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Texts -- The Song of Songs 1:1-15 (NET)

Context
Title/Superscription
1:1 Solomon’s Most Excellent Love Song .
The Desire for Love
1:2 The Beloved to Her Lover: Oh, how I wish you would kiss me passionately! For your lovemaking is more delightful than wine . 1:3 The fragrance of your colognes is delightful ; your name is like the finest perfume . No wonder the young women adore you! 1:4 Draw me after you; let us hurry ! May the king bring me into his bedroom chambers ! The Maidens to the Lover: We will rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine . The Beloved to Her Lover: How rightly the young women adore you!
The Country Maiden and the Daughters of Jerusalem
1:5 The Beloved to the Maidens: I am dark but lovely , O maidens of Jerusalem , dark like the tents of Qedar , lovely like the tent curtains of Salmah . 1:6 Do not stare at me because I am dark , for the sun has burned my skin. My brothers were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards . Alas, my own vineyard I could not keep !
The Shepherd and the Shepherdess
1:7 The Beloved to Her Lover: Tell me, O you whom my heart loves , where do you pasture your sheep? Where do you rest your sheep during the midday heat? Tell me lest I wander around beside the flocks of your companions ! 1:8 The Lover to His Beloved: If you do not know , O most beautiful of women , simply follow the tracks of my flock , and pasture your little lambs beside the tents of the shepherds .
The Beautiful Mare and the Fragrant Myrrh
1:9 The Lover to His Beloved: O my beloved , you are like a mare among Pharaoh’s stallions . 1:10 Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments ; your neck is lovely with strings of jewels . 1:11 We will make for you gold ornaments studded with silver . 1:12 The Beloved about Her Lover: While the king was at his banqueting table , my nard gave forth its fragrance . 1:13 My beloved is like a fragrant pouch of myrrh spending the night between my breasts . 1:14 My beloved is like a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-Gedi .
Mutual Praise and Admiration
1:15 The Lover to His Beloved: Oh , how beautiful you are, my beloved ! Oh , how beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves !

Pericope

NET
  • Sos 1:1 -- Title/Superscription
  • Sos 1:2-4 -- The Desire for Love
  • Sos 1:5-6 -- The Country Maiden and the Daughters of Jerusalem
  • Sos 1:7-8 -- The Shepherd and the Shepherdess
  • Sos 1:9-14 -- The Beautiful Mare and the Fragrant Myrrh
  • Sos 1:15-17 -- Mutual Praise and Admiration

Bible Dictionary

  • Fellowship

    [nave] FELLOWSHIP. Eccl. 4:9-12; Amos 3:3 See: Fraternity; Fellowship. With God Gen. 5:22, 24; Gen. 6:9; Ex. 29:45; Ex. 33:14-17; Lev. 26:12; Isa. 57:15; Zech. 2:10; Mark 9:37; John 14:23; John 17:21, 23; 2 Cor. 6:16; 2 Cor. 13:...

  • Song

    [nave] SONG Sung at the passover, Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26. Didactic, Deut. 32. See: Psalms, Didactic. Impersonation of the church, Song 1-8. Of Moses and the Lamb, Rev. 15:3, 4. New, Psa. 33:3; 40:3. Prophetic, See: Psalms, P...

  • Personification

    [nave] PERSONIFICATION Of wisdom, Prov. 1; 2:1-9; 8; 9. possibly of the Church or Israel, Song 1-8.

  • PAPYRUS

    [isbe] PAPYRUS - pa-pi'-rus (Cyperus papyrus; bublos, biblos, whence biblion, a roll, ta biblia, "the Books" = the Bible): 1. Papyrus Paper 2. Egyptian Papyri 3. Aramaic Papyri 4. Greek Papyri 5. Their Discovery. 6. Classical Papyr...

  • PALESTINE, 3

    [isbe] PALESTINE, 3 - IV. Palestine in the Poetic Books of the Old Testament. 1. Book of Job: In Job the scene is distinctively Edomite. Uz (Job 1:1; compare Gen 22:21 the English Revised Version; Jer 25:20; Lam 4:21) and Buz (Job ...

  • Spikenard

    [isbe] SPIKENARD - spik'-nard (nerd; nardos (Song 1:12; 4:14); neradhim; nardoi (Song 4:13), "spikenard plants"; nardos pistike (Mk 14:3; Jn 12:3), "pure nard," margin "liquid nard"; the English word is for "spiked nard," which com...
    [smith] (Heb. nerd) is mentioned twice in the Old Testament viz. in (Solomon 1:12; 4:13,14) The ointment with which our Lord was anointed as he sat at meat in Simon?s house at Bethany consisted of this precious substance, the costlin...
    [nave] SPIKENARD An aromatic plant, Song 4:13, 14. Perfume prepared from, Song 1:12. A fragrant oil from, used in anointing, Mark 14:3; John 12:3.

