Study notes
This verse gives the English title of the book. It acts as the title page, showing the genre (song) and linking to the likely author of some or all of the book (see Song of Songs Book Introduction, “Authorship”). The New Living Translation correctly sees "song of songs" as a Hebrew superlative. This means the song is the highest, best, or most sublime, likely making it more wonderful than any of Solomon’s 1,005 songs (see 1 Kings 4:32).
The woman is the first one to speak in Song of Songs. Both she and the man she loves are shepherds. For hundreds of years, this job was very common among the people of Israel.
The woman and the man are both adults. This is true even though the woman’s brothers treat her like she is still young. The woman and the man both have very strong desires for each other. For the woman, everything about the man is delightful. For the man, the woman is so beautiful and so delightful. They are completely committed to each other.
Three times the woman talks about how she and the man belong to one another. This shows that they don’t love anyone else the way they love each other. It also shows that neither of them owns or controls the other. They both choose to do things to please the other. They each invite the other to come away with them. They desire to be together. They look for ways to find each other and spend time together.
Most of the woman’s and the man’s poems are about the sexual hopes they have. They hope to enjoy each other’s body fully. The poems are about what they imagine doing together. They imagine these things freely and they explain these things very carefully. But they can’t yet fully take action on their sexual desires.
Three times the woman talks about not waking up love. This means that they must wait to do what they imagine doing with each other. It’s very hard for them to wait.
The woman and the man compare each other’s bodies to many different things. These include things in creation like animals, gardens, mountains, flowers, fruit and spices. They include things in cities like towers, pillars, armies, gates, ivory, gold and silk.
The woman compares love to many things. It can’t be stopped by anything in creation or by death. It can’t be controlled by money. These words are a picture of how strong love is.
kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!: The woman desires the touch and taste of kisses from her true love. From the beginning, we see that the young woman and the man have a strong attraction. Their relationship is based on mutual respect and caring love.
Love is a sensual experience in the Song. The taste of love is sweeter than wine, a rich and sensuous liquid. Love, like wine, also makes the person who experiences it feel slightly light-headed.
The song starts with the woman expressing her desire to be close to the man she loves. In the song, the woman often begins the relationship. The chorus, called the "Young Women of Jerusalem" in the New Living Translation, supports her choice of this man.
According to a three-character dramatic interpretation, the song begins by describing the woman's situation. The king is about to bring her into his palace, but she truly loves her shepherd. She hopes her lover will save her from the king (Song of Solomon 1:4).
The man's cologne smells sweet, suggesting the woman wants to be closer to him.
the maidens adore you: His appeal is not just physical; he has a great reputation. The chorus of women shows their respect and admiration for him in Song of Solomon 1:4. By noting the attention he gets from other women, the woman shows her love is thoughtful. She feels lucky to be the one he loves back.
Take me away: The two lovers are very active throughout the Song, traveling through the hills, to the city, and out to the country. This time, the woman invites the man to take her away with him and urgently expresses her desire to run. According to the three-character dramatic view, they might be running to escape the king, who has brought the young woman into his palace.
May the king bring me to his chambers (literally into his rooms): A common interpretation is that the woman anticipates an intimate relationship with King Solomon. However, while a literal Hebrew translation indicates she has been brought into Solomon’s rooms, it does not specify which rooms or imply it was her personal desire.
The text shifts here from the second person (“you”) to the third person (“his”), which might suggest two different men are involved—one being spoken to, the other being spoken about. In that case, the woman might want to run because she does not wish to be the king’s concubine.
If the Song is a collection of love songs without a narrative thread, it is not problematic for the lover to be identified here as the king and later as a shepherd (for example, Song of Solomon 1:7):
The language may or may not be intended literally
These titles, which are similar to other ancient Middle Eastern love poetry, may reflect the woman’s view of her lover at a particular time (for example, by indicating that he is a king in her eyes)
Different poems may refer to different couples
The woman frequently addresses the young women of Jerusalem (for example, Song of Solomon 2:7; 3:5). They are portrayed as close, trusted friends who are fond of the woman and respond to her requests. She often tells in them about her lover, and they praise the couple from their outside perspective (for example, Song of Solomon 5:1, 9).
