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Texts -- The Song of Songs 3:1-9 (NET)

Context
The Lost Lover is Found
3:1 The Beloved about Her Lover: All night long on my bed I longed for my lover . I longed for him but he never appeared . 3:2 “I will arise and look all around throughout the town , and throughout the streets and squares ; I will search for my beloved .” I searched for him but I did not find him. 3:3 The night watchmen found me– the ones who guard the city walls. “Have you seen my beloved ?” 3:4 Scarcely had I passed them by when I found my beloved ! I held onto him tightly and would not let him go until I brought him to my mother’s house , to the bedroom chamber of the one who conceived me.
The Adjuration Refrain
3:5 The Adjuration Refrain The Beloved to the Maidens:I admonish you , O maidens of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the young does of the open fields: “Do not awake or arouse love until it pleases !”
The Royal Wedding Procession
3:6 The Speaker: Who is this coming up from the desert like a column of smoke , like a fragrant billow of myrrh and frankincense , every kind of fragrant powder of the traveling merchants ? 3:7 Look ! It is Solomon’s portable couch ! It is surrounded by sixty warriors , some of Israel’s mightiest warriors . 3:8 All of them are skilled with a sword , well-trained in the art of warfare . Each has his sword at his side , to guard against the terrors of the night . 3:9 King Solomon made a sedan chair for himself of wood imported from Lebanon .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Personification

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

  • 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...

  • Bed

    [smith] The Jewish bed consisted of the mattress, a mere mat, or one or more quilts; the covering, a finer quilt, or sometimes the outer garment worn by day, (1 Samuel 19:13) which the law provided should not be kept in pledge aft...
    [nave] BED Made of wood, Song 3:7-9; of iron, Deut. 3:11; of ivory, Amos 6:4; of gold and silver, Esth. 1:6. Used at meals, Amos 6:4. Exempt from execution for debt, Prov. 22:27. Perfumed, Prov. 7:17. Figurative Psa. 139:8.

  • Seekers

    [nave] SEEKERS. Gen. 49:18; Deut. 4:29; 1 Chr. 16:11; 1 Chr. 22:19; 1 Chr. 28:9; 2 Chr. 11:16; 2 Chr. 15:2, 12, 13; 2 Chr. 26:5; 2 Chr. 30:18, 19; 2 Chr. 31:21; Ezra 8:22; Job 5:8; Job 8:5, 6; Psa. 9:10; Psa. 14:2; Psa. 17:1, 2; P...

  • Frankincense

    [isbe] FRANKINCENSE - frants'-in-sens (lebhonah, from root meaning "whiteness," referring to the milky color of the fresh juice: Ex 30:34; Lev 2:1 f,15 f; 5:11; 6:15; 24:7; Nu 5:15; 1 Ch 9:29; Neh 13:5,9; Song 3:6; 4:6,14; Isa 43:2...
    [nave] FRANKINCENSE An ingredient of the sacred oil, Ex. 30:34. Used with showbread, Lev. 24:7; with grain offerings, Lev. 2:1, 2, 15, 16; 6:15. Prohibited, in sin offerings when they consist of turtledoves or pigeons, Lev. 5:11;...

  • Watchman

    [isbe] WATCHMAN - woch'-man (tsopheh, shomer, metsappeh, notser): Used to designate a sentinel on the city walls (2 Sam 18:25; 2 Ki 9:18; Ps 127:1; Isa 62:6) or on the hilltops (Jer 31:6). Song 3:3; 5:7 introduces another class, "t...
    [nave] WATCHMAN, a sentinel. On the walls of cities, Song 3:3; 5:7; of Jerusalem, 2 Sam. 13:34; 18:24, 25; Neh. 4:9; 7:3; Isa. 52:8; 62:6; of Babylon, Jer. 51:12. On towers, 2 Kin. 9:17; 2 Chr. 20:24; Isa. 21:5-12; Jer. 31:6. At t...

  • Myrrh

    [isbe] MYRRH - mur: (1) (mor or mowr; Arabic murr]): This substance is mentioned as valuable for its perfume (Ps 45:8; Prov 7:17; Song 3:6; 4:14), and as one of the constituents of the holy incense (Ex 30:23; see also Song 4:6; 5:1...
    [nave] MYRRH, a fragrant gum. A product of the land of Canaan, Song 4:6, 14; 5:1. One of the compounds in the sacred anointing oil, Ex. 30:23. Used as a perfume, Esth. 2:12; Psa. 45:8; Prov. 7:17; Song 3:6; 5:13. Brought by wise ...

  • PURITY

    [isbe] PURITY - pu'-ri-ti: The Bible bears witness to the long struggle over and in man to secure physical, mental, and moral cleanliness. The various forms of purity have relation to each other. We have a common proverb that "clea...

  • MEDICINE

    [smith] Egypt was the earliest home of medical and other skill for the region of the Mediterranean basin, and every Egyptian mummy of the more expensive and elaborate sort involved a process of anatomy. Still we have no trace of any ...