  • TENT

    [isbe] TENT - tent ('ohel; skene; 'ohel is a derivative of 'ahal, "to be clear," "to shine"; hence, 'ohel, "to be conspicuous from a distance"): In the great stretches of uncultivated lands in the interior of Syria or Arabia, which...
    [smith] Among the leading characteristics of the nomad races, those two have always been numbered whose origin has been ascribed to Jabal the son of Lameth, (Genesis 4:20) viz., to be tent-dwellers and keepers of cattle. The same may...

  • Shepherd

    [smith] In a nomadic state of society every man, from the sheikh down to the slave, is more or less a shepherd. The progenitors of the Jews in the patriarchal age were nomads, and their history is rich in scenes of pastoral life. The...
    [nave] SHEPHERD One who cares for flocks, Gen. 31:38-40; Psa. 78:52, 53; Jer. 31:10; Amos 3:12; Luke 2:8. David the, defends his flock against a lion and a bear, 1 Sam. 17:34, 35. Causes the flock to rest, Psa. 23:2; Song 1:7; Je...

  • HAIR

    [isbe] HAIR - har (se`ar, sa`ar, Aramaic se`ar, and their derivatives; thrix, gen. case trichos, kome): 1. Hair Fashions: Hair was worn in different fashions by the Orientals of Biblical times, and not always in the same way among ...
    [smith] The Hebrews were fully alive to the importance of the hair as an element of personal beauty. Long hair was admired in the case of young men. (2 Samuel 14:26) In times of affliction the hair was altogether cut off. (Isaiah ...

  • Kedar

    [isbe] KEDAR - ke'-dar (qedhar; Kedar): Second in order of the sons of Ishmael (Gen 25:13 parallel 1 Ch 1:29). The name occurs as typical of a distant eastern country in opposition to the lands of the Mediterranean (Jer 2:10). The ...
    [nave] KEDAR 1. Son of Ishmael, Gen. 25:13; 1 Chr. 1:29. 2. A nomadic clan of the Ishmaelites, Psa. 120:5; Song 1:4; Isa. 21:16; 42:11; 60:7; Jer. 49:28. Flocks of, Isa. 60:7; Jer. 49:28. Princes and commerce of, Ezek. 27:21.

  • GOAT

    [isbe] GOAT - got: 1. Names: The common generic word for "goat" is `ez (compare Arabic `anz, "she-goat"; aix), used often for "she-goat" (Gen 15:9; Nu 15:27), also with gedhi, "kid," as gedhi `izzim, "kid of the goats" (Gen 38:17),...

  • DOVE

    [isbe] DOVE - duv (tor, yonah; peristera; Latin Zenaedura carolinensis): A bird of the family Columbidae. Doves and pigeons are so closely related as to be spoken and written of as synonymous, yet there is a distinction recognized ...
    [smith] The first menton of this bird occurs in Gen. 8. The dove?s rapidity of flight is alluded to in (Psalms 55:6) the beauty of its plumage in (Psalms 68:13) its dwelling int he rocks and valleys in (Jeremiah 48:28) and Ezek 7:16 ...

  • COLOR; COLORS

    [isbe] COLOR; COLORS - kul'-er, kul'-erz: The word translated "color" in the King James Version is `ayin, which literally means "eye" or "appearance," and has been so translated in the Revised Version (British and American). In the...

  • En-gedi

    [isbe] EN-GEDI - en'-ge-di, en-ge'-di (`en gedhi, "fountain of the kid"): Identical with the present Ain Jidi. According to 2 Ch 20:2 it is the same as Hazazon-tamar, mentioned in Gen 14:7 as occupied by the Amorites and as having ...
    [nave] EN-GEDI, called Hazezon-tamar. A city allotted to Judah, Josh. 15:62. Built by the Amorites, Gen. 14:7; 2 Chr. 20:2. Famous for its vineyards, Song 1:14. Wilderness of, in the vicinity of the Dead Sea. David uses as a stro...

  • Lovers

    [nave] LOVERS. Instances of Isaac for Rebekah, Gen. 24:67. Jacob for Rachel, Gen. 29:20, 30. Shechem for Dinah, Gen. 34:3, 12. Boaz for Ruth, Ruth 2-4. of romance, mistresses, paramours Song 1:13, 14, 16; 2:3, 8, 9, 10, 16, 1...

  • Jesus, The Christ

    [nave] JESUS, THE CHRIST. Index of Sub-topics History of; Miscellaneous Facts Concerning; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Ascension of; Atonement by; Attributes of; Compassion of; Confessing; Creator; Death of; Design of His...

  • VINE

    [smith] the well-known valuable plant (vitis vinifera) very frequently referred to in the Old and New Testaments, and cultivated from the earliest times. The first mention of this plant occurs in (Genesis 9:20,21) That it was abundan...

  • VIRGIN, VIRGINITY

    [isbe] VIRGIN, VIRGINITY - vur'-jin; vur-jin'-i-ti: (1) bethulah, from a root meaning "separated," is "a woman living apart," i.e. "in her father's house," and hence "a virgin." Bethulah seems to have been the technical term for "v...

