Misinterpretations of Proverbs 5:15 often treat the imagery literally as advice on water usage or self-sufficiency in resources, ignoring its metaphorical call to sexual exclusivity; others misapply it to endorse polygamy by imagining multiple 'cisterns' or to advocate total abstinence rather than faithful intimacy in marriage, thus missing the passage's pointed rebuke of adultery and promotion of delight in one's spouse.
Proverbs 5:15
King James Version (1769)
15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
The core truth of Proverbs 5:15 is a vivid metaphor urging marital fidelity and satisfaction, where 'drinking waters out of thine own cistern' symbolizes deriving sexual and relational fulfillment exclusively from one's own spouse, emphasizing the blessings of faithfulness within marriage and warning against the perils of seeking pleasure elsewhere as detailed in the surrounding verses.