Proverbs 5:17 kjv
Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.
Proverbs 5:17 nkjv
Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you.
Proverbs 5:17 niv
Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
Proverbs 5:17 esv
Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you.
Proverbs 5:17 nlt
You should reserve it for yourselves.
Never share it with strangers.
Proverbs 5 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 2:24 | Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. | The foundational unity of marriage. |
| Ex 20:14 | You shall not commit adultery. | The commandment against marital unfaithfulness. |
| Lev 20:10 | If a man commits adultery... the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. | Consequence of adultery under Mosaic Law. |
| Deut 5:18 | 'You shall not commit adultery.' | Restatement of the command. |
| Prov 2:16-19 | So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman... her path... lead to the dead. | Danger of the seductress. |
| Prov 5:15-16 | Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well... should your streams be disbursed outside? | Direct preceding context; source imagery. |
| Prov 5:18-19 | Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth... | Encouragement to delight in one's wife. |
| Prov 6:29 | No one who touches her will be unpunished. | Warning against the adulteress's snare. |
| Prov 7:6-27 | He turns aside to her ways; like an ox goes to the slaughter... | Detailed account of succumbing to temptation. |
| Job 31:1 | I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? | Personal commitment to sexual purity. |
| Mal 2:14-15 | She is your companion and your wife by covenant... so guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless. | Marriage as a covenant with God's involvement. |
| Matt 5:28 | But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery... | Internal purity of thought. |
| Matt 19:4-6 | 'Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female,' and said, 'Therefore a man... shall hold fast to his wife... so they are no longer two but one flesh.' | Jesus' teaching on marriage as divine design. |
| Rom 7:2-3 | For a married woman is bound by law to her husband... but if her husband dies, she is released... If while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. | Law's perspective on marital bond. |
| Rom 13:9 | For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder..." are summed up in this word... "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." | Adultery as violation of neighborly love. |
| 1 Cor 6:18 | Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. | Fleeing immorality. |
| 1 Cor 7:2 | But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. | Marriage as preventative against immorality. |
| 1 Thes 4:3-5 | For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles... | God's will for sexual holiness. |
| Heb 13:4 | Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. | Marriage's sacredness and divine judgment. |
| Eph 5:25-33 | Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church... | Marriage as reflection of Christ and Church. |
Proverbs 5 verses
Proverbs 5 17 Meaning
Proverbs 5:17 asserts the principle of exclusive fidelity within marriage, using the metaphor of a private water source. "Them" refers to the metaphorical "waters" (Pr 5:15-16), representing the intimacy, love, affection, and physical relationship shared exclusively between a husband and his own wife. The verse mandates that these intimate aspects of life be reserved solely for one's spouse, forbidding any sharing of this private domain with "strangers," who symbolize those outside the marital covenant, particularly the seductive adulteress. It is a divine directive for complete marital faithfulness and warns against all forms of sexual promiscuity.
Proverbs 5 17 Context
Proverbs chapter 5 is a profound fatherly admonition against the dangers of sexual immorality, particularly warning against the seductions of "the forbidden woman" or adulteress. The chapter starkly contrasts the destructive path of promiscuity with the wisdom of faithfulness. Verses 15-20 present the positive alternative: joy, delight, and satisfaction found within an exclusive, monogamous marriage. Verse 17 directly builds on the imagery of drinking exclusively from "your own cistern" and "your own well" (Pr 5:15-16), making explicit the demand for singular ownership and forbidding the sharing of one's intimacy. This proverb underscores the divine establishment of marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman, safeguarding lineage, preventing social breakdown, and upholding spiritual purity against the widespread ancient Near Eastern practices of sexual libertinism, cultic prostitution, and infidelity, which were antithetical to Yahwistic morality.
Proverbs 5 17 Word analysis
- Let them be: An imperative, conveying a direct command for a certain state to exist. It signals divine expectation for the 'waters' (intimacy/wife) to belong exclusively to the one addressed.
- only: Hebrew "לְבַדֶּךָ" (levaddekha), meaning "alone" or "exclusively." This word strongly emphasizes singularity and prohibition against sharing. It is crucial for understanding the core message of monogamous fidelity.
- your own: Hebrew "לְךָ" (leka), meaning "for you" or "belonging to you." Coupled with "only," it signifies absolute and personal possession within the divinely ordained covenant of marriage.
- and not: A clear negation, introducing the forbidden behavior. It sets the boundary for proper conduct concerning marital intimacy.
- for strangers: Hebrew "לְזָרִ֑ים" (l’zārim), plural of "zar" (זָר), which means strange, alien, or unauthorized. In this context, it refers to any individual not one's legitimate spouse, specifically those who would entice one to sexual immorality, particularly the adulteress who is a central figure in Proverbs' warnings. It highlights what is prohibited, something "alien" to the sacred marital bond.
- with you: Hebrew "אִתָּ֑ךְ" (ittakh), meaning "along with you" or "in your presence." This phrase suggests the potential proximity or accessibility of temptation, underscoring the constant need for vigilance and self-control even when alluring opportunities for unfaithfulness arise.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Let them be only your own": This is the positive command, an exhortation for complete dedication and enjoyment of one's intimate life solely within the bounds of one's marriage. It is about exclusive access and rightful possession of marital blessings.
- "and not for strangers with you": This serves as the direct prohibition, clearly delineating what is forbidden. It warns against sharing the blessings and intimacy of one's marriage with unauthorized individuals, even when they are present or available, underscoring the requirement of fidelity.
Proverbs 5 17 Bonus section
- The "waters" imagery in the ancient Near East commonly symbolized vitality, life-giving sustenance, and progeny. By comparing a wife to such a vital source, the proverb elevates the marital relationship as central to a flourishing and wholesome life, deeply contrasting it with sterile or defiling illicit encounters.
- The very structure of the Proverbs, often contrasting wise paths with foolish ones, highlights Pr 5:17 as a core component of practical wisdom for daily living and moral righteousness.
- While primarily about sexual fidelity, the concept of exclusivity (being "only your own") mirrors spiritual fidelity, where God demands singular devotion from His people, without "strangers" (idols or foreign gods) shared in His worship. This parallelism is often drawn in prophetic books describing Israel's idolatry as spiritual adultery.
Proverbs 5 17 Commentary
Proverbs 5:17 stands as a powerful, concise declaration of marital exclusivity within the larger framework of a father's instruction to his son on navigating sexual purity. Building on the preceding verses' rich metaphor of water as a source of life and pleasure (Pr 5:15-16), this verse explicitly states that the marital "waters" (representing love, intimacy, and sexual fulfillment) are to be exclusively possessed by the husband. The term "only your own" underscores the profound commitment to monogamy and personal fidelity. Conversely, the strict prohibition against these "waters" being "for strangers with you" sternly warns against any form of infidelity or shared intimacy outside the covenant of marriage. "Strangers" encapsulates anyone outside the marital bond, from the alluring adulteress to any third party who might seek to participate in this exclusive domain. The phrase "with you" also serves as a potent reminder that temptation often lurks nearby, necessitating constant self-control and vigilance. Adherence to this principle protects against the devastating physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial ruin detailed in the rest of Proverbs 5 and 7, guiding the individual towards true joy, honor, and a blessed life within God's intended design for marriage. This teaching promotes a lifestyle that not only guards individual well-being but also safeguards the stability and purity of the family unit, which is foundational to a righteous society.