Song of Solomon

Part One: Introduction to the Song of Solomon

The Name

The book opens: "The song of songs, which is Solomon's" (1:1). "Song of songs" is a Hebrew superlative, like "holy of holies" or "King of kings": it means the greatest or most excellent of songs. Solomon wrote 1,005 songs (1 Kings 4:32), and this is called the best of them. It is also known as the Song of Songs, or Canticles (from the Latin title). In Jewish tradition it is read at Passover.

Author and Date

The title attributes it to Solomon, who is named several times (1:5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11-12). Its fresh, joyful tone and its many references to plants, animals and places throughout the land, from Lebanon and Hermon in the north to En-gedi in the south (1:14; 4:8), fit the early years of his reign, before his heart was turned away by many wives (1 Kings 11:1-4). A date around 965 BC is likely.

What Kind of Book Is It?

The Song of Solomon is a love poem, a series of songs between a bridegroom and his bride, with a chorus of "daughters of Jerusalem." It describes courtship, a royal wedding, a time of distance and reconciliation, and mature married love, using rich imagery drawn from nature: gardens, vineyards, spices, flowers, doves, gazelles and fountains. It is unusual in Scripture: God's name does not clearly appear (though some see a reference in 8:6, where "a most vehement flame" can be translated "the flame of the LORD"), and it is not quoted in the New Testament. Yet it is part of God's inspired Word.

The Characters

Some interpreters see three main characters instead of two: the Shulamite remaining faithful to a humble shepherd lover in spite of King Solomon's attempts to win her. Most conservative interpreters read it as two lovers, with Solomon described in shepherd imagery.

How Should Christians Read the Song?

There have been three main approaches:

• Literal: The Song celebrates the God-given love between a husband and wife, honouring romance, beauty, desire and faithfulness within marriage. This is its plain meaning.
• Allegorical: Many ancient Jewish interpreters saw it as a picture of God's love for Israel; many early and medieval Christians saw it as Christ's love for the church or for the individual believer, sometimes treating every detail as a hidden symbol.
• Typological: Many Bible-believing Christians today hold that the Song is first of all a real portrait of godly married love, and that, because Scripture itself uses marriage as a picture of Christ and His church (Ephesians 5:31-32), the Song also points beyond itself to the greater love of Christ for His people.

This study follows the third approach: the literal meaning first, then its typological application to Christ, without forcing a symbolic meaning onto every image.

Purpose and Theme

The Song shows that romantic and physical love within marriage is a good gift of God, part of His design from creation (Genesis 2:24-25). It honours purity before marriage, delight within marriage, and the strength and faithfulness of committed love. Its theme is captured in the bride's words:

Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death... Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it

Song of Solomon 8:6-7

The Refrains

Three refrains run through the book:

• The charge to wait: "I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem... that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please" (2:7; 3:5; 8:4). Love and desire are not to be awakened before the right time, that is, before marriage.
• Mutual belonging: "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (2:16); "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine" (6:3); "I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me" (7:10). The progression moves from possessing, to belonging, to resting secure in his love.
• The longing for his coming: "Make haste, my beloved" (8:14; compare 2:17).

Outline of the Song of Solomon

Part Two: Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis

Section I: Courtship (Chapters 1:1-3:5)

Chapter 1 — Longing and First Love

The bride begins with longing: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine" (1:2). His character is as appealing as his person: "thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee" (1:3). "Draw me, we will run after thee" (1:4). She feels self-conscious before the refined women of the court: "I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem... Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept" (1:5-6). She had worked outdoors, and her own appearance had been neglected.

She asks where she can find him: "Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon" (1:7). She is told to follow "the footsteps of the flock" (1:8). He praises her beauty, comparing her to a fine horse in Pharaoh's chariots (1:9-11). She speaks of him as a fragrant bundle of myrrh and a cluster of henna blossoms (1:13-14). "Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes" (1:15). They delight in their simple surroundings as if they were a palace of cedar (1:16-17). The chapter shows mutual admiration and growing affection.

