Song of Songs 8 Christian Standard Bible 8 If only I could treat you like my brother, one who nursed at my mother’s breasts, I would find you in public and kiss you, and no one would scorn me. 2 I would lead you, I would take you, to the house of my mother who taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranate. 3 May his left hand be under my head, and his right arm embrace me. 4 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you, do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time. Young Women 5 Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on the one she loves? Woman I awakened you under the apricot tree. There your mother conceived you; there she conceived and gave you birth. 6 Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death; jealousy is as unrelenting as Sheol. Love’s flames are fiery flames-- an almighty flame! 7 A huge torrent cannot extinguish love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If a man were to give all his wealth for love, it would be utterly scorned. Brothers 8 Our sister is young; she has no breasts. What will we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for? 9 If she is a wall, we will build a silver barricade on her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with cedar planks. Woman 10 I am a wall and my breasts like towers. So to him I have become like one who finds peace. 11 Solomon owned a vineyard in Baal-hamon. He leased the vineyard to tenants. Each was to bring for his fruit one thousand pieces of silver. 12 I have my own vineyard. The one thousand are for you, Solomon, but two hundred for those who take care of its fruits. Man 13 You who dwell in the gardens, companions are listening for your voice; let me hear you! Woman 14 Run away with me, my love, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices. The Woman wishes she should show affection to her husband in public without it drawing scorn. She wonders why such affection towards her brother is acceptable, but it's unacceptable to show such affection to her husband. She also once again warns the young women to not stir up or awaken love too quickly. It is something for those who are mature enough to handle the strong emotions and desires that go with it. It is not for the immature to have to deal with.
The young women see the two of the Man and the Woman returning together have he has found her (after she went out looking for him). They begin talking about it so that everyone knows the king and his bride are returning. The one who was lost has been found, and there is celebration among the people. The brothers that the Woman just spoke of now join the chorus. They speak of her as if she is still a little girl to them. They imagine that one day far off they will need to speak for her when she gets married, but they have missed it that it already happened because they did not recognize or treat her like the woman that she already was. They speak as if they still need to protect her virginity, but she has already given herself to her husband. They are more than a little late. The Woman proclaims to her brothers that she has protected her virginity, and she is a mature woman, and she has been joined with her husband so that the two have become one flesh, and she has given herself to Solomon. Solomon calls to hear his wife sing once more, and she sings that they might run away (probably on their honeymoon) that they might be wild at heart like the gazelle or young stag on the mountain that is full of spices. Again, this is a book that has been far different than any other book of the Bible before or after it. It ends the books of Poetry and sets us up well for the books of Prophecy where the LORD speaks to Isreal as a lover who has been scored by a cheating spouse. He loves Isreal deeply, but the more He loves her, the more they turn to idols and do and say things to hurt Him and act like all the good things He gives them are from themselves or other gods. In the book of Hosea, God actually says that He deserves a divorce--to nullify the covenant He made with them, but that there are larger issues at play and for the sake of not just His people, but all the nations of the world, He will take them back over and over again because He continued to look forward to Jesus who would one day come through this broken people, and one day be the solution to all of our brokenness. Song of Songs 7 Christian Standard Bible 7 How beautiful are your sandaled feet, princess! The curves of your thighs are like jewelry, the handiwork of a master. 2 Your navel is a rounded bowl; it never lacks mixed wine. Your belly is a mound of wheat surrounded by lilies. 3 Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle. 4 Your neck is like a tower of ivory, your eyes like pools in Heshbon by Bath-rabbim’s gate. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon looking toward Damascus. 5 Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel, the hair of your head like purple cloth-- a king could be held captive in your tresses. 6 How beautiful you are and how pleasant, my love, with such delights! 7 Your stature is like a palm tree; your breasts are clusters of fruit. 8 I said, “I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit.” May your breasts be like clusters of grapes, and the fragrance of your breath like apricots. 9 Your mouth is like fine wine-- Woman flowing smoothly for my love, gliding past my lips and teeth! 10 I am my love’s, and his desire is for me. 11 Come, my love, let’s go to the field; let’s spend the night among the henna blossoms. 12 Let’s go early to the vineyards; let’s see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my caresses. 13 The mandrakes give off a fragrance, and at our doors is every delicacy, both new and old. I have treasured them up for you, my love. The chapter is written in the CSB such that the speaker/singer changes abruptly in the middle of verse 9, but I think it's because it's uncertain who is speaking verse 9 to whom (it makes sense both ways, but verse 8 is definitely being said by the Man to the Woman and verse 10 is definitely being said by the Woman to the Man). I think the thought here is that this is like a musical where one person starts singing and the other person picks up in the middle (finishing the person's sentence) and continues with their own verse.
