Proverbs 5:15 Study Bible: Drink water out of your own cistern, running water out of your own well.

◄ Proverbs 5:15 ►

Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well.

Drink water
The phrase "Drink water" in this context is metaphorical, urging the reader to find satisfaction and fulfillment in what is rightfully theirs. In the ancient Near Eastern culture, water was a precious commodity, symbolizing life and sustenance. The Hebrew root for "drink" (שָׁתָה, shatah) implies not just the act of drinking but also enjoying and partaking in something that is life-giving. This phrase encourages believers to seek satisfaction in the provisions and blessings God has given them, rather than looking elsewhere.

from your own cistern
A "cistern" in ancient times was a storage system for collecting rainwater, essential for survival in arid regions. The Hebrew word for cistern (בּוֹר, bor) can also mean a pit or a well. This phrase emphasizes the importance of faithfulness and contentment within one's own resources and relationships. Spiritually, it suggests nurturing and valuing the gifts and relationships God has entrusted to us, particularly in the context of marriage, as a cistern would be a personal and private source of water.

and running water
"Running water" refers to fresh, flowing water, often seen as more desirable and purer than stagnant water. The Hebrew term (נֹזְלִים, nozelim) implies a continuous, life-giving flow. This imagery suggests vitality, purity, and renewal. In a spiritual sense, it encourages believers to seek a dynamic and ongoing relationship with God and their loved ones, characterized by freshness and vitality, rather than stagnation.

from your own well
A "well" in biblical times was a critical source of water, often associated with community and life. The Hebrew word (בְּאֵר, be'er) signifies a deep source of sustenance. This phrase reinforces the idea of drawing life and satisfaction from one's own resources and relationships. Historically, wells were places of meeting and covenant-making, symbolizing faithfulness and commitment. Spiritually, it calls believers to invest in and cherish their God-given relationships and responsibilities, ensuring they remain a source of life and blessing.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Solomon
Traditionally attributed as the author of Proverbs, Solomon was the son of King David and known for his wisdom. He wrote Proverbs to impart wisdom and instruction.

2. Ancient Israel
The cultural and historical context of Proverbs is ancient Israel, where water was a precious resource, and wells and cisterns were vital for survival.

3. Marriage
The verse metaphorically refers to the sanctity and exclusivity of the marital relationship, using the imagery of water to symbolize fidelity and satisfaction within marriage.

Teaching Points

The Importance of Fidelity
Proverbs 5:15 emphasizes the importance of faithfulness in marriage. Just as one should drink from their own cistern, so should one find satisfaction and fulfillment within their own marriage.

Contentment in Relationships
The verse encourages contentment and satisfaction with what God has provided, particularly in the context of marriage. It warns against seeking fulfillment outside of God's design.

Guarding the Heart
The imagery of water suggests purity and life. Guarding one's heart and maintaining purity in relationships is crucial for spiritual and relational health.

The Value of Commitment
Commitment in marriage is likened to maintaining one's own well. It requires effort and dedication but yields life-giving results.

Spiritual Implications
Beyond marriage, this verse can be applied to spiritual fidelity, urging believers to remain faithful to God and not seek spiritual satisfaction from worldly sources.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the imagery of water in Proverbs 5:15 enhance our understanding of marital fidelity?

2. In what ways can we apply the principle of "drinking from our own cistern" to other areas of life, such as work or friendships?

3. How do the themes of Proverbs 5:15 relate to the teachings on marriage found in 1 Corinthians 7:2-5?

4. What practical steps can we take to guard our hearts and maintain purity in our relationships?

5. How can the concept of contentment in Proverbs 5:15 help us in our spiritual walk with God?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Proverbs 5:18-19
These verses continue the theme of marital fidelity, encouraging delight in one's spouse and the joy of a committed relationship.

Song of Solomon 4:12
This verse uses similar imagery of a garden and a fountain, symbolizing purity and exclusivity in love.

1 Corinthians 7:2-5
Paul discusses the importance of marital fidelity and mutual fulfillment, echoing the themes of Proverbs 5:15.

