What is the meaning of Proverbs 5:18?

May your fountain be blessed

• The “fountain” pictures the source and flow of a man’s life, especially his sexual life within marriage. Proverbs 5:15–17 urges, “Drink water from your own cistern… let them be yours alone”; the fountain is to be kept pure and devoted to one spouse.

• Blessing comes from God (Psalm 128:1–4; James 1:17) and is experienced when marital intimacy remains exclusive.

• A blessed fountain implies:

– Physical health and vitality (Proverbs 3:7–8).

– Spiritual prosperity, for obedience to God’s design brings favor (Deuteronomy 28:1–6).

– Protection from moral ruin: the whole context of Proverbs 5 warns against the adulteress whose “end is bitter as wormwood” (v. 4).

• Marriage, therefore, is not a mere human contract but a God-given covenant that channels His blessing to husband, wife, children, and community (Malachi 2:14-15).

---

and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth

• “Rejoice” commands delight, not mere endurance. Ecclesiastes 9:9 says, “Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of your fleeting life.” Joyful fidelity honors both spouse and Lord.

• “Wife of your youth” reminds husbands to cherish the one they first vowed to love, even as years pass. Proverbs 18:22 notes, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD,” favor meant to be celebrated lifelong.

• Practical expressions of rejoicing:

– Words of affirmation and affection (Songs 4:1-7).

– Faithful provision and protection (Ephesians 5:25-29).

– Shared spiritual growth (1 Peter 3:7).

– Ongoing physical intimacy celebrated as holy (1 Corinthians 7:3-5).

• Such rejoicing guards the marriage bed and fortifies against temptation (Proverbs 5:19-20), reflecting Christ’s steadfast love for His church (Ephesians 5:32).

---

summary

Proverbs 5:18 calls husbands to guard and enjoy the God-given spring of marital intimacy. When that fountain is kept within the covenant boundaries, God blesses it; when the husband continually delights in the wife he married in his youth, both partners taste lasting joy and protection. Fidelity, affection, and shared faith turn marriage into a channel of divine favor that refreshes the couple and honors the Lord.