This is probably the moment of their reunification when they have found each other after Solomon goes out to look for her and she has gone to one of Solomon's favorite places to look for him. It is as he is singing about how much he loves her and desires to be a faithful husband to her once again that she suddenly appears and joins the chorus. She takes him back without question or reservation, though he by no means deserves it. She has made a vow to him until death separates them, and nothing, not even Solomons continued unfaithfulness, can make the Shulamite woman stop loving him. Aren't we glad that God's love is even stronger than this? We often are unfaithful to Him, and He still seeks after us and wants to have us back (like the Good Shepherd going after the 1 lost sheep, leaving the other 99 to find the one that has wandered off). She desires intimacy with her husband once more (mandrakes were used as an aphrodisiac, and we're already aware of all the symbols of fruit, blossoms, gardens, vineyards, etc from this song already). We'll have one more chapter next time that will be the conclusion of the song. I hope you see why this is a text taught to many young people before they get married, but I hope that you don't ever have to experience the infidelity that the Man made the Woman experience. She had made a choice to always love him--it wasn't a choice of emotion of what felt good like it was for the man, it was a deeper love that lived out in action first by waiting for him, and then by searching for him, even when she knew he was unfaithful. She just wanted him to come home and be with her again. Song of Songs 6 Christian Standard Bible Young Women 6 Where has your love gone, most beautiful of women? Which way has he turned? We will seek him with you. Woman 2 My love has gone down to his garden, to beds of spice, to feed in the gardens and gather lilies. 3 I am my love’s and my love is mine; he feeds among the lilies. Man 4 You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, lovely as Jerusalem, awe-inspiring as an army with banners. 5 Turn your eyes away from me, for they captivate me. Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down from Gilead. 6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes coming up from washing, each one having a twin, and not one missing. 7 Behind your veil, your brow is like a slice of pomegranate. 8 There are sixty queens and eighty concubines and young women without number. 9 But my dove, my virtuous one, is unique; she is the favorite of her mother, perfect to the one who gave her birth. Women see her and declare her fortunate; queens and concubines also, and they sing her praises: 10 Who is this who shines like the dawn, as beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awe-inspiring as an army with banners? Woman 11 I came down to the walnut grove to see the blossoms of the valley, to see if the vines were budding and the pomegranates blooming. 12 I didn’t know what was happening to me. I felt like I was in a chariot with a nobleman. Young Women 13 Come back, come back, Shulammite! Come back, come back, that we may look at you! Man How you gaze at the Shulammite, as you look at the dance of the two camps! All of the Young Women of Jerusalem (the friends of the Woman) offer to help her look for the Man (Solomon). They say they have no idea where he has gone. She says in poetic verse that he has gone to seek pleasure for himself--"the garden" is a symbol of something of value and worth (worth protecting) that brings pleasure both to the owner and to those who the owner invites in. For the woman, this was her virginity that she was keeping safe until marriage. Solomon was in search of what this was for himself.
He then realizes how much he misses her, and he speaks of her like he is seeing her for the first time though, it seems that the two of them miss each other as she goes out to search for him. She goes to some of his favorite places hoping he is there. The young women call for her to come back to town before she too gets lost. The Shulammite woman is all Solomon can think about. He is looking for her, and it seems that he will find her as she is looking for him (when we get to the next chapter, I think it will be obvious they are talking to one another and not about one another). They both thought they had lost each other, and it wasn't until they thought the other was lost that they realized how much the other meant to them (specifically for Solomon) --he had many other wives and concubines and could have just about any other woman that he wanted, but the Shulammite woman was the only one he really wanted. Song of Songs 4 Christian Standard Bible Man 4 How beautiful you are, my darling. How very beautiful! Behind your veil, your eyes are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down Mount Gilead. 2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep coming up from washing, each one bearing twins, and none has lost its young. 3 Your lips are like a scarlet cord, and your mouth is lovely. Behind your veil, your brow is like a slice of pomegranate. 4 Your neck is like the tower of David, constructed in layers. A thousand shields are hung on it-- all of them shields of warriors. 5 Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, that feed among the lilies. 6 Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. 7 You are absolutely beautiful, my darling; there is no imperfection in you. 8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me from Lebanon! Descend from the peak of Amana, from the summit of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards. 9 You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride. You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. 10 How delightful your caresses are, my sister, my bride. Your caresses are much better than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any balsam. 11 Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. 12 My sister, my bride, you are a locked garden-- a locked garden and a sealed spring. 13 Your branches are a paradise of pomegranates with choicest fruits; henna with nard, 14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the best spices. 15 You are a garden spring, a well of flowing water streaming from Lebanon. Woman 16 Awaken, north wind; come, south wind. Blow on my garden, and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my love come to his garden and eat its choicest fruits. Solomon professes all his reasons for loving the Woman and wanting to marry her. I think it's probably at this point that the marriage ceremony actually happens, because he talks about how her garden (her virginity) is locked up and she later invites him into her garden. She would only make that invitation once they were married. He also seems to say that he wants all of his kingdom to meet her. The tone of the poetry will change from this point from Solomon admiring the Woman from a distance to his enjoying the fruit of her garden and exploring her beauty up close as her husband. He's still passionately in love with her as a newlywed and still longs to learn everything about her. It's really important to understand this marriage has taken place before going on in the book because otherwise the things described later would be sinful, but they are completely okay within the bounds of marriage.
