Proverbs 5:15-19
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The imagery of "cistern" and "well" highlights the unique value and exclusivity of the marriage relationship, emphasizing it as a protected, life-sustaining source—a treasure to be cherished rather than taken for granted. This contrasts sharply with the stolen, ultimately empty pleasures offered by 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 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)
After warning against the seductive allure of the "strange woman," the teacher now turns to commend the beauty and satisfaction found within the bounds of marriage. He uses a vivid metaphor of a private well and cistern to illustrate the pure, refreshing, and legitimate pleasures that a husband can find in his own wife, contrasting this with the stolen, illicit encounters previously described. This section emphasizes contentment and the deep value of marital intimacy as a God-ordained source of satisfaction.
The world whispers that forbidden fruit is sweeter. But wisdom points us to a deeper, more satisfying source.
What makes the 'waters' of marriage so uniquely valuable?
This verse uses a powerful metaphor to highlight the sanctity and satisfaction found within marriage.
A Treasure in Your Home
Ancient Near Eastern cultures often faced water scarcity. A well or cistern wasn't just convenient; it was a vital, life-sustaining possession, often the most valuable asset a household had.
By comparing a wife to one's 'own cistern' and 'flowing well,' Solomon isn't just speaking about convenience. He's elevating the wife and the marital relationship to a place of immense value and essential importance. These aren't just ordinary waters; they are yours – secured, reliable, and meant for your sustenance.
Pure and Satisfying Source
The 'water' here represents the intimacy, companionship, and refreshment that marriage is designed to provide. Unlike the deceitful allure of illicit relationships ('stolen waters'), the marital relationship is depicted as pure, wholesome, and deeply satisfying. It's a source of life and joy, intended by God for our good.
Why are 'stolen waters' so tempting, and why does wisdom urge us to turn away?
This proverb contrasts the temporary high of forbidden pleasure with the lasting fulfillment of commitment.
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Solomon is directly contrasting the allure of extramarital affairs with the secure joys of marriage. The 'strange woman' offers 'stolen waters' that might seem sweet initially, but they are ultimately destructive.
The Illusion of Sweetness
Illicit encounters promise excitement and forbidden delight. This is the 'sweetness' of stolen waters – the thrill of the forbidden, the novelty, the secrecy. However, this is a dangerous illusion.
The Reality of Destruction
In contrast, the water from your 'own cistern' and 'well' is pure, life-giving, and sustaining. It represents the genuine intimacy, security, and deep satisfaction found within the covenant of marriage. Choosing your own well means choosing lasting fulfillment over fleeting, destructive thrills. It’s about embracing the stability and true joy God has provided.
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
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.
This passage uses similar imagery, comparing the bride to 'a garden fountain, a well of living water, and streams flowing down from Lebanon,' highlighting the refreshing and abundant beauty found within marriage.
Jeremiah 2:13Here, God compares Himself to the 'fountain of living waters' and rebukes Israel for abandoning Him to dig 'broken cisterns that hold no water,' drawing a parallel between spiritual faithfulness and the value of true sources of life.
1 Corinthians 7:9The Apostle Paul echoes the sentiment by advising that if one cannot control their desires, they should marry, as marriage is the God-ordained context for fulfilling these natural needs appropriately.
Isaiah 51:1This verse calls on people to 'listen to me, you that follow after righteousness; you that seek the LORD,' likening them to the 'cistern' from which they were hewn, emphasizing the preciousness and importance of these foundational sources.
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 "cistern" and "well" highlights the unique value and exclusivity of the marriage relationship, emphasizing it as a protected, life-sustaining source—a treasure to be cherished rather than taken for granted. This contrasts sharply with the stolen, ultimately empty pleasures offered by illicit relationships.
After warning against the seductive allure of the "strange woman," the teacher now turns to commend the beauty and satisfaction found within the bounds of marriage. He uses a vivid metaphor of a private well and cistern to illustrate the pure, refreshing, and legitimate pleasures that a husband can find in his own wife, contrasting this with the stolen, illicit encounters previously described. This section emphasizes contentment and the deep value of marital intimacy as a God-ordained source of satisfaction.
After warning against the seductive allure of the "strange woman," the teacher now turns to commend the beauty and satisfaction found within the bounds of marriage. He uses a vivid metaphor of a private well and cistern to illustrate the pure, refreshing, and legitimate pleasures that a husband can find in his own wife, contrasting this with the stolen, illicit encounters previously described. This section emphasizes contentment and the deep value of marital intimacy as a God-ordained source of satisfaction.
"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 "cistern" and "well" highlights the unique value and exclusivity of the marriage relationship, emphasizing it as a protected, life-sustaining source—a treasure to be cherished rather t…
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Last reviewed October 2026