Chapter 2 — Love in Springtime

The bride speaks modestly of herself: "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys" (2:1), a common wildflower. He answers, "As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters" (2:2). She replies:

As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

Song of Solomon 2:3-4

His love was her protection, her refreshment and her public declaration, like a banner over an army. Overwhelmed, she gives the first charge: "I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem... that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please" (2:7). Desire is good, but it must wait for its proper time.

Then comes the beloved, "leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills" like a young deer (2:8-9), and he calls her:

Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come

Song of Solomon 2:10-12

"O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock... let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely" (2:14). A wise warning follows: "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes" (2:15). Small problems, if neglected, can damage a growing relationship. The chapter ends with the first statement of belonging: "My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies" (2:16).

Chapter 3:1-5 — Searching and Finding

"By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not" (3:1). Probably a dream or a longing in the night, she goes through the city searching, asks the watchmen, and finally finds him: "I held him, and would not let him go" (3:4). The section closes with the second charge to wait (3:5).

Section II: The Wedding (Chapters 3:6-5:1)

Chapter 3:6-11 — The Royal Procession

"Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense?" (3:6). It is Solomon's royal carriage, guarded by sixty valiant men of Israel (3:7-8), made of cedar of Lebanon with pillars of silver, a base of gold and a purple covering, "the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem" (3:9-10).

Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.

Song of Solomon 3:11

The wedding day is the day of the bridegroom's greatest joy.

Chapter 4 — "Thou Art All Fair"

The bridegroom praises his bride in a poem of admiration, using images from the land: her eyes like doves, her hair like a flock of goats on Mount Gilead, her smile like newly washed sheep, her lips like a thread of scarlet, her neck like the tower of David (4:1-5). His words are tender, honouring and specific. Husbands are called to cherish their wives in the same way (Ephesians 5:28-29).

Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

Song of Solomon 4:7

He invites her to come with him from the high mountains of Lebanon (4:8). "Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse" (4:9); "sister" is a term of close affection. Then he praises her purity:

A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

Song of Solomon 4:12

She had kept herself pure for her husband. She is a garden of choice fruits and spices (4:13-15). On their wedding night she invites him: "Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden... Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits" (4:16).

Chapter 5:1 — The Marriage Consummated

"I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse" (5:1). The garden once enclosed is now given to her husband alone. A voice, perhaps of the guests or even of God Himself, blesses their union: "Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved" (5:1). Marital intimacy is honourable and blessed (Hebrews 13:4).

Section III: Distance and Reconciliation (Chapters 5:2-6:13)

Chapter 5:2-8 — The Missed Opportunity

Some time into the marriage, a problem arises. "I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love" (5:2). He comes late at night, wet with dew. She makes excuses: "I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?" (5:3). When she finally gets up to open the door, "my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone" (5:6). She searches the city again, but this time the watchmen strike her (5:7). She asks the daughters of Jerusalem to tell him "that I am sick of love" (5:8). Even good marriages face moments of indifference, missed opportunities and hurt. Love must be renewed and pursued.

Chapter 5:9-16 — "Altogether Lovely"

The daughters ask, "What is thy beloved more than another beloved?" (5:9). Her answer is a glowing portrait of her husband:

My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

Song of Solomon 5:10

She describes him from head to foot: his head like fine gold, his hair black as a raven, his eyes like doves by streams, his cheeks like beds of spices, his lips like lilies, his hands like gold rings set with jewels, his body like bright ivory, his legs like pillars of marble on sockets of fine gold, his appearance like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars (5:11-15).

His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Song of Solomon 5:16

Her husband is not only her lover but her friend. Speaking well of one's spouse to others renews love.

Chapter 6 — Restoration

"Whither is thy beloved gone... that we may seek him with thee" (6:1). She knows: "My beloved is gone down into his garden" (6:2), and declares, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine" (6:3). They are reconciled. He praises her again, assuring her that his love has not changed: "Thou art beautiful, O my love... comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners" (6:4). Among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless virgins, "My dove, my undefiled is but one" (6:8-9). She is unique to him. Others praise her: "Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?" (6:10). The chapter ends with a call: "Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee" (6:13).

