8:1 were my little brother The woman does not wish that she and her beloved were siblings—sexual relations between siblings were prohibited by the law (Lev 20:17). Rather, she wishes that they could express physical love more openly. See note on 4:9.

8:2 the house of my mother Demonstrates the woman’s desire for intimacy with her beloved. See note on Song 3:4.

I would give you spiced wine to drink A euphemism for sexual activity. See 1:2; compare 5:1 and note.

the sweet wine of my pomegranates Indicates the woman’s sexuality (see 4:13). In 6:11 and 7:12, the woman uses the image of blooming pomegranates to describe readiness for sexual activity.

8:3 his right hand embraces me Repeated from earlier. See 2:6 and note.

8:4 I adjure you Refers to swearing an oath. See notes on 2:7.

8:5 Who is this This phrase is identical to the opening of the royal wedding procession (see 3:6–11). This time, however, the woman and her beloved are together. It is unclear whether the woman or the daughters of Jerusalem speak here.

Under the apple tree I awakened you The word ur (“awaken” or “stir”) can indicate arousal. Apples have already been used with erotic connotations (see 2:3; 7:8). Compare 5:2 and note.

8:6 love is strong as death Love is compared to death, indicating that they are both irresistible forces. Just as people cannot avoid death, a woman cannot ignore or avoid the love she feels for her beloved.

passion Here, jealousy positively depicts a desire for exclusivity. Just as Yahweh jealously desires His people (Exod 20:5), the woman is jealous for her beloved.

is fierce as Sheol The comparison of jealousy to the grave probably indicates the insatiable nature of death (see Prov 30:16 and note).

it is a blazing flame The Hebrew word used here, shalhevethyah, occurs only here in the Bible. It may be a combination of shalheveth (“flame” or “fire”) and yah (the abbreviated form of Yahweh). If so, this is the only mention of God in Song of Songs. This form may act as a superlative—“the fiercest flame.”

8:7 Many waters cannot quench love After comparing love to flames of fire (Song 8:6), the woman emphasizes its lasting power; it cannot be put out even by great amounts of flooding water.

all the wealth of his house Wisdom is often compared to and shown to be more valuable than material wealth (Job 28:15–19; Prov 3:14–15). This description of love goes further: not only can love not be purchased—the person who attempts to do so would be ridiculed.

Wisdom and Related Terms

8:8 We have a little sister The woman’s brothers (Song 1:6) speak here for the first time. In the ancient Near East, brothers often played a role in the marriage of their sister (Gen 24:29–59; Judg 21:22).

she does not yet have any breasts She has not reached sexual maturity (Ezek 16:7–8).

on the day when she is betrothed Most likely a reference to her future marriage. The brothers here ask how to protect their sister and prepare her for her future wedding.

8:9 she is a wall The images of a wall and closed doors demonstrate the brothers’ desire to protect their sister’s virginity. The reactions of the brothers of Dinah and Tamar to their rapes demonstrate this desire for protection (Gen 34:1–30; 2 Sam 13:1–33).

8:10 my breasts were like the towers The woman responds to her brothers by stating that she is now sexually mature. She has kept herself chaste and is now ready for an intimate relationship.

my betrothed viewed me with great delight The word shalom can carry the meaning of completeness or wholeness. The love between the woman and her beloved brings them both fulfillment and wholeness.

8:11 a vineyard Elsewhere in the book, vineyards symbolize the couple’s relationship (2:15) or the woman’s appearance (1:6).

Baal-hamon This place name is otherwise unknown. Since the name literally means “lord of a crowd,” it may symbolize the number of wives and concubines Solomon had.

he entrusted his vineyard to the keepers The reference to Solomon letting out his vineyard shows the lack of an intimate relationship between Solomon and his harem.

8:12 belongs to me The exclusive and intimate relationship between the man and woman (2:16; 6:3) sharply contrasts Solomon and his vast harem.

8:13 Let me hear it The man speaks here and expresses his desire to be with the woman as he longs to hear her voice (2:14).

8:14 the perfumed mountains A reference to the woman herself. Earlier, the man used a similar phrase to refer to the woman’s breasts (see 4:6 and note). The book closes with the woman expressing her desire for her beloved to come quickly and be with her.