mournful; distressing; expressive of misory; as a bitter complaint or lamentation. Job 23:2. Jeremiah 6:26.

BIT’TER, noun A substance that is bitter [See bitter ]

BIT’TER, noun [See Bitts.] In marine language, a turn of the cable which is round the bitts.

Bitter-end, that part of a cable which is abaft the bitts, and therefore within board, when the ship rides at anchor.

SOUL, noun

1. The spiritual, rational and immortal substance in man, which distinguishes him from brutes; that part of man which enables him to think and reason, and which renders him a subject of moral government. The immortality of the soul is a fundamental article of the christian system. Such is the nature of the human soul that it must have a God, an object of supreme affection.

POV’ERTY, noun [Latin paupertas. See Poor.]

1. Destitution of property; indigence; want of convenient means of subsistence. The consequence of poverty is dependence.

MIS’ERY, noun s as z. [Latin miseria.]

1. Great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind. A man suffers misery from the gout, or from great afflictions, distress, calamity, and other evils. misery expresses somewhat less than wretchedness.

Misery is as really the fruit of vice reigning in the heart, as tares are the produce of tares sown in the field.

2. Calamity; misfortune; natural evils which are the cause of misery

And mourn the miseries of human life.

3. Covetousness. [Not used.]

Summary of Proverbs 31:6-7

In verses 4-5 it is explained that it is not for kings to get drunk. Verses 6-7 show the opposite, who should get drunk? Alcohol is a remedy for those who are perishing. Those who have no hope. Whose soul is bitter. The physical body is on its last breath and the mind cannot cope with the reality of their current affliction. Their drinking is a matter of relief from present pain.

My notes from Proverbs 31:6-7

Sometimes it’s ok

These two verses take a 180 from the last. Bathsheba tells Solomon that he shouldn’t be drinking. But then goes on to tell him who should. 

She realizes that there are times in a person’s life when alcohol is entirely understandable to use to cope with. 

Those who are perishing. Someone who is dying may be doing so under intense pain and suffering. Alcohol at that time would have been used to lessen that pain. Similar to the use of morphine or painkillers for hospice patients. 

The other instance is those who are bitter of heart. Someone who is distressed in their soul, their very being, cannot see hope. In those circumstances, they could find temporary relief from the present pain by numbing it with alcohol. I would go on to impress that temporary needs to be the focus. 

Drinking cannot solve the issue and eventually, the emotions need to be recognized in a healthy way. People will never heal if they don’t allow themselves to experience and work through the healing process. Things happen in our life that is devastating, we cannot stop living and become constantly intoxicated because of them.

Help those who are hurting

These verses also shine a light on the need for compassionate people in this world. We should care about the situations of others whether they are physical or emotional. If someone around you is going through a season of suffering, the best thing you can do is be there for them. 

It means so much to know they are not alone. There has to be someone there to give them what they need, because they may not be able to take care of themselves in those moments.

Broken hearts club

When I lost my daughter, I was bitter of heart. To this day, even compared to the dangerous situations I faced, I consider losing her the worst point of my life.

During those moments my husband and I felt alone, neither of us knew how to comfort each other because we were broken. Most of our friends didn’t even know what to say or do so they thought giving us space would be the best choice. 

We didn’t drink because our children needed us and they were more important than escaping the pain. If I didn’t have children, I probably would have drank because the pain was so intense I didn’t know how to cope. 

My heart still hurts and I figure the healing process will last my lifetime. Each day I get better at focusing on the present and having hope for the future. It doesn’t mean those moments don’t come when I cry. Just touching on it now brings me to tears.

What helped us was when a few of our friends reached out to us. They were brave enough to face us even though they didn’t know what to say. One of my friends brought the most beautiful homemade cookies and another brought chocolates. Just having them there to hug me, and agree with me about how much it sucked! Just to know that we were not alone. That is what made a huge difference.

Ultimately it was the Lord that began the healing process. Only He can comfort with any real comfort. But I do believe He also uses those around us to bring those comforts too.

Proverbs 31:6-7 Takeaway

Intoxication can be helpful if someone is dying or under such distress, that they cannot cope. Not for people who just want to have “fun”.  Definitely, not for someone with an important job that requires them to be sober to be able to complete it well. (Like a king, or a parent in my case.)

Questions to Ponder by Proverbs 31:6-7:

1. Who should get drunk?
2. How can we be more intentional at helping people in times of distress?
3. Have you ever been in such a distressing situation? Did anyone help you?

Thank you, for meeting me here, AT FORESTS EDGE. I hope this in-depth women’s bible study of Proverbs 31 is a blessing to you. 

I’d love to know if you have gained insight from the study. If you have faced great loss, I pray God will comfort you with all comfort and hope. He knows you, He sees you, He cares about you. You are not alone. 

Don’t be afraid to talk to someone. There is nothing wrong with talking to a professional.

If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior you can find out more about salvation.

Check out the next study, Proverbs 31:8-9 or the prior study in Proverbs 31:4-5.Feel free to check out my favorite bible study tools. Proverbs 31 Overview | Discover Timeless Wisdom

I’d love for you to be my companion in this journey, and join my newsletter where I share encouragement throughout the year for women to walk in faith, embrace womanhood, and live fearlessly. 

Until we meet again,

Raeanna