Section IV: Mature Love (Chapters 7-8)

Chapter 7 — Delight and Security

The husband again praises his wife's beauty from her feet upward: "How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter!" (7:1). The farm girl who felt self-conscious in chapter 1 is now honoured as "a prince's daughter." "How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!" (7:6). His delight in her is open and joyful (7:7-9). She responds with complete security:

I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.

Song of Solomon 7:10

After the fall, God told Eve, "thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee" (Genesis 3:16), describing the distortion of relationships by sin. Here, in redeemed love, it is the husband's desire that is toward his wife, a picture of love restored to God's design. She invites him to go out together into the countryside, to the fields, villages and vineyards in springtime, where she will give him her love (7:11-13).

Chapter 8 — Love Strong as Death

She wishes she could show her affection as freely in public as a sister to a brother (8:1-2). The third charge to wait is repeated (8:4). The chorus asks, "Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?" (8:5): she now leans on him with trust. Then comes the climax of the book:

Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

Song of Solomon 8:6-7

A seal was a mark of ownership and identity, worn on a cord over the heart or as a ring on the hand. She asks to belong to him permanently and visibly. True love is as strong and unstoppable as death; its "jealousy" is a right, protective zeal for an exclusive relationship. It is an unquenchable fire, which no flood can put out, and it cannot be bought with all the wealth in the world.

Her brothers speak of a little sister not yet of age: "If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar" (8:8-9). If she stands firm in purity like a wall, she will be honoured; if she is easily opened like a door, she must be protected. The bride testifies, "I am a wall... then was I in his eyes as one that found favour" (8:10). She kept herself pure, and found favour. Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon, rented out for a thousand pieces of silver, but the bride's own "vineyard" (herself) is hers to give to her beloved alone (8:11-12). The book ends with a longing call:

Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.

Song of Solomon 8:14

Part Three: Christ in the Song of Solomon

The Bridegroom and His Bride

Throughout Scripture, God's relationship with His people is described as a marriage. In the Old Testament, God is Israel's husband (Isaiah 54:5; 62:5; Jeremiah 2:2; Hosea 2:19-20; Ezekiel 16:8). In the New Testament, Christ is the Bridegroom and the church is His bride (Matthew 9:15; John 3:29; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-32; Revelation 19:7-9; 21:2, 9). Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 and says, "This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church" (Ephesians 5:32). In this light, the Song's portrait of devoted married love becomes a picture of the love between Christ and His people.

Many hymns have applied titles from the Song to Christ, such as "the Rose of Sharon," "the Lily of the Valley," and "the chiefest among ten thousand." In the text, the first two are spoken by the bride about herself (2:1), but believers have long sung them of Christ as an expression of His beauty.

Psalm 45: A Companion Song

Psalm 45 is another royal wedding song, which Hebrews applies directly to Christ: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever... therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows" (Hebrews 1:8-9). Together with the Song, it shows that the King's love for His bride is a picture of the Messiah and His people.

Part Four: God's Design for Marriage in the Song

Solomon himself later abandoned this ideal, multiplying wives and turning his heart from God (1 Kings 11:1-4). The Song stands as a reminder of God's original design, one man and one woman in faithful, joyful love, which Solomon's later life failed to keep (6:9: "My dove, my undefiled is but one").

Part Five: Key Passages in Depth

Song of Solomon 2:7 — Do Not Awaken Love Too Soon

The repeated charge (2:7; 3:5; 8:4) warns against stirring up romantic and physical desire before its proper time. Desire is a powerful fire; within marriage it warms, outside of marriage it burns. The bride's purity ("a garden inclosed," 4:12; "I am a wall," 8:10) brought honour and favour. This is a vital message for young people in every generation (2 Timothy 2:22).

