It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
(It is) not for kings ... to drink wine. Let all intoxicating drink be put away from kings. The reason follows:
Lest they drink, and forget the law - (cf. Proverbs 20:1; Ecclesiastes 2:3) Kings do not need it in ordinary health, and their abstinence from it sets a good example in their elevated position. This sanctions entire abstinence in cases where a greater good is gained by it than by the use of it. See the bad effects of drinking in the case of Elah (1 Kings 16:8-9); Benhadad (1 Kings 20:16); Belshazzar (Daniel 5:24; cf. Hosea 7:5; Isaiah 28:7; Isaiah 56:12; Ephesians 5:18).
Lest they ... pervert (literally, change) the judgment of any of the afflicted -literally, of all the sons of affliction.