Proverbs 5:16
New International Version
Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?

New Living Translation
Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone?

English Standard Version
Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets?

Berean Standard Bible
Why should your springs flow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?

King James Bible
Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.

New King James Version
Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?

New American Standard Bible
Should your springs overflow into the street, Streams of water in the public squares?

NASB 1995
Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?

NASB 1977
Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?

Legacy Standard Bible
Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?

Amplified Bible
Should your springs (children) be dispersed, As streams of water in the streets?

Christian Standard Bible
Should your springs flow in the streets, streams in the public squares?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Should your springs flow in the streets, streams of water in the public squares?

American Standard Version
Should thy springs be dispersed abroad, And streams of water in the streets?

Contemporary English Version
And don't be like a stream from which just any woman may take a drink.

English Revised Version
Should thy springs be dispersed abroad, and rivers of water in the streets?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Why should water flow out of your spring? Why should your streams flow into the streets?

Good News Translation
Children that you have by other women will do you no good.

International Standard Version
Should your springs flow outside, or streams of water in the street?

Majority Standard Bible
Why should your springs flow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?

NET Bible
Should your springs be dispersed outside, your streams of water in the wide plazas?

New Heart English Bible
Should your springs overflow in the streets, streams of water in the public squares?

Webster's Bible Translation
Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.

World English Bible
Should your springs overflow in the streets, streams of water in the public squares?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Let your fountains be scattered abroad, "" In broad places streams of waters.

Young's Literal Translation
Let thy fountains be scattered abroad, In broad places rivulets of waters.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thy fountains shall be dispersed without; in the broad places streams of waters.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let thy fountains be conveyed abroad, and in the streets divide thy waters.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Let your fountains be diverted far and wide, and divide your waters in the streets.

New American Bible
Should your water sources be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets?

New Revised Standard Version
Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Let your water overflow into your streets, let it be disbursed abroad.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And let your waters overflow in your streets and let them travel in your streets.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Let thy springs be dispersed abroad, And courses of water in the streets.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Let not waters out of thy fountain be spilt by thee, but let thy waters go into thy streets.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Avoiding Immorality
15Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. 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.…

Cross References
Proverbs 5:15
Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well.

Proverbs 5:17-18
Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. / May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth:

Proverbs 9:17
“Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is tasty!”

Proverbs 23:27
For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an adulteress is a narrow well.

Proverbs 7:18-20
Come, let us take our fill of love till morning. Let us delight in loving caresses! / For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. / He took with him a bag of money and will not return till the moon is full.”

Ecclesiastes 9:9
Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun.

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

Song of Solomon 4:15
You are a garden spring, a well of fresh water flowing down from Lebanon.

Jeremiah 2:13
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Jeremiah 17:13
O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who abandon You will be put to shame. All who turn away will be written in the dust, for they have abandoned the LORD, the fountain of living water.

Isaiah 48:1
“Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, who have descended from the line of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD, who invoke the God of Israel—but not in truth or righteousness—

Malachi 2:14-15
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.

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 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. ...

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. ...


Treasury of Scripture

Let your fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.

thy

Deuteronomy 33:28
Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.

Psalm 68:26
Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.

Isaiah 48:21
And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.

dispersed

Genesis 24:60
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

Judges 12:9
And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.

Psalm 127:3
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Jump to Previous
Abroad Broad Broadways Courses Dispersed Flowing Forth Fountains Open Overflow Places Poured Public Rivers Rivulets Scattered Springs Squares Streams Streets Water Water-Brooks Waters
Jump to Next
Abroad Broad Broadways Courses Dispersed Flowing Forth Fountains Open Overflow Places Poured Public Rivers Rivulets Scattered Springs Squares Streams Streets Water Water-Brooks Waters
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














