2:1 of Sharon A plain along the Mediterranean coast, known for its beauty and fertility (1 Chr 5:16; Isa 35:2).

2:2 my love among the maidens The man echoes and elevates the woman’s description of herself. He compares her to other young women, saying she is like a lily among thorns.

2:3 As an apple tree The woman returns the compliment by comparing her beloved to fruit trees in a forest. Like her, he stands out from the rest

his shade I sat down An image of safety and protection. The psalmist often looks for refuge in God’s shadow (Psa 36:7; 91:1).

his fruit was sweet Likely a sexual euphemism.

2:4 the house of the wine The Hebrew phrase used here, beth hayyayin (meaning “the house of wine”), may describe a vineyard where grapes for wine are grown, or a banquet room in a palace (Esth 7:8).

his intention Banners were used for military purposes. Each unit would gather under their banner (Song 6:4; Num 1:52), which represented the army and often included the name or image of a deity (Exod 17:15). Here, the man’s banner represents a declaration of his love.

2:5 Sustain me with the raisins The verbs in this verse are plural, suggesting that the woman may be speaking to the daughters of Jerusalem (who she refers to in Song 2:7). The woman asks for physical nourishment and refreshment because she is lovesick.

2:6 embraces The Hebrew word used here, chavaq, can have either friendly (Gen 48:10) or sexual (Prov 5:20) implications. Here, it indicates a sexual union as the woman describes her encounter with her beloved.

2:7 I adjure you The woman is encouraging the daughters of Jerusalem to swear an oath that they will refrain from love until the appropriate time. This verse is repeated in Song 3:5; 8:4.

the gazelles or by the does of Symbols of beauty (Song 4:5; Prov 5:19).

until it pleases In light of the all-consuming nature of love as described in 2:3–6, the woman warns the daughters not to hurry love, but to wait for it to blossom. Expressing this kind of love requires a proper context and occasion.

2:8 The voice of This word can refer either to a voice or a sound. The woman is excited as she hears the approach of her beloved.

leaping upon the mountains May indicate the urgency of his approach. It may also indicate that he had to overcome certain obstacles to reach her.

2:9 our wall The pronoun “our” is probably meant to include the woman’s mother. Elsewhere, she describes leading her beloved into her mother’s house to share love (3:4; 8:2).

2:12 singing This word can refer either to “pruning” or to “a song.” However, pruning occurred toward the end of the season rather than the beginning. It may describe the singing of birds who returned after migrating for the winter.

2:13 Arise, my beloved! Come, my beauty Just as he began his speech (2:10), the beloved ends by inviting his love to come away with him.

2:14 My dove Possibly a description of gentleness or softness. See note on 1:15.

Let me see your face The second half of this verse contains striking poetic parallelism: two requests (face, voice) are followed by two descriptions (voice, face). The man expresses his desire to look upon the woman’s lovely face and listen to her sweet voice.

Parallelism in Hebrew Poetry Table

2:15 Catch for us the foxes The exact meaning of this verse is unclear, as is the speaker. Most likely, the woman is speaking to the man. Elsewhere in Song of Songs, the vineyard represents the woman (1:6) or a place of sexual union (6:11–12); the foxes probably represent some kind of hindrance to their love.

2:16 My beloved belongs to me and I belong to him This statement—repeated in 6:3—reveals the intimate relationship between the man and woman. They belong to each other in a mutual giving of their love.

he pastures his flock among the lilies Most likely a euphemism. Elsewhere, lips are compared to lilies (5:13) and the woman herself is called a lily (2:1–2). The image here probably indicates physical intimacy as the beloved finds refreshment and nourishment via his love.