Deuteronomy 33:28
Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.

Psalm 68:26
Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.

Isaiah 48:21
And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.

dispersed

Genesis 24:60
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

Judges 12:9
And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.

Psalm 127:3
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

your streams of water in the public squares?
Continuing the metaphor, "streams of water" further emphasizes the preciousness and purity of marital love and fidelity. In the cultural and historical context of the Bible, public squares were places of commerce and social interaction, not suitable for something as private as one's intimate life. This imagery warns against the dangers of exposing one's personal life to public scrutiny and the moral decay that can result from such exposure. The phrase can be connected to other scriptures that emphasize purity and discretion, such as Matthew 7:6, which advises against giving what is sacred to those who will not appreciate it. The passage as a whole serves as a call to protect and cherish the sanctity of marriage, reflecting the biblical view of marriage as a covenant that mirrors the relationship between Christ and the Church.

“Why should your springs flow in the streets” (Proverbs 5:16) is Solomon’s pointed question after urging, “Drink water from your own cistern” (Proverbs 5:15). The imagery turns a private well into “springs”—the life-giving, refreshing energies of marital love. Letting those springs “flow in the streets” suggests:

• Making what God designed to be intimate a public spectacle. Songs 4:12 likens faithful love to “a garden locked,” not a roadside fountain.

• Squandering covenant blessings outside the covenant. Hebrews 13:4 says marriage is to be “honored by all,” while Proverbs 4:23 calls us to “guard your heart”—not spill it out.

• Opening the door to impurity. 1 Corinthians 7:2 counters this by urging each husband and wife to belong exclusively to one another.

Instead of asking how far we can go before crossing a line, Solomon flips the conversation: Why go anywhere at all? Hold the treasure; don’t broadcast it.

The second clause restates the first with stronger imagery: “your streams of water in the public squares.” A “stream” is more forceful than a spring, and “public squares” are the busiest places in town. Pouring a marriage’s deepest joys into such spaces pictures:

• Sexual promiscuity—relationships without commitment (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4: “This is God’s will: your sanctification; that you abstain from sexual immorality”).

• Flirtations or emotional affairs—giving away affections meant for one spouse (Malachi 2:15 warns, “Do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth”).

• Modern exhibitionism—posting suggestive images, sharing private details online, or consuming entertainment that trivializes intimacy (Ephesians 5:3: “Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality”).

A wiser path:

• Delight freely in your spouse (Proverbs 5:18-19).

• Invest romantically at home before scrolling elsewhere.

• Filter entertainment, cultivate accountability partnerships, and remember that Christ “loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25); your marriage points to His covenant love, not to public consumption.

Proverbs 5:16 asks why anyone would turn a private spring into a public spectacle. The verse calls husbands and wives to guard, enjoy, and exclusively share their God-given intimacy—never scattering it on the streets or in the squares. Remaining faithful keeps the waters clear, the marriage strong, and the testimony of God’s covenant love unmistakably bright.

(1) Delitzsch takes the words fountans and "rivers of waters" as used figuratively for the procreative power, and renders, "Shall thy streams flow abroad, and water brooks in the streets?" and interprets, "Let generative power act freely and unrestrainedly within the marriage relation."

(2) Schultens and Dathe, followed by Holden, regard the verse as expressing a conclusion on the preceding, "Then shall thy springs be dispersed abroad, even rivers of waters in the streets." The objection to this is that it necessitates the insertion of the copulative vau (ו) before the verb, yaphutzu, "be dispersed."

(3) Zockler and Hitzig read the verse interrogatively, "Shall thy streams flow abroad as water brooks in the streets?" on the analogy of Proverbs 6:30 and Psalm 56:7. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...