Proverbs 5:17
New International Version
Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.

New Living Translation
You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers.

English Standard Version
Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you.

Berean Standard Bible
Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.

King James Bible
Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.

New King James Version
Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you.

New American Standard Bible
Let them be yours alone, And not for strangers with you.

NASB 1995
Let them be yours alone And not for strangers with you.

NASB 1977
Let them be yours alone, And not for strangers with you.

Legacy Standard Bible
Let them be for you alone, And not for strangers with you.

Amplified Bible
[Confine yourself to your own wife.] Let your children be yours alone, And not the children of strangers with you.

Christian Standard Bible
They should be for you alone and not for you to share with strangers.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They should be for you alone and not for you to share with strangers.

American Standard Version
Let them be for thyself alone, And not for strangers with thee.

Contemporary English Version
Save yourself for your wife and don't have sex with other women.

English Revised Version
Let them be for thyself alone, and not for strangers with thee.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They should be yours alone, so do not share them with strangers.

Good News Translation
Your children should grow up to help you, not strangers.

International Standard Version
They should be for you alone and not for strangers who are with you.

Majority Standard Bible
Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.

NET Bible
Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you.

New Heart English Bible
Let them be for yourself alone, not for strangers with you.

Webster's Bible Translation
Let them be only thy own, and not for strangers with thee.

World English Bible
Let them be for yourself alone, not for strangers with you.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Let them be to you for yourself, "" And not to strangers with you.

Young's Literal Translation
Let them be to thee for thyself, And not to strangers with thee.

Smith's Literal Translation
They shall be to thee alone, and not strangers with thee.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Keep them to thyself alone, neither let strangers be partakers with thee.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Hold them for yourself alone, and do not let strangers be partakers with you.

New American Bible
Let them be yours alone, not shared with outsiders;

New Revised Standard Version
Let them be for yourself alone, and not for sharing with strangers.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Let it be for yourself alone, let not strangers be partners with you.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And let them be to you alone, and let not estranged males be sexual partners with you.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Let them be only thine own, And not strangers' with thee.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Let them be only thine own, and let no stranger partake with thee.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Avoiding Immorality
16Why should your springs flow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? 17Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. 18May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth:…

Cross References
1 Corinthians 7:2-5
But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. / The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. / The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife. ...

Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-4
For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; / each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,

Ephesians 5:25-33
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her / to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, / and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. ...

Matthew 19:4-6
Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ / and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? / So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. / Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; / you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

1 Peter 3:7
Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Colossians 3:18-19
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. / Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

Genesis 2:24
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Malachi 2:14-16
Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. / Has not the LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. / “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “He who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,” says the LORD of Hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith.

Song of Solomon 4:12
My sister, my bride, you are a garden locked up, a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed.

Song of Solomon 8:6-7
Set me as a seal over your heart, as a seal upon your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as unrelenting as Sheol. Its sparks are fiery flames, the fiercest blaze of all. / Mighty waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love, his offer would be utterly scorned.

Exodus 20:14
You shall not commit adultery.

Leviticus 18:20
You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her.

Deuteronomy 5:18
You shall not commit adultery.


Treasury of Scripture

Let them be only your own, and not strangers' with you.

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Alone Shared Strangers Thyself
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Alone Shared Strangers Thyself
Proverbs 5
1. Solomon exhorts to wisdom
3. He shows the mischief of unfaithfulness and riot
15. He exhorts to contentedness, generosity, and chastity
22. The wicked are overtaken with their own sins














Let them be yours alone
This phrase emphasizes exclusivity and personal ownership, particularly in the context of marital fidelity. The Hebrew root word for "yours" (לְךָ, lecha) implies possession and personal responsibility. In the ancient Near Eastern context, this reflects the sanctity and exclusivity of the marital relationship. The wisdom literature of Proverbs often uses such language to underscore the importance of faithfulness and commitment within marriage. This exclusivity is not just a matter of personal preference but a divine mandate that reflects God's design for marriage as a covenantal relationship. The phrase encourages believers to cherish and protect the sanctity of their marital bonds, recognizing them as a gift from God meant to be nurtured and guarded.

never to be shared
The phrase "never to be shared" underscores the importance of maintaining boundaries within relationships. The Hebrew word for "shared" (חָלַק, chalak) can also mean to divide or distribute. In the context of Proverbs, this serves as a warning against the dangers of infidelity and the sharing of intimate aspects of one's life with those outside the marriage covenant. Historically, the Israelites were surrounded by cultures that often practiced polygamy and had loose sexual morals. This command serves as a counter-cultural call to purity and fidelity, urging believers to resist the temptation to divide their affections and to remain wholly devoted to their spouse. It is a reminder that true intimacy is reserved for the marriage relationship, reflecting the exclusive covenant between God and His people.

with strangers
The term "strangers" (זָרִים, zarim) in Hebrew refers to those who are outside the covenant community or those who do not belong to one's immediate family or household. In the context of Proverbs, it often refers to individuals who might lead one away from the path of wisdom and righteousness. The use of "strangers" here highlights the potential threat they pose to the sanctity of marriage. In ancient Israel, maintaining the purity of the community was paramount, and relationships with those outside the covenant were often discouraged to prevent the introduction of idolatry and immorality. This phrase serves as a caution to believers to guard their hearts and relationships, ensuring that their affections and loyalties remain within the bounds of God's ordained structures. It is a call to uphold the integrity of the marriage covenant, reflecting the faithfulness of God to His people.

(17) Let them be only thine own.--The deepest joys and sorrows of each heart are sacred, and cannot be shared with others (Proverbs 14:10), and so it is with the various relations of family life also, strangers have no part in them.

Verse 17. - Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. By confining yourself to chaste intercourse with your lawful wife, be assured that your offspring is your own. Promiscuous and unlawful intercourse throws doubt upon the paternity of children. Thy children may be thine, they may belong to another. The natural pride which is felt in a legitimate offspring is the motive put forward to commend the husband to confine himself exclusively to his wife. Grotius on this verse remarks, "Ibi sere ubi prolem metas" - "Sow there where you may reap an offspring." Them; i.e. the children referred to figuratively in the preceding verse, from which the subject of this verse is supplied. The repetition of the pronoun which occurs in the original, "let them belong to thee, to thee," is emphatic, and exclusive of others. The latter clause of the verse, "and not strangers' with thee," covers the whole ground. The idea of their being strangers' is repulsive, and so gives further point to the exhortation.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Let them be
יִֽהְיוּ־ (yih·yū-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

yours
לְךָ֥ (lə·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

alone,
לְבַדֶּ֑ךָ (lə·ḇad·de·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 905: Separation, a part of the body, branch of a, tree, bar for, carrying, chief of

never
וְאֵ֖ין (wə·’ên)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

to be shared
אִתָּֽךְ׃ (’it·tāḵ)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among

with strangers.
לְזָרִ֣ים (lə·zā·rîm)
Preposition-l | Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2114: To turn aside, to be a, foreigner, strange, profane, to commit adultery


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 5:17 Let them be for yourself alone not (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 5:16
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