Song of Songs
Song of Songs
Solomon
AUDIENCE:
The people of Israel
PURPOSE:
To tell of love within marriage, and possibly also to show God’s love for his people.
Of Solomon’s estimated 1,005 songs (), this one is the most beautiful love song in Scripture. It speaks of the deep love that binds a man and woman together in marriage. It also shows the suffering caused by a lover’s absence, a common theme in erotic poetry from ancient Near Eastern cultures. And while Solomon’s large harem was well-known, the love described in this book suggests a unique relationship with this woman from Shulam ().
God created romantic love to be enjoyed within the blessing of marriage. However, the Song of Songs can be a bitter pill to swallow for people who feel unlovable or unwanted. Some with disabilities long for happy marriages that may never come to fruition due to superficial ideas of love, beauty, and attraction or the actual limitations of disability. Fortunately, Song of Songs points to a deeper reality for every reader: Jesus’ yearning for his bride, the church—an everlasting love available to all who believe in him.
SUFFERING AND DISABILITY THEMES
God designed the blessing of marriage. God created man and woman to find relational union in the blissful human experience of marriage. Learning to love, making a home, and growing a family are among life’s crowning achievements. While disability and all forms of suffering affect homes and marriages, God’s power and grace can deepen relationships to portray his unfailing love to an unbelieving world.
Human love, even at its best, involves degrees of pain and suffering. Love can make people vulnerable to fears of failure, longing and loneliness, and sexual sin. Sometimes, faithfulness to one’s marriage vows means caring for a spouse who has been stricken with a severe disability. In God’s design, marriage is a sacred institution in which we are constantly asked to give up our lives for one another ().
Marriage is for life, but relationship is for eternity. Solomon’s song celebrates human love. But it also points to the love of the Creator, who created human love for us to enjoy, and who loved us enough to send his Son so that we could experience his love forever ().
1This is Solomon’s song of songs, more wonderful than any other.
Young Woman
2Kiss me and kiss me again,
for your love is sweeter than wine.
3How pleasing is your fragrance;
your name is like the spreading fragrance of scented oils.
No wonder all the young women love you!
Take me with you; come, let’s run!
The king has brought me into his bedroom.
Young Women of Jerusalem
How happy we are for you, O king.
We praise your love even more than wine.
Young Woman
How right they are to adore you.
5I am dark but beautiful,
O women of Jerusalem—
dark as the tents of Kedar,
dark as the curtains of Solomon’s tents.
6Don’t stare at me because I am dark—
the sun has darkened my skin.
My brothers were angry with me;
they forced me to care for their vineyards,
so I couldn’t care for myself—my own vineyard.
7Tell me, my love, where are you leading your flock today?
Where will you rest your sheep at noon?
For why should I wander like a prostitute
among your friends and their flocks?
Young Man
8If you don’t know, O most beautiful woman,
follow the trail of my flock,
and graze your young goats by the shepherds’ tents.
9You are as exciting, my darling,
as a mare among Pharaoh’s stallions.
10How lovely are your cheeks;
your earrings set them afire!
How lovely is your neck,
enhanced by a string of jewels.
11We will make for you earrings of gold
and beads of silver.
Young Woman
12The king is lying on his couch,
enchanted by the fragrance of my perfume.
13My lover is like a sachet of myrrh
lying between my breasts.
14He is like a bouquet of sweet henna blossoms
from the vineyards of En-gedi.
Young Man
15How beautiful you are, my darling,
how beautiful!
Your eyes are like doves.
Young Woman
16You are so handsome, my love,
pleasing beyond words!
The soft grass is our bed;
17fragrant cedar branches are the beams of our house,
and pleasant smelling firs are the rafters.
Young Woman
1I am the spring crocus blooming on the Sharon Plain,
the lily of the valley.
Young Man
2Like a lily among thistles
is my darling among young women.
Young Woman
3Like the finest apple tree in the orchard
is my lover among other young men.
I sit in his delightful shade
and taste his delicious fruit.
4He escorts me to the banquet hall;
it’s obvious how much he loves me.
5Strengthen me with raisin cakes,
refresh me with apples,
for I am weak with love.
6His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.
Promise me, O women of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and wild deer,
not to awaken love until the time is right.
8Ah, I hear my lover coming!
He is leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9My lover is like a swift gazelle
or a young stag.
Look, there he is behind the wall,
looking through the window,
peering into the room.
10My lover said to me,
“Rise up, my darling!
Come away with me, my fair one!
11Look, the winter is past,
and the rains are over and gone.
12The flowers are springing up,
the season of singing birds has come,
and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air.
13The fig trees are forming young fruit,
and the fragrant grapevines are blossoming.
Rise up, my darling!
Come away with me, my fair one!”
Young Man
14My dove is hiding behind the rocks,
behind an outcrop on the cliff.
Let me see your face;
let me hear your voice.
For your voice is pleasant,
and your face is lovely.
