Proverbs 5:15-23
Wisdom directs sexual desire toward faithful covenant marriage and warns that abandoning God's design leads to personal ruin.
15 Drink water out of your own cistern, running water out of your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets, streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be for yourself alone, not for strangers with you.
18 Let your spring be blessed. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe and a graceful deer— let her breasts satisfy you at all times. Be captivated always with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another?
21 For the ways of man are before Yahweh’s eyes. He examines all his paths.
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.
23 He will die for lack of instruction. In the greatness of his folly, he will go astray.
Wisdom directs sexual desire toward faithful covenant marriage and warns that abandoning God's design leads to personal ruin.
To instruct the learner to reject sexual immorality and instead find joy, satisfaction, and faithfulness within the covenant of marriage.
This passage completes the instructional unit begun in Proverbs 5:1-14. After warning against the forbidden woman and the devastating consequences of sexual sin, the father now presents the positive vision of covenant fidelity. The imagery shifts from deception and death to satisfaction, delight, and blessing within marriage. The metaphors of water, fountain, and intoxication emphasize exclusivity, joy, and rightful desire. The section closes with a theological anchor, reminding the reader that all ways are before the LORD, who observes and judges. This unit forms a complete contrast: forbidden desire leads to ruin, while covenant faithfulness leads to life and joy.
Proverbs 5:15-23 reflects Israel’s covenant understanding of marriage as a sacred and exclusive relationship. The imagery of water and fountains would have resonated in an agrarian society where water symbolized life and blessing. The passage assumes a context where sexual temptation was present but counters it with a positive vision of covenant fidelity and joy.
Wisdom for Sexual Faithfulness: The Bitter End of Adultery and the Joy of Covenant Marriage
Wisdom teaches God's people to flee sexual folly, rejoice in covenant faithfulness, and remember that the LORD sees every path and sin finally enslaves those who refuse discipline.