PROV 5:15 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) ⇔ Drink water from your own supply[fn]
⇔ ≈ and flowing water from your own well.

5:15 Many commentators believe that the next several lines are alluding to the marital relationship between a man and his wife.

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Πίνε ὕδατα ἀπὸ σῶν ἀγγείων, καὶ ἀπὸ σῶν φρεάτων πηγῆς.
(Pine hudata apo sōn angeiōn, kai apo sōn freatōn paʸgaʸs. )

BrTr Drink waters out of thine own vessels, and out of thine own springing wells.

ULT Drink water from your cistern
⇔ and flowing waters from the midst of your well.

UST So be like someone who only drinks water from his own well;
⇔ have sex with your wife only.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE ⇔ Drink water out of your own cistern,
⇔ running water out of your own well.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Drink water from your own cistern
⇔ and running water from your own well.

LSV Drink waters out of your own cistern,
Even flowing ones out of your own well.

FBV Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well.[fn]

5:15 This whole section uses imagery to make the point that husbands and wives should be faithful to each other.

T4T ⇔ Like a man is refreshed by drinking water from his own well [MET],
⇔ enjoy having sex [EUP] only with your own wife.

LEB • Drink water from your own cistern and flowing waters from inside your own well.

BBE Let water from your store and not that of others be your drink, and running water from your fountain.

Moff Drink from your own cistern,
⇔ drink fresh water out of your own well.

JPS Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

ASV ⇔ Drink waters out of thine own cistern,
⇔ And running waters out of thine own well.

DRA Drink water out of thy own cistern, and the streams of thy own well:

YLT Drink waters out of thine own cistern, Even flowing ones out of thine own well.

Drby Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

RV Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
(Drink waters out of thine/your own cistern, and running waters out of thine/your own well. )

SLT Drink water from thy pit, and flowing from the midst of thy well.

Wbstr Drink waters out of thy own cistern, and running waters out of thy own well.

KJB-1769 ¶ Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
(¶ Drink waters out of thine/your own cistern, and running waters out of thine/your own well. )

KJB-1611 ¶ Drinke waters out of thine owne cisterne, and running waters out of thine owne well.
(¶ Drinke waters out of thine/your own cistern, and running waters out of thine/your own well.)

Bshps Drinke of the water of thyne owne well, and of the riuers that runne out of thyne owne spring.
(Drinke of the water of thine/your own well, and of the rivers that run out of thine/your own spring.)

Gnva Drinke the water of thy cisterne, and of the riuers out of the middes of thine owne well.
(Drinke the water of thy/your cistern, and of the rivers out of the midst of thine/your own well. )

Cvdl Drinke of the water of thine owne well, and of the ryuers that runne out of thine owne spriges.
(Drinke of the water of thine/your own well, and of the rivers that run out of thine/your own spriges.)

Wycl Drinke thou watir of thi cisterne, and the floodis of thi pit.
(Drinke thou/you water of thy/your cistern, and the floods of thy/your pit.)

Luth Trinke Wasser aus deiner Grube und Flüsse aus deinem Brunnen.
(Trinke water out_of your(s) pit and Flüsse out_of your spring(n).)

ClVg Bibe aquam de cisterna tua, et fluenta putei tui;[fn]
(Bibe water from/about cistern your, and flowing wells yours(sg); )

5.15 Bibe aquam. Docet ab hæreticis cavendum et custodiæ Scripturarum ac lectioni attendendum: scientiam, inquit, quam aliis prædicas, ipse serva, et tui rigatione sermonis infundere.

5.15 Bibe water. Teaches away heretics cavendum and keepæ Scripturarum and lectioni attendendum: knowledge, he_said, how to_others beforedicas, exactly_that/himself serve/female_slave, and yours(sg) rigatione speech infundere.

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:1–23: Eighth lesson: Avoid the temptation to commit adultery

A summary of this lesson is: Stay away from a woman who commits adultery, or you will bitterly regret it (5:1–14). Instead, be delighted with your own wife (5:15–20), because the LORD sees everything you do and will punish wickedness (5:21–23).

