Proverbs 5:15-19
Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The imagery of a "cistern" and "well" isn't just about contentment; it highlights the wife as a source of life-giving refreshment, a carefully preserved and valuable possession in an arid land, far surpassing the fleeting and impure allure of stolen pleasures. This emphasizes the profound, life-sustaining value of marital intimacy, meant to satisfy deeply and purely.
After warning against the seductive speech of the "strange woman" and the disastrous consequences of illicit affairs, the teacher now offers a counterpoint. He shifts from condemnation to commendation, presenting marriage as the intended, pure source of satisfaction and fulfillment for natural desires. This imagery emphasizes the value and contentment found within the boundaries of marital faithfulness.
Imagine living in a desert where water is scarce and precious. The 'strange woman' offers 'stolen waters,' but Solomon urges you to seek satisfaction elsewhere. Where does he direct you?
Proverbs 5 uses vivid imagery to highlight the beauty and sufficiency of marriage. The 'cistern' and 'well' were vital resources in ancient, arid lands, representing a secure and reliable source of life.
A Divine Provision
Solomon isn't just talking about avoiding sin; he's actively commending a blessed alternative. The 'wife' is likened to a 'cistern' (an artificial reservoir) and a 'well' (a natural spring). This isn't demeaning; it elevates marriage as a divine provision for deep satisfaction and refreshment.
Pure Pleasures
These aren't just any waters – they are 'flowing waters.' This imagery speaks of life, vitality, and a continuous supply, contrasting sharply with the fleeting and dangerous allure of illicit affairs. The pleasures found within marriage are meant to be pure, life-giving, and sustaining.
The world constantly whispers about greener grass and sweeter tastes just over the fence. How does Proverbs challenge this restless pursuit?
The core message here is about contentment within the boundaries God has established. The 'strange woman' promises 'sweet' stolen pleasures, but these are ultimately destructive and empty.
Beyond Mere Sensation
Solomon contrasts the fleeting thrill of illicit encounters with the deep, satisfying 'drinking' from one's own well. This isn't just about physical satisfaction; it's about finding true refreshment for the soul. The 'running waters' suggest a constant, reliable source of joy and fulfillment that belongs uniquely to the marital covenant.
The Danger of Wandering
To seek 'stolen waters' is to trespass against God and potentially harm yourself and others. It's a path that leads away from true blessing. By contrast, finding contentment in your 'own cistern' and 'own well' is a sign of wisdom, honoring God's design for intimacy and security.
Understand the original words
bor · Hebrew Noun
A man-made reservoir for water, used symbolically in this context to represent the legitimate, divinely ordained relationship within marriage as a source of satisfaction and life.
ma'yan · Hebrew Noun
In the context of wisdom literature, springs and fountains often serve as metaphors for procreative power, sexual intimacy, and the life-giving vitality found within the covenant of marriage.
zar · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
Generally refers to individuals outside of one's immediate covenantal or family bonds. In Proverbs, it specifically warns against those who entice a person away from their marital commitment.
barak · Hebrew Verb
This passage uses a similar beautiful metaphor, calling the bride 'a garden fountain, a well of living water, and streams flowing from Lebanon,' highlighting the precious and life-giving nature of intimacy within marriage.
Jeremiah 2:13Here, God Himself is described as the 'fountain of living waters,' and Israel is rebuked for abandoning Him for 'broken cisterns that hold no water,' illustrating the profound spiritual emptiness of seeking fulfillment outside of God's design.
1 Corinthians 7:9The Apostle Paul directly addresses sexual temptation, advising those who cannot exercise self-control to marry, echoing the principle that marriage is God's intended provision for fulfilling natural desires.
Isaiah 51:1This verse calls on the people to 'look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug,' referring back to Abraham and Sarah, who were a 'cistern' and 'well' of blessing for the nation.
bensonProverbs 5:15: "Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well."
Proverbs 5:15 . Drink waters out of thine own cistern — “The allegory here begun is carried on through several verses. It has been differently understood; but the interpretation which seems most generally followed, is that of those who conceive that the wise man here subjoins a commendation of matrimony, and the chaste preservation of the marriage- bed, for the propagation of a legitimate offspring…
clarkeProverbs 5:15: "Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well."
Drink waters out of thine own cistern - Be satisfied with thy own wife; and let the wife see that she reverence her husband; and not tempt him by inattention or unkindness to seek elsewhere what he has a right to expect, but cannot find, at home.
The imagery of a "cistern" and "well" isn't just about contentment; it highlights the wife as a source of life-giving refreshment, a carefully preserved and valuable possession in an arid land, far surpassing the fleeting and impure allure of stolen pleasures. This emphasizes the profound, life-sustaining value of marital intimacy, meant to satisfy deeply and purely.
After warning against the seductive speech of the "strange woman" and the disastrous consequences of illicit affairs, the teacher now offers a counterpoint. He shifts from condemnation to commendation, presenting marriage as the intended, pure source of satisfaction and fulfillment for natural desires. This imagery emphasizes the value and contentment found within the boundaries of marital faithfulness.
After warning against the seductive speech of the "strange woman" and the disastrous consequences of illicit affairs, the teacher now offers a counterpoint. He shifts from condemnation to commendation, presenting marriage as the intended, pure source of satisfaction and fulfillment for natural desires. This imagery emphasizes the value and contentment found within the boundaries of marital faithfulness.
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To be declared favored by God or to experience the prosperity and protection that comes from walking in obedience to His design for life and relationships.
ishah · Hebrew Noun
The woman taken in marriage during one's early adult years; she represents the divinely ordained partner with whom one is to share a life of exclusive intimacy and joy.
ahabah · Hebrew Noun
A deep, intense, and God-honoring pleasure derived from the companionship and intimacy of one's spouse, serving as a safeguard against the enticements of illicit relationships.
"Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. Let your…" — The imagery of a "cistern" and "well" isn't just about contentment; it highlights the wife as a source of life-giving refreshment, a carefully preserved and valuable possession in an arid land, far s…
