Logos Bible Study

Song of Solomon 2

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Dialogue between the Maiden and Her Beloved

2I am a rosea of Sharon,

a lily of the valleys.

2Like a lily among the thorns,b

so is my love among the maidens.

3As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,

so is my beloved among the young men.

In his shade I sat down with delight,c

and his fruit was sweet to my palate.

Banquet Hall of Love

4He brought me to the house of the wine,

and his intention was love toward me.

5Sustain me with the raisins,

refresh me with the apples,

for I am lovesick.d

Double Refrain: Embrace and Adjuration

6His left hand is under my head,

and his right hand embracese me.

7I adjure you, O maidens of Jerusalem,f

by the gazelles or by the does of the field,

do not arouse or awaken love until it pleases!g

Rendezvous in the Countryside

8The voice of my beloved!

Look! Here heh comes leaping upon the mountains,

bounding over the hills!

9My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.i

Look! He isj standing behind our wall,

gazing throughk the window,

looking throughl the lattice.

10My beloved answered and said to me,

“Arise,m my beloved! Come, my beauty!n

11For look! The winter is over;

the rainy seasono has turned and gone away.p

12The blossoms appearq in the land;r

the time of singings has arrived;t

the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

13The fig tree puts forth her figs,

and the vines are in blossom; they give fragrance.

Arise,u my beloved! Come, my beauty!”v

14My dove, in the clefts of the rock,

in the secluded placewx in the mountain,yz

Let me see your face,

let me hear your voice;

for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.

15Catch for us the foxes,

the little foxes destroying vineyards,

fora our vineyards are in blossom!

Poetic Refrain

16My beloved belongs to me and I belong to him;b

he pastures his flock among the lilies.

17Until the day breathes and the shadows flee,

turn, my beloved!

Be likec a gazelled or young stage on the cleft mountains.f

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Footnotes

  1. aMore likely “meadow saffron” or “crocus.” Hebrew scholars and botanists suggest the term refers to Ashodelos (lily family), Narcissus tazetta (narcissus or daffodil), or Colchicum autumnale (meadow saffron or crocus) (e.g., Isa 35:1). The location of this flower in Sharon suggests a common wild flower rather than a rose. The maiden compares herself to a simple, common flower of the field
  2. bOr “brambles”
  3. cLiterally “I sat down and I delighted”
  4. dLiterally “for I myself am sick with love”
  5. eOr “would embrace me”
  6. fLiterally “O daughters of Jerusalem”
  7. gOr “Do not stir up or awaken the love until it is willing,” or “Do not disturb or interrupt our lovemaking until it is satisfied”
  8. hLiterally “this one”
  9. iLiterally “the fawn of the stag”
  10. jLiterally “This is he”
  11. kLiterally “from”
  12. lLiterally “from”
  13. mLiterally “Arise, you”
  14. nLiterally “And come, you”
  15. oLiterally “the rain”
  16. pLiterally “is over; it is gone”
  17. qLiterally “is seen”
  18. rLiterally “on the earth”
  19. sMost likely, a subtle word play occurs here since there are two different words in Hebrew spelled the same way: “pruning” and “singing.” The former plays upon the first line and the latter upon the third line
  20. tLiterally “the time of the song arrived”
  21. uLiterally “Arise, to you!”
  22. vLiterally “My beauty, come, you”
  23. wLiterally “in the secret place”
  24. xOr “in the covering”
  25. yLiterally “foothold in the rock”
  26. zOr “cliff”
  27. aOr “while”
  28. bLiterally “My beloved for me and I for him”
  29. cLiterally “Be like for you”
  30. dOr “a buck gazelle”
  31. eLiterally “the fawn of the stag”
  32. fOr “the mountains of Bether”

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