Translation commentary on Proverbs 5:17

“Let them be for yourself alone”: This verse repeats and strengthens the command in verses 15-16. “Them” refers back to the “cistern” and “well” in verse 15 and the “springs” and “streams” in verse 16, which are images of female and male sexuality. If the average reader will again not follow the essential sense, it is better to make some adjustments in this verse. Contemporary English Version, which understands verse 16 to refer to having sex with other women, says in verse 17, “Save yourself for your wife.”

“And not for strangers with you”: Some interpreters and translators take this as advice not to share your wife with others. However, a more probable interpretation is “Don’t share your sexual pleasures with other women.” Note that Good News Translation takes this line to mean that children should belong to their father and help him and not strangers.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

complete verse (Proverbs 5:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 5:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “Let that water be yours alone which should/must not be shared with any other person.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “May it be yours alone.
    Don’t share it with others.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “She must be yours only; she should not lie-down-beside/(have-sexual-relations-with) other men.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Your (sing.) well, it is for you (sing.) only which others may-not join-in-sharing.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 5:17

5:17

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

17a Let them be yours alone,

17b
never to be shared with strangers.

5:17a–b

Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers: There are several ways to interpret this verse:

(1) The word them refers to the sexual pleasures that a man gets from making love to a woman. If he makes love to his own wife, these pleasures belong to him alone, since he does not share his wife with other men. He should not have sex with an immoral woman, because such a woman is shared by other men (strangers).

(2) The word them refers to the sexual pleasures that a man gets from his wife. These pleasures should belong to him alone. He should not neglect his wife and cause her to be immoral. If that happened, he would be sharing his wife with other men (strangers).

(3) The word them refers to a man’s sexual affections, which should never be shared with other women (strangers). For example:

Save yourself for your wife and don’t have sex with other women. (Contemporary English Version)

(4) The word them refers to the children that may result from sleeping with another woman. Such children would have to be shared with the husband and family of the other woman (strangers). For example:

Your children should grow up to help you, not strangers. (Good News Translation)

Most English versions are ambiguous. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This passage is talking about the wife as the source of sexual pleasure. It is not talking about children, as in interpretation (4). Interpretations (1) and (2) fit better with the form of the Hebrew word for strangers. In Hebrew, this word is masculine, so it probably refers to other men, not other women, as in interpretation (3). Interpretation (1) fits the context better than interpretation (2). As was mentioned in the note on 5:16a–b, this chapter advises the man to be faithful to his wife. It does not advise him to keep his wife from being unfaithful.

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.