Proverbs 5:17

Proverbs 5:17 (NASBStr)

Let them be yours alone

And not for strangers with you.

Proverbs 5:17 (ESV)

Let them be for yourself alone,

and not for strangers with you.

In this proverb, Solomon is continuing his warning to the man of the home.  He wants him to beware of what happens when the man goes astray and falls for the harlots trap.   What he has brought out, in the previous proverbs, is that unfaithfulness of the man can result in temptation and unfaithfulness to the wife.   Most don't think of this aspect of their promiscuous sin.   What Solomon is saying is that your wife ought to be "yours alone" and not a "strangers."  He is saying that your wife should be you soul intimate.  Failure to follow and stay at home with your wife can result in your wife's failure to stay there.   That doesn't mean the wife is free from guilt and responsibility.  It means that the husband of the house is the umbrella to the family.   Failure to hold the umbrella is equivalent of allowing the rain and storm to affect the wife.   The wife is to be the one the man finds fulfillment and enjoyment.  When our own faithfulness affects the home it affects that relationship.   Make no mistake, hidden promiscuity in your personal life can lead to open promiscuity in the life of your mate.