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Texts -- The Song of Songs 1:1-16 (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 ! 1:16 The Beloved to Her Lover: Oh, how handsome you are, my lover ! Oh, how delightful you are! The lush foliage is our canopied bed ;

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

  • 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...

  • 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 ...

  • HENNA

    [isbe] HENNA - hen'-a (Song 1:14; 4:13): An aromatic plant.

  • 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 ...

  • GOODLY

    [isbe] GOODLY - good'-li Tobh; kalos, lampros): In the Old Testament various words are translated "goodly," the most of them occurring only once; Tobh (the common word for "good") is several times translated "goodly," chiefly in th...

  • 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),...

  • 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:...

  • 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 ...

  • DEAD SEA, THE

    [isbe] DEAD SEA, THE - || I. PRESENT AREA II. FORMER ENLARGEMENT III. LEVEL OF THE DEAD SEA IN EARLY HISTORIC TIMES IV. CONSTITUTION OF THE WATER V. CLIMATE VI. ROADS VII. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS 1. The Plain of the Jordan 2. Ain Jidi ...

  • CURTAIN

    [isbe] CURTAIN - kur'-t'-n, -ten, -tin: The word ordinarily used for curtain is yeri`ah. Thus in Ex 26:1 ff; 36:8 ff of the curtains of the tabernacle (see TABERNACLE); in 2 Sam 7:2; Ps 104:2; Song 1:5; Isa 54:2; Jer 4:20; 10:20; 4...

  • COMPARE

    [isbe] COMPARE - kom-par' (damah, mashal, [`arakh]; paraballo, sugkrino): "Compare" is the translation of damah, "to be like" (Song 1:9); of mashal, "to liken," "compare" (Isa 46:5); of `arakh, "to set in array," "compare" (Ps 89:6...

  • 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...

  • CLUSTER

    [isbe] CLUSTER - klus'-ter: (1) 'eshkol; compare proper name VALE OF ESHCOL. (which see), from root meaning "to bind together." A cluster or bunch of grapes (Gen 40:10; Nu 13:23; Isa 65:8; Song 7:8; Mic 7:1, etc.); a cluster of hen...

  • CHEEK; CHEEKBONE

    [isbe] CHEEK; CHEEKBONE - chek, chek'-bon: (1) lechi; siagon, "the jaw," "jaw-bone," "side of the face." The Hebrew word denotes originally freshness and rounded softness of the cheek, a sign of beauty in youth and maiden (Song 1:1...

  • BUNDLE

    [isbe] BUNDLE - bun'-d'-l: Represents in English Versions of the Bible the words tseror, from a verb meaning "cramp" "bind," etc. (Gen 42:35; 1 Sam 25:29; Song 1:13); tsebheth, from a verb probably meaning "to grasp" (Ruth 2:16); a...

  • BORDER; BORDERS

    [isbe] BORDER; BORDERS - bor'-der: Indicating in both singular and plural the outlines or territory of a country. In the sense of "limits," "boundaries" or "territory," it occurs as a translation of gebhul (and its feminine gebhula...

  • BIBLE, THE, IV CANONICITY

    [isbe] BIBLE, THE, IV CANONICITY - IV. Literary Growth and Origin--Canonicity. Thus far the books of the Old Testament and New Testament have been taken simply as given, and no attempt has been made to inquire how or when they were...

  • BELOVED

    [isbe] BELOVED - be-luv'-ed, be-luv'-d' (agapetos): A term of affectionate endearment common to both Testaments; in the Old Testament found, 26 out of 42 times, in Solomon's Song of Love. Limited chiefly to two Heb words and their ...

  • BED; BEDCHAMBER; BEDSTEAD

    [isbe] BED; BEDCHAMBER; BEDSTEAD - For the very poor of the East, in ancient times as now, the "bed" was and is, as a rule, the bare ground; and the bedclothes, the gown, simlah, or "outer garment," worn during the day ("For that i...

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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