Young Women of Jerusalem
Catch all the foxes,
those little foxes,
before they ruin the vineyard of love,
for the grapevines are blossoming!
Young Woman
16My lover is mine, and I am his.
He browses among the lilies.
17Before the dawn breezes blow
and the night shadows flee,
return to me, my love, like a gazelle
or a young stag on the rugged mountains.
Young Woman
One night as I lay in bed, I yearned for my lover.
I yearned for him, but he did not come.
2So I said to myself, “I will get up and roam the city,
searching in all its streets and squares.
I will search for the one I love.”
So I searched everywhere but did not find him.
3The watchmen stopped me as they made their rounds,
and I asked, “Have you seen the one I love?”
4Then scarcely had I left them
when I found my love!
I caught and held him tightly,
then I brought him to my mother’s house,
into my mother’s bed, where I had been conceived.
5Promise me, O women of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and wild deer,
not to awaken love until the time is right.
Young Women of Jerusalem
6Who is this sweeping in from the wilderness
like a cloud of smoke?
Who is it, fragrant with myrrh and frankincense
and every kind of spice?
7Look, it is Solomon’s carriage,
surrounded by sixty heroic men,
the best of Israel’s soldiers.
8They are all skilled swordsmen,
experienced warriors.
Each wears a sword on his thigh,
ready to defend the king against an attack in the night.
9King Solomon’s carriage is built
of wood imported from Lebanon.
10Its posts are silver,
its canopy gold;
its cushions are purple.
It was decorated with love
by the young women of Jerusalem.
Young Woman
11Come out to see King Solomon,
young women of Jerusalem.
He wears the crown his mother gave him on his wedding day,
his most joyous day.
Young Man
1You are beautiful, my darling,
beautiful beyond words.
Your eyes are like doves
behind your veil.
Your hair falls in waves,
like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.
2Your teeth are as white as sheep,
recently shorn and freshly washed.
Your smile is flawless,
each tooth matched with its twin.
3Your lips are like scarlet ribbon;
your mouth is inviting.
Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates
behind your veil.
4Your neck is as beautiful as the tower of David,
jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes.
5Your breasts are like two fawns,
twin fawns of a gazelle grazing among the lilies.
6Before the dawn breezes blow
and the night shadows flee,
I will hurry to the mountain of myrrh
and to the hill of frankincense.
7You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
beautiful in every way.
8Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
come with me from Lebanon.
Come down from Mount Amana,
from the peaks of Senir and Hermon,
where the lions have their dens
and leopards live among the hills.
9You have captured my heart,
my treasure, my bride.
You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes,
with a single jewel of your necklace.
Your love delights me,
my treasure, my bride.
Your love is better than wine,
your perfume more fragrant than spices.
11Your lips are as sweet as nectar, my bride.
Honey and milk are under your tongue.
Your clothes are scented
like the cedars of Lebanon.
12You are my private garden, my treasure, my bride,
a secluded spring, a hidden fountain.
13Your thighs shelter a paradise of pomegranates
with rare spices—
henna with nard,
14nard and saffron,
fragrant calamus and cinnamon,
with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh, and aloes,
and every other lovely spice.
15You are a garden fountain,
a well of fresh water
streaming down from Lebanon’s mountains.
Young Woman
16Awake, north wind!
Rise up, south wind!
Blow on my garden
and spread its fragrance all around.
Come into your garden, my love;
taste its finest fruits.
Young Man
I have entered my garden, my treasure, my bride!
I gather myrrh with my spices
and eat honeycomb with my honey.
I drink wine with my milk.
Young Women of Jerusalem
Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink!
Yes, drink deeply of your love!
Young Woman
2I slept, but my heart was awake,
when I heard my lover knocking and calling:
“Open to me, my treasure, my darling,
my dove, my perfect one.
My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night.”
3But I responded,
“I have taken off my robe.
Should I get dressed again?
I have washed my feet.
Should I get them soiled?”
4My lover tried to unlatch the door,
and my heart thrilled within me.
5I jumped up to open the door for my love,
and my hands dripped with perfume.
My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh
as I pulled back the bolt.
I opened to my lover,
but he was gone!
My heart sank.
I searched for him
but could not find him anywhere.
I called to him,
but there was no reply.
7The night watchmen found me
as they made their rounds.
They beat and bruised me
and stripped off my veil,
those watchmen on the walls.
8Make this promise, O women of Jerusalem—
If you find my lover,
tell him I am weak with love.
Young Women of Jerusalem
9Why is your lover better than all others,
O woman of rare beauty?
What makes your lover so special
that we must promise this?
Young Woman
10My lover is dark and dazzling,
better than ten thousand others!
11His head is finest gold,
his wavy hair is black as a raven.
12His eyes sparkle like doves
beside springs of water;
they are set like jewels
washed in milk.
13His cheeks are like gardens of spices
giving off fragrance.
His lips are like lilies,
perfumed with myrrh.