Some other headings for this section are:

Advice to stay away from a woman who commits adultery

Warning About Adultery (NCV)

Avoid Adultery (GW)

Be Faithful to Your Wife (CEV)

5:15

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^15aDrink water from your own cistern,

^15band running water from your own well.

5:15a–b

(combined/reordered)

¶ Therefore I advise you^(sing) to be satisfied with the love of your own wife just as you take water from your own well and not from someone else’s well.

Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well: These are parallel metaphors. The implied topic of both metaphors is that a man should satisfy his sexual desires with his own wife rather than seeking sexual pleasure elsewhere. The illustration is that a person should satisfy his thirst by drinking from his own source of water. In some languages, it may be helpful to make the implied topic of the metaphor explicit. For example:

Be faithful to your own wife, just as you drink water from your own well. (NCV)

Notice that the NCV has used a euphemism, “be faithful to your own wife,” to translate the more literal meaning “satisfy your sexual thirst with your own wife.” In this verse and the following verses, you should use expressions that your readers consider appropriate.

In some cultures, wells or other water sources are considered to be public property rather than private property. In those cultures, the metaphor of a person who drinks only from his own well may be meaningless. If that is true in your culture, it may be better to state the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

Be faithful to your own wife, and be satisfied with her love alone.The GNT drops the figure, but the last phrase “give your love to her alone” skews the meaning of the metaphor slightly. The metaphor is not speaking of the man giving his love to his wife, but of the man receiving sexual satisfaction only from his wife.

your own cistern…from your own well: A cistern is a reservoir or container for water. It is usually privately owned. A well is a water source that is supplied by underground springs. No distinction is intended between these two terms in the present verse. Both terms refer figuratively to a man’s own wife as the source of his sexual satisfaction.Scott (page 58), Fox (page 199), Murphy (page 32).

5:15a

Drink water from your own cistern,

¶ So I tell you,^(sing) drink only water that comes from your own water container.
¶ So then, my son, be satisfied with the love of your own wife.

5:15b

and running water from your own well.

Satisfy your^(sing) thirst with water that flows/comes from your own well.
Do not go^(sing) looking for other women.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

שְׁתֵה־מַ֥יִם מִ⁠בּוֹרֶ֑⁠ךָ וְ֝⁠נֹזְלִ֗ים מִ⁠תּ֥וֹךְ בְּאֵרֶֽ⁠ךָ

drink waters from,your_own_of,cistern and,streams from,the_midst_of your_own_well_of,of

These two clauses mean basically the same thing. The second clause emphasizes the meaning of the first clause by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the phrases with a word other than and in order to show that the second phrase is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: “Drink water from your cistern, yes, drink flowing waters from the midst of your well”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

שְׁתֵה־מַ֥יִם מִ⁠בּוֹרֶ֑⁠ךָ וְ֝⁠נֹזְלִ֗ים מִ⁠תּ֥וֹךְ בְּאֵרֶֽ⁠ךָ

drink waters from,your_own_of,cistern and,streams from,the_midst_of your_own_well_of,of

Solomon is leaving out a word in the second clause that in many languages a clause would need in order to be complete. You could supply this word from the first clause if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “Drink water from your cistern, and drink flowing waters from the midst of your well”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / euphemism

שְׁתֵה־מַ֥יִם מִ⁠בּוֹרֶ֑⁠ךָ וְ֝⁠נֹזְלִ֗ים מִ⁠תּ֥וֹךְ בְּאֵרֶֽ⁠ךָ

drink waters from,your_own_of,cistern and,streams from,the_midst_of your_own_well_of,of

In both of these clauses, Solomon is referring in a polite way to a man satisfying his sexual desire with his own wife. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a more normal polite way of referring to this in your language, or you could express the meaning plainly. See the discussion of euphemisms in the Chapter Introduction. Alternate translation: “Sleep with your own wife only and satisfy yourself only with her” or “Satisfy your sexual desire only with your wife, yes, satisfy your sexual desire only with her”

Parallel PROV 5:15

Section 5:1–23: Eighth lesson: Avoid the temptation to commit adultery

5:15

5:15a–b

5:15a

5:15b