The opening words indicate that a new collection appears. These sayings are clearly limited to verses 1–9, since an acrostic poem begins at verse 10. Moreover, they are a rare example of advice given by the queen mother to her son.

31:1 As in 30:1 (see the comment), “Massaite” should be read instead of oracle (see the NIV margin). The prestige and role of the queen mother in the ancient Near East was great. The role of women in society (and education) is not as prominent elsewhere in the OT as it is in Proverbs, although much can be inferred from other books.

31:2 The MT has “what” (mah, see Additional Notes), rendered as O in the NIV. Son of my vows is not found elsewhere, and the paraphrase in the NIV margin seems to be inspired by Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:9–11. There may be an allusion to…