14His arms are like rounded bars of gold,
set with beryl.
His body is like bright ivory,
glowing with lapis lazuli.
15His legs are like marble pillars
set in sockets of finest gold.
His posture is stately,
like the noble cedars of Lebanon.
His mouth is sweetness itself;
he is desirable in every way.
Such, O women of Jerusalem,
is my lover, my friend.
Young Women of Jerusalem
1Where has your lover gone,
O woman of rare beauty?
Which way did he turn
so we can help you find him?
Young Woman
2My lover has gone down to his garden,
to his spice beds,
to browse in the gardens
and gather the lilies.
3I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine.
He browses among the lilies.
Young Man
4You are beautiful, my darling,
like the lovely city of Tirzah.
Yes, as beautiful as Jerusalem,
as majestic as an army with billowing banners.
5Turn your eyes away,
for they overpower me.
Your hair falls in waves,
like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.
6Your teeth are as white as sheep
that are freshly washed.
Your smile is flawless,
each tooth matched with its twin.
7Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates
behind your veil.
8Even among sixty queens
and eighty concubines
and countless young women,
9I would still choose my dove, my perfect one—
the favorite of her mother,
dearly loved by the one who bore her.
The young women see her and praise her;
even queens and royal concubines sing her praises:
10“Who is this, arising like the dawn,
as fair as the moon,
as bright as the sun,
as majestic as an army with billowing banners?”
Young Woman
11I went down to the grove of walnut trees
and out to the valley to see the new spring growth,
to see whether the grapevines had budded
or the pomegranates were in bloom.
12Before I realized it,
my strong desires had taken me to the chariot of a noble man.
Young Women of Jerusalem
13Return, return to us, O maid of Shulam.
Come back, come back, that we may see you again.
Young Man
Why do you stare at this young woman of Shulam,
as she moves so gracefully between two lines of dancers?
1How beautiful are your sandaled feet,
O queenly maiden.
Your rounded thighs are like jewels,
the work of a skilled craftsman.
2Your navel is perfectly formed
like a goblet filled with mixed wine.
Between your thighs lies a mound of wheat
bordered with lilies.
3Your breasts are like two fawns,
twin fawns of a gazelle.
4Your neck is as beautiful as an ivory tower.
Your eyes are like the sparkling pools in Heshbon
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is as fine as the tower of Lebanon
overlooking Damascus.
5Your head is as majestic as Mount Carmel,
and the sheen of your hair radiates royalty.
The king is held captive by its tresses.
6Oh, how beautiful you are!
How pleasing, my love, how full of delights!
7You are slender like a palm tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters of fruit.
8I said, “I will climb the palm tree
and take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like grape clusters,
and the fragrance of your breath like apples.
9May your kisses be as exciting as the best wine—
Young Woman
Yes, wine that goes down smoothly for my lover,
flowing gently over lips and teeth.
I am my lover’s,
and he claims me as his own.
11Come, my love, let us go out to the fields
and spend the night among the wildflowers.
12Let us get up early and go to the vineyards
to see if the grapevines have budded,
if the blossoms have opened,
and if the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I will give you my love.
13There the mandrakes give off their fragrance,
and the finest fruits are at our door,
new delights as well as old,
which I have saved for you, my lover.
Young Woman
Oh, I wish you were my brother,
who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
Then I could kiss you no matter who was watching,
and no one would criticize me.
2I would bring you to my childhood home,
and there you would teach me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
my sweet pomegranate wine.
3Your left arm would be under my head,
and your right arm would embrace me.
4Promise me, O women of Jerusalem,
not to awaken love until the time is right.
Young Women of Jerusalem
5Who is this sweeping in from the desert,
leaning on her lover?
Young Woman
I aroused you under the apple tree,
where your mother gave you birth,
where in great pain she delivered you.
Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
its jealousy as enduring as the grave.
Love flashes like fire,
the brightest kind of flame.
7Many waters cannot quench love,
nor can rivers drown it.
If a man tried to buy love
with all his wealth,
his offer would be utterly scorned.
The Young Woman’s Brothers
8We have a little sister
too young to have breasts.
What will we do for our sister
if someone asks to marry her?
9If she is a virgin, like a wall,
we will protect her with a silver tower.
But if she is promiscuous, like a swinging door,
we will block her door with a cedar bar.
Young Woman
10I was a virgin, like a wall;
now my breasts are like towers.
When my lover looks at me,
he is delighted with what he sees.
11Solomon has a vineyard at Baal-hamon,
which he leases out to tenant farmers.
Each of them pays a thousand pieces of silver
for harvesting its fruit.
12But my vineyard is mine to give,
and Solomon need not pay a thousand pieces of silver.
But I will give two hundred pieces
to those who care for its vines.
Young Man
13O my darling, lingering in the gardens,
your companions are fortunate to hear your voice.
Let me hear it, too!
Young Woman
14Come away, my love! Be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the mountains of spices.