  • ENGEDI OR ENGEDI

    [smith] (fount of the kid), a town in the wilderness of Judah, (Joshua 15:62) on the western shore of the Dead Sea. (Ezekiel 47:10) Its original name was Hazezon-tamar, on account of the palm groves which surrounded it. (2 Chronic...

  • SPICE, SPICES

    [smith] Heb. basam, besem or bosem . In (Solomon 5:1) "I have gathered my myrrh with my spice," the word points apparently to some definite substance. In the other places, with the exception perhaps of (Solomon 1:13; 6:2) the words ...
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Arts

Hymns

(Note: In "active" or "on" condition, the hymns music will be played automatically when mouse hover on a hymns title)
  • [Sos 1:3] How Sweet The Name Of Jesus Sounds
  • [Sos 1:3] Jesu, The Virgins’ Crown
  • [Sos 1:3] Jesus Is The Sweetest Name I Know
  • [Sos 1:4] And Now, O Father, Mindful Of The Love
  • [Sos 1:4] In Memory Of The Savior’s Love
  • [Sos 1:14] As The Bridegroom To His Chosen

Questions

  • Love to God is commanded (Deu. 11:1) and is, indeed, the one great commandment (Matt. 22:38). It should be with all the heart, and is better than sacrifice (Deu. 6:5; Mark 12:33). It's produced by the Holy Ghost and engendere...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 45:1 The psalmist claimed to be full of joy and inspiration as he composed this song. He said what he did out of a full heart.45:2 To him the king was the greatest man he knew. One evidence of this was his gracious speech for...
  • In the Hebrew Bible the title of this book is "The Song of Songs."It comes from 1:1. The Septuagint and Vulgate translators adopted this title. The Latin word for song is canticumfrom which we get the word Canticles, another ...
  • Many references to Solomon throughout the book confirm the claim of 1:1 that Solomon wrote this book (cf. 1:4-5, 12; 3:7, 9, 11; 6:12; 7:5; 8:11-12; 1 Kings 4:33). He reigned between 971 and 931 B.C.How could Solomon, who had...
  • I. The superscription 1:1II. The courtship 1:2-3:5A. The beginning of love 1:2-111. Longing for the boyfriend 1:2-42. The girl's insecurity 1:5-83. Solomon's praise 1:9-11B. The growth of love 1:12-3:51. Mutual admiration 1:1...
  • As the book begins, the young woman and young man have already met and "fallen in love."In verses 2-4a the girl voices her desire for her boyfriend's physical affection."It is significant to this work that the girl speaks fir...
  • 1:5-6 The young lady felt embarrassed because she had very dark skin as a result of having to tend her family's grapevines. Female courtiers did not work outdoors, so their skin was lighter than women who labored in the field...
  • 1:9-10 Here Solomon reassured his love. Stallions, not mares, pulled chariots. A mare among the best of Pharaoh's stallions would have been desirable to every one of them."A passage from Egyptian literature demonstrates that ...
  • 1:12-14 The Shulammite girl (6:3) described the effect that seeing Solomon had on her as he reclined at his banquet "table."She wore nard (spikenard, "perfume"NASB, NIV; cf. Mark 14:3; John 12:3), which was an ointment that c...
  • Here the refrain marks the end of the section on the courtship (1:2-3:5) as well as the Shulammite's nightmare (3:1-4). Solomon and the Shulammite's patience were about to receive the desired reward. Their marriage was now at...
  • His bride's beauty ravished Solomon. His praise in verses 1 and 7 frames his description of her in verses 1-6.4:1 Women in Solomon's culture did not always wear a veil. Before their wedding they put one on and did not take it...
  • In these verses Solomon evidently praised his bride for giving herself wholly to him as he had asked.4:9 "Sister"was evidently an affectionate term for wife (cf. vv. 10, 12; 5:1-2; Tobit 7:16; 8:4, 7).4:10 Again the word tran...
  • Secure in her love the Shulammite now felt free to initiate sex directly rather than indirectly as earlier (cf. 1:2a, 2:6). The references to spring suggest the freshness and vigor of love. Mandrakes were fruits that resemble...
  • These verses summarize the theme of the book.8:5a Evidently these are the words of the daughters of Jerusalem. The couple is coming up out of the wilderness. The "wilderness"connoted Israel's 40 years of trials to the Jewish ...
  • 8:8-9 These words by the Shulammite's older brothers (cf. 1:6) reveal their desire to prepare her for a proper marriage. Comparing her to a wall may mean that she might use self-restraint and exclude all unwarranted advances ...
  • Isaiah, as a folk singer, sang a parable about a vineyard that compared Israel to a vineyard that Yahweh had planted and from which He legitimately expected to receive fruit.57However, the prophet's original audience did not ...
  • The first sentence in this pericope (section) serves as a title for the section, as the sentence in verse 1 did for 1:1-17. Matthew recorded the supernatural birth of Jesus to demonstrate further His qualification as Israel's...
  • The key to the apostles' successful fulfillment of Jesus' commission was their baptism with and consequent indwelling by the Holy Spirit. Without this divine enablement they would only have been able to follow Jesus' example,...
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