Drink waters out of thine own cistern and running waters out of thine own well.Proverbs 5:15 Explainer ## Introduction - In Plain Language: Be faithful to your own spouse — enjoy what belongs to you instead of seeking something forbidden. - Big idea: The verse uses water imagery to call for sexual faithfulness and contentment within marriage. - Key points: - The cistern and well are metaphors for marital intimacy and loyalty. - The verse urges satisfaction with what is yours rather than chasing forbidden pleasures. - In the book’s context, this line is part of a larger warning against adultery and its consequences. ## Context - Where this verse fits in: Proverbs 5 is a father’s warning to his son about the dangers of adultery. Verse 15 begins a brief shift to a positive picture — enjoy your own marriage — before returning to warnings about the consequences of infidelity. - Story timeline: Proverbs is part of Israel’s wisdom literature (traditionally associated with Solomon). It offers practical, ethical, family-focused instruction in the Iron Age/post-monarchical cultural setting of ancient Israel. The immediate audience is a son or young man being taught how to live wisely. - Surrounding passage: - Verses just before (Proverbs 5:1–14): Strong warnings about the “forbidden woman” — attractive speech, slippery promises, and the ruin that follows yielding to her. The father pictures ruin, loss, and shame for those who stray. - Verses just after (Proverbs 5:16–19): The advice continues more positively: delight in the wife of your youth, be satisfied with her, and let her love be continually refreshing. ## Explanation - Quick take: Drink from your own cistern means be faithful and find your joy in your marriage; don’t look for fulfillment outside of the covenant relationship. - In Depth: - The proverb paints sexual faithfulness in domestic, everyday terms. Water is life-sustaining and prized in an arid region; to drink from your own cistern means to rely on and take pleasure in what you already have. - A cistern (a stored, private supply) and a well or spring (a fresh, flowing source) together cover both ongoing intimacy (cistern as stored water for regular use) and the renewing, living quality of marital love (spring/stream). - The surrounding material contrasts the seductive but destructive appeal of adultery with the healthy, life-giving intimacy of a committed marriage. Proverbs 5 frames fidelity both as moral duty and as wise, life-preserving choice: it protects reputation, family, and emotional wellbeing. - The proverb is practical wisdom rather than legal instruction; it appeals to self-interest (don’t harm yourself) and to delight (enjoy your spouse). ## Key Words - "Cistern" (Heb. bor) — a pit or container for collecting and storing rainwater; private, household water supply. - "Well/spring" (Heb. ma‘ayan) — a natural or dug source of flowing water; often connotes freshness and continual flow. - "Running waters/streams" (Heb. zĕrāmôt) — flowing waters, emphasizing life, refreshment, and abundance. ## Background - In ancient Israel water was precious. Homes collected rain in cisterns; springs and wells were central to daily life and social gatherings. Using water imagery communicates what people felt deeply: water sustains life, so guarding and valuing one’s own water source is a vivid way to talk about sexual and relational fidelity. - Wisdom literature often speaks in concrete, domestic images rather than abstract theology. Proverbs aims to shape practical behavior by appealing to common sense, consequences, and delight. ## Theology - Practical holiness: Sexual faithfulness is part of living wisely before God, not merely a social or legal rule. - Covenant fidelity: The verse echoes the biblical theme that faithfulness in human relationships mirrors faithfulness to God. - Life and flourishing: God’s design for marriage brings life, protection, and joy; straying from that design brings ruin. ## Application To Your Life - For workers: Guard your reputation and relationships — actions outside the workplace (online behavior, flirtation) can damage your job and family. - For parents: Teach children the value of commitment and modeling respectful, exclusive love in marriage. - For singles and seekers: Aim for relationships that honor commitment and prepare you for healthy long-term partnership; satisfaction and self-control are virtues to cultivate. - For married people: Invest in your marriage intentionally — cultivate affection, communication, and shared joy so your “cistern” and “well” stay nourishing. - Reflection questions: 1. Where am I tempted to seek emotional or sexual satisfaction outside my committed relationship? 