Song of Solomon 2:15 — The Little Foxes

Foxes damaged vineyards by digging and eating the tender grapes. In relationships, it is often small things, neglected words, minor irritations, unresolved conflicts, that do the most damage over time. Christians must also guard against "little" sins that spoil spiritual fruitfulness (Galatians 5:9; Hebrews 12:1).

Song of Solomon 5:2-16 — Love Renewed After Failure

The bride's excuses cost her the presence of her beloved. Yet her response, seeking him and speaking of his beauty, led to restoration. Spiritually, believers can grow cold toward Christ, who still knocks (Revelation 3:20). The remedy is to "remember... and repent, and do the first works" (Revelation 2:4-5), and to dwell again on the loveliness of Christ.

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 — Love Strong as Death

This passage is the theme of the book. Love is a seal (permanent and exclusive), strong as death (unstoppable), a flame (passionate), unquenchable by floods (enduring through trials), and priceless (not for sale). Supremely, Christ's love for His church was stronger than death: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Nothing "shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

Part Six: The Major Teachings of the Song of Solomon

1. Human Love Is a Gift from God

God created man and woman for each other (Genesis 2:18-25). Romantic love and marital intimacy are good, honourable and blessed within marriage.

2. Purity and Patience

Love must not be awakened before its time; purity before marriage is honoured (2:7; 4:12; 8:8-10).

3. Faithful, Exclusive Love

"My beloved is mine, and I am his" (2:16). Marriage is the exclusive union of one man and one woman (6:9; 8:6).

4. The Power of Words

Both lovers speak words of praise, admiration and affection. Words build up love.

5. Love Requires Care and Renewal

Small problems must be dealt with (2:15), and coldness must be overcome by renewed pursuit (5:2-6:3).

6. The Beauty of God's Creation

The Song is filled with images of nature: flowers, fruit, spices, animals, mountains and springs. God's world is good and beautiful.

7. A Picture of Christ and the Church

Marriage reflects the greater love of Christ for His bride, the church, and the devotion of believers to Him (Ephesians 5:32).

8. The Strength of True Love

Love is strong as death and cannot be quenched or bought (8:6-7). God's love in Christ is the supreme example.

Part Seven: Connections — How the Song of Solomon Links to the Rest of the Bible

The Song and the New Testament

The Song is not quoted directly in the New Testament, but its themes are developed there:

The Song in the Old Testament

Themes That Run from the Song Through Scripture

Part Eight: Practical Lessons

• Thank God for love and marriage as His good gifts.
• Don't awaken love before its time (2:7).
• Keep yourself pure, like a garden enclosed (4:12; 8:10).
• Speak words of praise and appreciation to your spouse (4:1-7; 5:10-16).
• Be your spouse's friend (5:16).
• Catch the little foxes before they spoil the vines (2:15).
• Don't make excuses when love calls (5:2-3).
• When love grows cold, seek reconciliation quickly (5:6-6:3).
• Remember what you love about your spouse (5:10-16).
• Rest secure in faithful love (7:10; 8:5).
• Keep love exclusive and permanent (6:9; 8:6).
• Value love above all wealth (8:7).
• Delight in the beauty of God's creation.
• Love Christ, the chiefest among ten thousand (5:10, 16).
• Open the door when Christ knocks (5:2; Revelation 3:20).
• Long for Christ's return (8:14).

Part Nine: Key Verses to Memorize

Conclusion

The Song of Solomon is God's celebration of love between a husband and wife. In beautiful poetry, it follows a couple from longing and courtship, through a royal wedding, a time of distance and reconciliation, to a mature and secure love that is "strong as death." It honours purity before marriage, delight and faithfulness within it, and words that build up love. It reminds us that romance and marital intimacy are good gifts of the Creator. And because Scripture presents marriage as a picture of Christ and His church, the Song also points to a greater love: the Bridegroom who gave Himself for His bride, who knocks at the door of her heart, who sees her "all fair" and without spot, and whose love many waters cannot quench. The book ends with the bride's longing, "Make haste, my beloved," which the church still echoes: "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death... Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it

Song of Solomon 8:6-7