Quick answer
Proverbs 31:6 is not a normal-life endorsement of social drinking. The surrounding verses first warn rulers away from wine because it distorts judgment, then mention a sorrow-and-perishing setting.
Proverbs 31:4 (KJV)
“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:”
Proverbs 31:5 (KJV)
“Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.”
Proverbs 31:6 (KJV)
“Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.”
In the wider Bible-wine survey, these passages belong on the warning side with a narrow sorrow context.
What these passages show
That context matters. The verse does not say that healthy people should build a drinking practice from it. It sits beside loss, grief, and the danger of forgotten judgment, which is a very different setting from modern alcohol apologetics.
Read them alongside is drinking alcohol biblical, is drinking a sin, and two wines in the Bible.
Keep these texts together
Keep verse 6 tied to verses 4 and 5, not detached from them. The whole unit points toward sober judgment, not toward ordinary permission.
Frequently asked questions
Why not use Proverbs 31:6 as a simple permission text?
Because the context is a setting of heaviness and perishing, and the immediate preceding warning is against distorted judgment.
Does this page deny the verse?
No. It keeps the verse in its own setting instead of forcing it to carry a meaning the passage itself does not give it.
Key answers connected to this page
- Wine in the Bible — Read the broad overview of wine in the Bible, Bible wine, and biblical wine language.