Capt. Neal® wrote:
"Jeff" wrote in message news | Bob Crantz wrote:
| "Lady Pilot" wrote in message
| news:mxeaf.314$Kv.312@dukeread05...
|
| Proverbs 31:1-7 ***
|
| 3 Do not give your vital energy to women, nor your ways to [what leads
| to]
| wiping out kings.
|
| Amen!
| Hahahaaaa! Do you really think Neal is a king? King Solomon, who was the
| son of King David by his wife Bathsheba, had 700 wives and 300 concubines.
|
|
| Before acting on the last of the proverbs, read carefully the first. "nor
| your ways to wiping out kings" in no way asserts Neal is a king.
|
|
| Actually the meaning of the phrase is unclear in the original and the
| translations are just speculations. Another version is "Do not give
| your strength to woman, your vigor to those who destroy kings."
|
| This is one of those curious parts of the Old Testament that was
| probably not actually originally Hebrew.



Much of the Old Testament has been superceded by the New Testament.
In the sermon on the mount Jesus clarified many of the old commandments
and expanded upon them. "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or
the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." --Matthew 5:17


Certainly the Christian view is that the New Testament supersedes the
Jewish Bible, but Jesus was speaking as a Jew in the Sermon on the
Mount. He clearly said in the following verse: "For truly I tell you,
until Heaven and Earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a
letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished."

By "law" he was referring to the Jewish ways. (Although, strictly
speaking, the Book of Proverbs is part of "The Writings" and not "The
Law.")

This is one of those curious verses where everyone seems to derive
different meaning. For Jews, it simply means the Jesus was a Jew,
speaking to Jews, and expected everyone to continue following the
Jewish tradition. Somewhat later, the Church decided they could
re-interpret the strict meaning of Jewish law to suit the new theology.

I think Jesus paraphrased the above statement about not giving your
strength to women and your vigor to destroying kings when He said:
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust
destroy and where thieves break in and steal" --Matthew 6:19

No, it is pretty clear Jesus was talking about material possessions,
while Proverb 31 is the admonishment of a mother to a prince that
indulging in women and booze is not appropriate for a king.