Song of Songs 3 Christian Standard Bible 3 In my bed at night I sought the one I love; I sought him, but did not find him. 2 I will arise now and go about the city, through the streets and the plazas. I will seek the one I love. I sought him, but did not find him. 3 The guards who go about the city found me. I asked them, “Have you seen the one I love?” 4 I had just passed them when I found the one I love. I held on to him and would not let him go until I brought him to my mother’s house-- to the chamber of the one who conceived me. 5 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and the wild does of the field, do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time. Narrator 6 Who is this coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke, scented with myrrh and frankincense from every fragrant powder of the merchant? 7 Look! Solomon’s bed surrounded by sixty warriors from the mighty men of Israel. 8 All of them are skilled with swords and trained in warfare. Each has his sword at his side to guard against the terror of the night. 9 King Solomon made a carriage for himself with wood from Lebanon. 10 He made its posts of silver, its back of gold, and its seat of purple. Its interior is inlaid with love by the young women of Jerusalem. 11 Go out, young women of Zion, and gaze at King Solomon, wearing the crown his mother placed on him on the day of his wedding-- the day of his heart’s rejoicing. We start with the Woman continuing her lines. The Man has gone away on business, and she misses him. She thinks about him when she lies down and when she gets up. She longs for his return. Is this not in a way similar to how we should feel about Jesus and longing for His return, for we know when he returns, He will be coming back to defeat His enemies and to make us His Bride forevermore.
As she is in the midst of her waiting, the Man comes suddenly (not quickly, but without advance notice). She must always be ready for His return, because she has no idea when He is going to be returning. The narrator calls for all the women of Zion (but is probably speaking to one in particular) to run out and meet him. Will we be as ready and excited to meet Him at the first sign of HIs return? Song of Songs 2 Christian Standard Bible 2 I am a wildflower of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Man 2 Like a lily among thorns, so is my darling among the young women. Woman 3 Like an apricot tree among the trees of the forest, so is my love among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. 4 He brought me to the banquet hall, and he looked on me with love. 5 Sustain me with raisins; refresh me with apricots, for I am lovesick. 6 May his left hand be under my head, and his right arm embrace me. 7 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and the wild does of the field, do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time. 8 Listen! My love is approaching. Look! Here he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. 9 My love is like a gazelle or a young stag. See, he is standing behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. 10 My love calls to me: Man Arise, my darling. Come away, my beautiful one. 11 For now the winter is past; the rain has ended and gone away. 12 The blossoms appear in the countryside. The time of singing has come, and the turtledove’s cooing is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree ripens its figs; the blossoming vines give off their fragrance. Arise, my darling. Come away, my beautiful one. 14 My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crevices of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Woman 15 Catch the foxes for us-- the little foxes that ruin the vineyards-- for our vineyards are in bloom. Woman 16 My love is mine and I am his; he feeds among the lilies. 17 Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, turn around, my love, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the divided mountains. Although this is mostly a song sung back and forth between Solomon and the Shulamite Woman, who would become his first wife, it is also tells the story of how much God loves us for He is our Husband, and we are His Bride. Therefore, there are many names for God that come out of the Song of Songs, a couple of which are right here in this chapter--The Rose of Sharon and The Lily of the Valley.