Sermons

Family Joys	W. Arnot, D. D.	Proverbs 5:15
Spiritual Resources	Homilist	Proverbs 5:15
Victims of Vice	W. Clarkson	Proverbs 5:1-20
Fidelity and Bliss in Marriage	E. Johnson	Proverbs 5:15-21

People

Solomon

Places

Jerusalem

Topics

Cistern, Drink, Flowing, Fountain, Fresh, Ones, Running, Store, Waters

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Proverbs 5:15

4296 wells

Proverbs 5:1-23

5276 crime
5481 proverb

     4221   cistern
     5709   marriage, purpose
     5714   men
     5717   monogamy

Library

The Cords of Sin
'His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.'--PROVERBS v. 22. In Hosea's tender picture of the divine training of Israel which, alas! failed of its effect, we read, 'I drew them with cords of a man,' which is further explained as being 'with bands of love.' The metaphor in the prophet's mind is probably that of a child being 'taught to go' and upheld in its first tottering steps by leading-strings. God drew Israel, though Israel did not yield …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Last Things
A sermon (No. 667) delivered on Sunday morning, December 31, 1865 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by C. H. Spurgeon. "At the last."--Proverbs 5:11. The wise man saw the young and simple straying into the house of the strange woman. The house seemed so completely different from what he knew it to be that he desired to shed a light upon it, that the young man might not sin in the dark, but might understand the nature of his deeds. The wise man looked abroad and he saw but one lamp suitable …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

Sinners Bound with the Cords of Sin
A Sermon (No. 915) delivered on Sabbath morning, February 13th, 1870 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by C. H. Spurgeon. "His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins." -- Proverbs 5:22. The first sentence has reference to a net in which birds or beasts are taken. The ungodly man first of all finds sin to be a bait, and charmed by its apparent pleasantness he indulges in it and then he becomes entangled in its meshes so that he cannot …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

Sinners Bound with the Cords of Sin
The first sentence of the text also may have reference to an arrest by an officer of law. The transgressor's own sins shall take him, shall seize him; they bear a warrant for arresting him, they shall judge him, they shall even execute him. Sin, which at the first bringeth to man a specious pleasure, ere long turneth into bitterness, remorse, and fear. Sin is a dragon, with eyes like stars, but it carrieth a deadly sting in its tail. The cup of sin, with rainbow bubbles on its brim, is black with …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 16: 1870

How the Silent and the Talkative are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 15.) Differently to be admonished are the over-silent, and those who spend time in much speaking. For it ought to be insinuated to the over-silent that while they shun some vices unadvisedly, they are, without its being perceived, implicated in worse. For often from bridling the tongue overmuch they suffer from more grievous loquacity in the heart; so that thoughts seethe the more in the mind from being straitened by the violent guard of indiscreet silence. And for the most part they …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

How the Rude in Sacred Learning, and those who are Learned but not Humble, are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 25.) Differently to be admonished are those who do not understand aright the words of the sacred Law, and those who understand them indeed aright, but speak them not humbly. For those who understand not aright the words of sacred Law are to be admonished to consider that they turn for themselves a most wholesome drought of wine into a cup of poison, and with a medicinal knife inflict on themselves a mortal wound, when they destroy in themselves what was sound by that whereby they ought, …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Twenty Second Sunday after Trinity Paul's Thanks and Prayers for Churches.
Text: Philippians 1, 3-11. 3 I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every supplication of mine on behalf of you all making my supplication with joy, 5 for your fellowship in furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now; 6 being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ: 7 even as it is right for me to be thus minded on behalf of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as, both in my bonds …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

"The Truth. " Some Generals Proposed.
That what we are to speak to for the clearing and improving this noble piece of truth, that Christ is the Truth, may be the more clearly understood and edifying, we shall first take notice of some generals, and then show particularly how or in what respects Christ is called the Truth; and finally speak to some cases wherein we are to make use of Christ as the Truth. As to the first. There are four general things here to be noticed. 1. This supposeth what our case by nature is, and what we are all …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Thirdly, for Thy Actions.
1. Do no evil, though thou mightest; for God will not suffer the least sin, without bitter repentance, to escape unpunished. Leave not undone any good that thou canst. But do nothing without a calling, nor anything in thy calling, till thou hast first taken counsel at God's word (1 Sam. xxx. 8) of its lawfulness, and pray for his blessings upon thy endeavour; and then do it in the name of God, with cheerfulness of heart, committing the success to him, in whose power it is to bless with his grace …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Right Understanding of the Law
Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.' Exod 20: 3. Before I come to the commandments, I shall answer questions, and lay down rules respecting the moral law. What is the difference between the moral laud and the gospel? (1) The law requires that we worship God as our Creator; the gospel, that we worship him in and through Christ. God in Christ is propitious; out of him we may see God's power, justice, and holiness: in him we see his mercy displayed. (2) The moral law requires obedience, but gives …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Second Great Group of Parables.
(Probably in Peræa.) Subdivision F. Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. ^C Luke XVI. 19-31. [The parable we are about to study is a direct advance upon the thoughts in the previous section. We may say generally that if the parable of the unjust steward teaches how riches are to be used, this parable sets forth the terrible consequences of a failure to so use them. Each point of the previous discourse is covered in detail, as will be shown by the references in the discussion of the parable.] …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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