2. What practical steps would help me drink from my own “well” — to renew intimacy and trust with my spouse? 3. How does this proverb shape how I view loyalty, boundaries, and pleasure? - Short prayer: Lord, help me find my delight and contentment in the relationships You’ve given me; give me the wisdom and self-control to be faithful. ## Translation Comparison - KJV: “Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.” - NIV: “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.” - ESV: “Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well.” - NLT: “You should be satisfied with the wife you married long ago. Let her breasts satisfy you always. Be exhilarated always by her love.” - Note on differences: The main older translations keep the concise water metaphor; the NLT paraphrases more explicitly sexual content and draws out the intended application to marital intimacy. Differences matter because literal translations keep the proverb’s metaphorical restraint, while dynamic paraphrases aim to communicate the intended meaning more directly for modern readers. “Cistern” versus “well/spring” nuances private storage versus fresh, flowing life. ## FAQs - Q: Is Proverbs 5:15 only about sex, or does it mean something broader like contentment? Short answer: Both. The immediate context clearly targets adultery and sexual faithfulness, but the metaphor also extends to broader faithfulness and contentment. In a culture where water was essential and carefully guarded, drinking from your own cistern suggests refusing what belongs to others and being satisfied with what you have — applied to loyalty in marriage, stewardship of resources, and personal integrity. - Q: How does this verse relate to modern relationships where norms are different (e.g., dating, divorce, single life)? Short answer: The verse’s core teaching is about faithfulness, respect, and finding life in committed relationships. For those dating, it encourages pursuing relationships with commitment and integrity, not casual exploitation. For the divorced or single, it calls for honoring boundaries and seeking healthy, faithful partnerships rather than harmful or secretive liaisons. It’s not a how-to manual for every complex circumstance, but a guiding ethic: protect the dignity of bodies and relationships and seek flourishing within covenantal commitments. ## Cross References - Proverbs 5:18–19 — Direct continuation: rejoice in your wife and be satisfied with her. - Proverbs 7 — A full portrait of the dangers and seduction of the adulteress, the complementary warning to Proverbs 5. - Song of Solomon 4:12–15 — Uses garden and spring imagery to celebrate exclusive romantic love. - Genesis 2:24 — Foundational statement about leaving, cleaving, and marriage unity. - Hebrews 13:4 — Honors marriage and calls sexual integrity to be respected by all. ## Deeper Study - Commentary synthesis: Most commentators read Proverbs 5:15 as pragmatic wisdom urging sexual fidelity and showing the consequences of unfaithfulness. Some emphasize the social consequences (shame, loss of wealth, broken family), others the spiritual (breaking covenantal trust). The water image is rooted in everyday life and communicates both private enjoyment and life-giving refreshment. - Group study bullets: - Read Proverbs 5 as a whole; identify proverbs that use domestic images and discuss why these images work. - Discuss how contemporary temptations compare with Proverbs’ warnings. What are “modern forbidden waters” (social media, pornography, emotional affairs)? - Role-play a conversation between a father/mother and a teen about why faithfulness matters, using Proverbs 5:15 as the anchor. - Brainstorm practical “life-giving” habits couples can adopt to keep their own cistern full (rituals of connection, honest conversation, boundaries). ## Related verses (compare and contrast) - Proverbs 5:18–19 — Why: Continues the same theme with explicit encouragement to delight in one’s spouse. - Proverbs 7:1–27 — Why: A fuller warning against the same danger; shows the seduction and fall that the earlier verses allude to. - Song of Solomon 4:12–15 — Why: Celebrates exclusive, mutual delight in a lover using similar water and garden imagery, but in a positive, romantic register rather than as a warning. ## Talk to the Bible Try the “Talk To The Bible” feature to explore this verse further. Suggested prompts you can ask the AI: - “Explain Proverbs 5:15 in a short sermon for married couples, with practical steps for renewing intimacy.” - “Compare the image of the cistern in Proverbs 5:15 with the garden imagery in Song of Solomon — what do they teach about love?” - “Give a short youth-group lesson using Proverbs 5 to teach about boundaries and online behavior.”