It may sound strange to imagine this poetry being between the LORD and us, but that is part of the underlying theme of this book--the LORD loves us passionately (though not in a sexual way, but in a much stronger covenant love way that we call Agape love in the New Testament and Hased in the Old Testament. Both are much deeper, stronger forms of love than erotic love that we normally think of when we read the Song of Songs, but this is a man pursuing his soon-to-be bride that he is willing to sacrifice everything for to enter into a lifetime covenant love relationship. God loved us so much that He literally gave His own life for us so that we could have an everlasting covenant relationship with us that surpasses marriage (though that is the closest thing we can compare to it) that lasts even after our physical death because He is able to give us eternal life. This brings deeper meaning to "I'm my Beloved's and He is mine" and "His banner over me is love" that we start to read about here and will continue to read about in the Song of Songs. The theme of these verses about fruit ripening for harvest and protecting the harvest from the wild animals that destroy the harvest. The role of the husband here is not only to comfort, but also to protect and defend. The woman is seen as priceless, and the man sees her great value. We know we are not priceless, but Jesus is priceless, and the Father sees His Son when He sees us. That is the only reason we have worth and value--because of the surpassing worth of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, when we read this song, we should understand that we are only beautiful because He makes us that way. Song of Songs 1 Christian Standard Bible 1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s. Woman 2 Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your caresses are more delightful than wine. 3 The fragrance of your perfume is intoxicating; your name is perfume poured out. No wonder young women adore you. 4 Take me with you—let’s hurry. Oh, that the king would bring me to his chambers. Young Women We will rejoice and be glad in you; we will celebrate your caresses more than wine. Woman It is only right that they adore you. 5 Daughters of Jerusalem, I am dark like the tents of Kedar, yet lovely like the curtains of Solomon. 6 Do not stare at me because I am dark, for the sun has gazed on me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me take care of the vineyards. I have not taken care of my own vineyard. 7 Tell me, you whom I love: Where do you pasture your sheep? Where do you let them rest at noon? Why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions? Man 8 If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the flock, and pasture your young goats near the shepherds’ tents. 9 I compare you, my darling, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots. 10 Your cheeks are beautiful with jewelry, your neck with its necklace. 11 We will make gold jewelry for you, accented with silver. Woman 12 While the king is on his couch, my perfume releases its fragrance. 13 The one I love is a sachet of myrrh to me, spending the night between my breasts. 14 The one I love is a cluster of henna blossoms to me, in the vineyards of En-gedi. Man 15 How beautiful you are, my darling. How very beautiful! Your eyes are doves. Woman 16 How handsome you are, my love. How delightful! Our bed is verdant; 17 the beams of our house are cedars, and our rafters are cypresses. A word of warning before we start studying this book together. This is a love song between Solomon and his first love. It is erotic at times and while there is nothing wrong with him telling his wife-to-be how he feels about her, this book comes with its own warnings to not awaken love until the appropriate time (2:7, 3:5, 4:16, 8:4 and 8:5). Therefore, I want to be very careful to give the same kind of warning here (though I'm aware that such a warning may cause a rebellious spirit to want to know what it is they are not supposed to know or see). My recommendation is that this book be studied by young people who are becoming physically mature or who have physically matured in the context of a Marriage and Family Life conference or something similar (there are many Christian speakers who travel to speak to young people about the issues of marriage and sexuality and teach almost exclusively from this book of the Bible for their source material). Second, I'll give the information that this is probably Solomon's first love and the person that God truly intended him to marry. and have children with. Unfortunately, we'll see that later in life, Solomon disobeyed the LORD's commands in the book of Deuteronomy 17:14-20 and acquired many women as wives and concubines. We see by the time that he wrote Proverbs and Ecclesiastes that he realized he had been foolish in doing so. Therefore, I'll give this additional warning. Do not learn the hard way but learn now that marriage is to be between one man and one woman throughout the terms of their natural lives as a symbol of the greater covenant bond between God and His people that will be forever (even death cannot separate us from one another). We've seen much about that already in the New Testament Epistles.
I believe that's enough preliminaries, so now it's time to introduce the characters in this poem (and it is written like a play with headings to separate who is speaking). We have "The Woman" who is the one Solomon is pursuing, "The Young Women" of Jerusalem who are friends of The Woman and "The Man" who is Solomon. It is The Woman who first desires The Man (not surprising as Solomon is king at this point and I'm sure all the women of Jerusalem wanted to marry him). Her friends support her and say they will be happy for her if she is successful. The Woman tells of how she is not like the other women of Jerusalem, she is dark-skinned (we will learn later that she is a Shulamite woman--from a small village in the land of the tribe of Issachar). She catches the eye of The Man (Solomon) and they sing poetic verses back and forth to each other to tell of other's beauty. I won't quote or interpret all these verses, as I think you can see that they talk are two lovebirds telling how they are attracted to one another. |
Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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