Should your springs
The term "springs" in this context is metaphorical, representing the source of life and vitality, often associated with one's intimate and personal life. In Hebrew, the word for "springs" is "maqor," which can also mean a fountain or wellspring. This imagery suggests something precious and life-giving, meant to be protected and cherished. In the ancient Near Eastern culture, water sources were vital for survival, symbolizing sustenance and prosperity. The rhetorical question implies that such a valuable resource should not be squandered or exposed to public misuse.

flow in the streets
The phrase "flow in the streets" evokes the image of something that is uncontrolled and exposed to the public. In the Hebrew context, "streets" (rechovot) were places of commerce and public interaction, not meant for private or sacred matters. The imagery here warns against allowing what is meant to be private and sacred to become common and profane. This serves as a caution against the indiscriminate sharing of one's intimate life, which should be reserved for the sanctity of marriage.

your streams of water
"Streams of water" further emphasizes the idea of life-giving resources. In Hebrew, "streams" (palgey) can refer to channels or divisions of water, suggesting a deliberate and purposeful direction. Water, in biblical symbolism, often represents purity, cleansing, and life. The use of "your" personalizes the message, indicating that these streams belong to the individual and should be managed with care and responsibility. This highlights the importance of stewardship over one's personal and relational resources.

in the public squares
The "public squares" were central places in ancient cities where people gathered for social, political, and economic activities. The Hebrew term "rechovot" for "squares" suggests openness and exposure. The rhetorical question implies that what is meant to be private should not be displayed or shared in such a public and indiscriminate manner. This serves as a metaphorical warning against the dangers of infidelity and the public exposure of one's private life, urging believers to maintain the sanctity and exclusivity of their marital relationships.

Verse 16. - Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. The figurative language is still continued, and under the terms "fountains" and "rivers of waters," are to be understood children, the legitimate issue of lawful marriage. So Aben Ezra and the majority of modern commentators, Schultens, Doderlein, Holden, Muenscher, Noyes, Wardlaw, etc. The meaning appears to be, "Let thy marriage be blessed with many children, who may go forth abroad for the public good." Other interpretations have been adopted. Thus:

(1) Delitzsch takes the words fountans and "rivers of waters" as used figuratively for the procreative power, and renders, "Shall thy streams flow abroad, and water brooks in the streets?" and interprets, "Let generative power act freely and unrestrainedly within the marriage relation."

(2) Schultens and Dathe, followed by Holden, regard the verse as expressing a conclusion on the preceding, "Then shall thy springs be dispersed abroad, even rivers of waters in the streets." The objection to this is that it necessitates the insertion of the copulative vau (ו) before the verb, yaphutzu, "be dispersed."

(3) Zockler and Hitzig read the verse interrogatively, "Shall thy streams flow abroad as water brooks in the streets?" on the analogy of Proverbs 6:30 and Psalm 56:7. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why should your springs
מַעְיְנֹתֶ֣יךָ (ma‘·yə·nō·ṯe·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 4599: A fountain, a source

flow
יָפ֣וּצוּ (yā·p̄ū·ṣū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 6327: To be dispersed or scattered

in the streets,
ח֑וּצָה (ḥū·ṣāh)
Noun - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 2351: Separate by a, wall, outside, outdoors

your streams
פַּלְגֵי־ (pal·ḡê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 6388: A channel, canal

of water
מָֽיִם׃ (mā·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

in the public squares?
בָּ֝רְחֹב֗וֹת (bā·rə·ḥō·ḇō·wṯ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 7339: A broad open place, plaza


Links
Proverbs 5:16 NIV
Proverbs 5:16 NLT
Proverbs 5:16 ESV
Proverbs 5:16 NASB
Proverbs 5:16 KJV

Proverbs 5:16 BibleApps.com
Proverbs 5:16 Biblia Paralela
Proverbs 5:16 Chinese Bible
Proverbs 5:16 French Bible
Proverbs 5:16 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Proverbs 5:16 Should your springs overflow in the streets (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 5:15
Top of Page
Top of Page