Proverbs 5:17 is a call to faithfulness in marriage. It tells a husband to keep his affection, desire and attention for his own wife rather than sharing them with other women. The father in Proverbs speaks this to his son, warning him against adultery and urging him to find lasting delight within his own marriage.
Let them be for yourself alone, not for strangers with you.
Proverbs 5:17 (WEB)
What Proverbs 5:17 Means
The verse begins with “Let them be for yourself alone,” which means the wisdom and love being described are meant to stay within one relationship. The word “them” points back to the blessings in the preceding verses, the water from your own well and the springs of your own household. The idea is that what belongs to you should be kept for you, not poured out wherever it might be taken.
The second half, “not for strangers with you,” warns against sharing that intimacy with outsiders. The word “strangers” in this setting refers to someone outside the marriage, a person who has no claim on your loyalty. The verse does not promise that temptation will vanish, and it does not claim that faithfulness is effortless. It describes a way of living and gives a reason for it.
The Context of Proverbs 5:17
The book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings, traditionally attributed to Solomon, and it is written in the form of a father teaching his son how to live well. Chapter 5 opens with a warning about a seductive woman and the ruin she brings, so verse 17 is part of a longer appeal to stay anchored in faithfulness. The wider book is aimed at young men entering adult life, and its advice is practical as well as moral.
The verses around 17 use water imagery throughout: a well, a cistern, springs and streams. Verse 18 then turns to rejoicing in “the wife of your youth,” and verse 19 describes her with tender language. Read in this setting, verse 17 is not a cold rule but the first half of a picture of marital joy, where contentment is found by remaining close to one’s own spouse.
Key Phrases in Proverbs 5:17
Hebrews 13:4
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
(WEB)
This verse calls marriage honorable and the marriage bed undefiled, and it lists sexual immorality as something God will judge. It reinforces the same commitment to faithfulness that Proverbs 5:17 describes, placing it within a broader biblical view of marriage.
Malachi 2:15
Did he not make you one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? Why one? He sought godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
(WEB)
Malachi speaks of guarding one’s spirit and remaining faithful to the wife of one’s youth. It shows that loyalty within marriage is a matter of covenant before God, which gives weight to the call in Proverbs to keep one’s love for one’s own spouse.
A Short Prayer From Proverbs 5:17
Lord, you know the places in my heart where I am tempted to wander, and you know the attention I give to things that pull me away from the people you have given me. Help me keep my love, my desire and my trust for the one you have joined me to. Guard my eyes, my thoughts and my words so that they serve my marriage and honor you. Where I have already drifted, bring me back with honesty and humility. Give me joy in the life you have given me, and make my home a place of faithfulness and peace. Amen.