O king, from the New Living Translation, is not in the Hebrew. Its addition reflects the view that the young man is the king rather than a shepherd.
The woman's dark skin is not related to her race; the sun has darkened her complexion. Despite this, she maintains her self-respect and asserts her beauty. She looks healthy from working in vineyards and caring for goats (see also Song of Solomon 1:8).
Solomon had caretakers for his fields, vineyards, herds, and flocks; the herders lived in dark tents made of goats' hair.
If the Song is a three-character drama and the shepherd is her lover, the couple was apart while she was in the king’s palace. In this passage, she wants to know where to find him when she leaves. Twice, she is frantic about losing him again (Song of Solomon 3:1–4; 5:2–8). At other times, her concern is more subtle (Song of Solomon 2:14).
of the vineyards: The New Living Translation sees vineyard as a metaphor for the woman's body (compare Song of Solomon 2:15; 7:12). In ancient Near Eastern societies, brothers protected their sisters from early intimate relationships. The woman's protest shows she believes she is ready for love (see also Song of Solomon 8:8–12, the only other mention of the brothers).
The dramatic view sees vineyard as actual vineyards: The brothers' mistreatment led to the woman's inability to care for the vineyards she was responsible for. She ended up in Solomon's harem because she could not pay him the money she owed (Song of Solomon 8:11–12).
pasture your sheep: In this dramatic view, the woman's lover and his friends are actual shepherds. This is not a job or group you would link with King Solomon at any point in his life.
like a veiled woman: Prostitutes wore veils to hide their identities (Genesis 38:14–16). Since Solomon has claimed the woman as a concubine, she has a reason to cover herself and stay discreet. She wants to avoid asking everyone around her where her loved one is (Song of Songs 3:3; 5:6–7). She wants to find him privately during the noon rest period so they can enjoy their time together.
The man's first words in this poem gently calm the woman's anxiety by telling her where to meet him.
The man wants to be with her and asks her to come disguised as a goatherd, following his flock's path.
The shepherd often calls the woman "darling" (literally companion) to show his respect for her as a partner, friend, and lover (Song of Solomon 1:15; 2:2, 10, 13; 4:1, 7; 5:2; 6:4).
In the ancient Near East, a charge of horsemen on stallions was sometimes stopped by releasing a mare in heat. This distracted the attacking horses and broke the charge. Similarly, the woman's beauty distracts other men.
The woman's beauty shines with her jewelry. The man decides to give her more jewelry to enhance her beauty even further (compare Matthew 13:12).
The meaning of the word translated as table is unclear. The word "lying," as in the New Living Translation, is not in the Hebrew text. The king and the woman could be lying on a couch or bed, or they might just be sitting at a table in a palace room.
The view that considers the Song as a collection of love songs does not focus on whether the man is actually a king.
In the dramatic view, the woman is in the king's palace (Song of Solomon 1:4, 12), but her heart belongs to her shepherd lover (1:13–14).
In the anthology view, this is a short poem about intimate fragrances.
Myrrh comes from the branches of a fragrant shrub that did not grow in Israel. It was imported from Arabia and India at a high cost. The sachet is a small packet of sweet-smelling myrrh. The woman shows her desire for intimacy by comparing her lover to the sachet lying between her breasts.
According to the three-character dramatic view, the woman is with the king in one of his palace rooms. However, the fragrance of myrrh between her breasts reminds her fondly of her shepherd lover, who is closer to her heart than the king.
The woman deeply desires her man's true love, just as a traveler craves water at En-gedi, an oasis near the Dead Sea.
Henna is a fragrant shrub from the En-gedi area; its blossoms were used to make red hair dye.
The comparison of the woman's eyes to doves (see also Song of Solomon 4:1; 5:12) is unclear. The metaphor might refer to their color or a gentle expression.
The couple lovingly describe each other. They admire her unique beauty and appreciate his strong protection and support.
The soft grass is our bed. The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are fragrant firs: The lovers imagine their luxurious surroundings of grass and overhanging trees as their house. She does not need the royal, palatial surroundings of a king because these God-created natural surroundings are more than enough for her and her true lover.
In several poems, the countryside is a place of happy intimacy. The man and the woman make their bed outdoors and enjoy each other's company.
Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources