Study notes

Song of Solomon 7

Introducing Song of SolomonWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

1:1–8:14 Section

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.

7:1–5

  • The man praises the woman's dancing feet and then admires her body up to her flowing hair (Song of Solomon 7:1–5).

  • This daighter of the prince might not be from a royal family, but the man sees her as equal to royalty.

7:2

Your waist is a mound of wheat encircled by the lilies: The man is describing either the woman's smoothly rounded belly or her pubic area.

7:4

  • pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim: The pools of Heshbon, created by a brook, are still visible today near the ruins of Heshbon on the east coast of the Dead Sea.

  • the tower of Lebanon likely refers to Mount Hermon, a tall mountain overlooking the valley of Damascus, the capital of Syria. The woman's nose stands out beautifully among her facial features.

7:5–6

  • Mount Carmel is a tall mountain range on the Mediterranean coast.

  • the hair of your head like purple threads: Purple was expensive to make, so only royalty used it.

7:7–8

The husband talks about their intimate moments. He moves up her body and gently touches her breasts.

7:9

The man compares the woman's love and kisses to wine because they are delightful and make one feel dizzy (see Song of Solomon 1:2).

7:11–12

The woman suggests they visit the vineyards together to check their status and make love while there.

7:13

  • Mandrakes (Hebrew duda’im) were a Middle Eastern plant used as an aphrodisiac (see Genesis 30:14–16). The roots look like a human torso. The word is a play on "my lover" (Hebrew dodi).

  • at our door: All sexual pleasures are now available to them, and she will share the delights she has saved just for him.

  • new...old: She thinks about the sexual experiences they have already had and new ones they will try.

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