What does Proverbs 5:15 mean?
Instead, drink water from your own well, and enjoy what’s yours at home. Proverbs 5:15 - Modern Text Bible
(He shifts to a positive metaphor: be satisfied with your own relationships, especially in marriage.)
Find satisfaction and fulfillment in what’s truly yours, not in chasing after what belongs to someone else. The Hebrew word for "cistern" is bor, a personal well — a source of water that you’ve invested in and that sustains you. This verse uses the image of drinking water to talk about loyalty and contentment, especially in relationships. It pushes back on the idea that happiness is always somewhere else, with someone new or something different. In a world that encourages constant comparison and restlessness, this is a call to invest deeply where you are. If you’re tempted to think the grass is greener elsewhere, remember that real satisfaction comes from nurturing what you already have — whether that’s a relationship, a friendship, or a commitment. The best things grow when you water your own well.
Similar verses: Proverbs 5:18, Ecclesiastes 9:9, Song of Solomon 4:12