  • HIND

    [smith] the female of the common stag or Cervus elaphus . It is frequently noticed in the poetical parts of Scripture as emblematic of activity, (Genesis 49:21; Psalms 18:33) gentleness, (Proverbs 5:19) feminine modesty, (Solomon 2:7...

  • Commerce

    [nave] COMMERCE Laws concerning, Lev. 19:36, 37; 25:14, 17. Carried on by means of caravans, Gen. 37:25, 27; Isa. 60:6; ships, 1 Kin. 9:27, 28; 10:11; 22:48; Psa. 107:23-30; Prov. 31:14; Rev. 18:19. Conducted in fairs, Ezek. 27:1...

  • Perfume

    [nave] PERFUME. Prov. 27:9; Song 3:6; Isa. 57:9. Used in the tabernacle, Ex. 30:7; 35:28. Beds perfumed with myrrh, Prov. 7:17. Perfume bottles, translated "tablets,'' Isa. 3:20.

  • Merchant

    [nave] MERCHANT, Gen. 23:16; 37:28; 1 Kin. 10:15, 28; 2 Chr. 9:14; Neh. 3:32; 13:20; Job 41:6; Song 3:6; Isa. 23:2; 47:15; Ezek. 17:4; 27:13, 17, 21-36; 38:13; Hos. 12:7; Nah. 3:16; Matt. 13:45; Rev. 18:3, 11, 23. See: Commerce. ...

  • GOLD

    [smith] Gold was known from the very earliest times. (Genesis 2:11) It was at first used chiefly for ornaments, etc. (Genesis 24:22) Coined money was not known to the ancients till a comparatively late period; and on the Egyptian tom...

  • STREET

    [smith] The streets of a modern Oriental town present a great contrast to those with which we are familiar, being generally narrow, tortuous and gloomy, even in the best towns. Their character is mainly fixed by the climate and the s...

  • PILLAR

    [smith] The notion of a pillar is of a shaft or isolated pile either supporting or not supporting a roof. But perhaps the earliest application of the pillar was the votive or monumental, This in early times consisted of nothing but a...

  • SONG OF SONGS

    [isbe] SONG OF SONGS - (shir hashirim; Septuagint Asma; Codices Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Ephraemi, Asma asmaton; Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) Canticum Canticorum): I. CANONICITY II. TEXT III. AUTHORSHIP AND DATE IV...

  • LITTER

    [isbe] LITTER - lit'-er (tsabh): (1) Used upon backs of camels for easy riding, made of a wooden frame with light mattress and pillows, also a covering above, supported by upright pieces, sometimes having also side awnings for prot...

  • HANDLE

    [isbe] HANDLE - han'-d'-l (kaph): The noun occurs once in Song 5:5, "handles of the bolt" (the King James Version "lock"). The verb "handle" represents several Hebrew ('achaz, mashakh, taphas, etc.) and Greek (thiggano, Col 2:21; p...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 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...
  • Perhaps the outstanding characteristic of this first major section of the book is the sexual restraint that is evident during the courtship. This restraint contrasts with the sexual intimacy that characterizes the lovers afte...
  • 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...
  • This charge by Solomon occurs again later (3:5; 8:4) and serves as an indicator that one pericope has ended. The point of Solomon's words is that others desiring the kind of relationship he and his beloved enjoyed should be p...
  • Another incident unfolds in this pericope (vv. 1-4) and concludes with the repetition of Solomon's refrain (v. 5).
  • The Shulammite narrated an experience she had had "on her bed,"namely, a dream (v. 1). She dreamed she could not find Solomon even though she searched everywhere for him. After much distress, she did find him and then took hi...
  • 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...
  • Weddings in Israel took place before the local town elders rather than before the priests (e.g., Ruth 4:10-11). They transpired in homes rather than in the tabernacle or temple (or synagogue later). They were civil rather tha...
  • 3:6 The marriage procession of King (or Prince) Solomon would have been unusually splendid, as this description portrays."The pomp and beauty of this procession were wholly appropriate in light of the event's significance. Th...
  • 5:2 Again the woman dreamed (cf. 3:1-4). In her dream her husband came to her having been out of doors in the evening. His mind appears to have been on making love in view of what follows.5:3-4 However she had lost interest. ...
  • 6:4-10 Solomon's first words to his beloved were praises. Verse 4c probably means Solomon felt weak-kneed as a result of gazing on his wife's beauty, as he would have felt facing a mighty opposing army. Her eyes too unnerved ...
  • The Shulammite's desire for her husband's love continued to increase throughout their marriage (vv. 1-3).8:1 Ancient Near Easterners frowned on public displays of intimate affection unless closest blood relatives exchanged th...
  • The primary purpose of the book seems to be to present an example of the proper pre-marital, marital, and post-marital relationship of a man and a woman. This example includes illustrations of the solutions to common problems...
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