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Texts -- The Song of Songs 6:1-13 (NET)

Context
The Lost Lover Found
6:1 The Maidens to the Beloved: Where has your beloved gone , O most beautiful among women ? Where has your beloved turned ? Tell us, that we may seek him with you. 6:2 The Beloved to the Maidens: My beloved has gone down to his garden , to the flowerbeds of balsam spices , to graze in the gardens , and to gather lilies .
Poetic Refrain: Mutual Possession
6:3 The Beloved about Her Lover: I am my lover’s and my lover is mine; he grazes among the lilies .
The Renewal of Love
6:4 The Lover to His Beloved: My darling , you are as beautiful as Tirzah , as lovely as Jerusalem , as awe-inspiring as bannered armies! 6:5 Turn your eyes away from me– they overwhelm me! Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead . 6:6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep coming up from the washing ; each has its twin ; not one of them is missing . 6:7 Like a slice of pomegranate is your forehead behind your veil . 6:8 There may be sixty queens , and eighty concubines , and young women without number . 6:9 But she is unique ! My dove , my perfect one ! She is the special daughter of her mother , she is the favorite of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and complimented her; the queens and concubines praised her: 6:10 “Who is this who appears like the dawn ? Beautiful as the moon , bright as the sun , awe-inspiring as the stars in procession ?”
The Return to the Vineyards
6:11 The Lover to His Beloved: I went down to the orchard of walnut trees , to look for the blossoms of the valley , to see if the vines had budded or if the pomegranates were in bloom . 6:12 I was beside myself with joy ! There please give me your myrrh , O daughter of my princely people .
The Love Song and Dance
6:13 The Lover to His Beloved: Turn , turn , O Perfect One ! Turn , turn , that I may stare at you! The Beloved to Her Lover: Why do you gaze upon the Perfect One like the dance of the Mahanaim ?

Pericope

NET

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.

  • GARDEN

    [isbe] GARDEN - gar'-d'-n (gan, gannah, ginnah; kepos): The Arabic jannah (diminutive, jannainah), like the Hebrew gannah, literally, "a covered or hidden place," denotes in the mind of the dweller in the East something more than t...
    [smith] Gardens in the East, as the Hebrew word indicates, are enclosures on the outskirts of towns, planted with various trees and shrubs. From the allusions in the Bible we learn that they were surrounded by hedges of thorn, (Isaia...

  • 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 ...

  • 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...

  • MAHANAIM

    [isbe] MAHANAIM - ma-ha-na'-im (machanayim; the Greek is different in every case where the name occurs, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Alexandrinus also giving variant forms; the dual form may be taken as having arisen from an old locat...
    [smith] a town on the east of the Jordan. The name signifies two hosts or two camps,and was given to it by Jacob, because he there met "the angels of God." (Genesis 32:1,2) We next meet with it in the records of the conquest. (Joshua...

  • AMMINADIB

    [isbe] AMMINADIB - a-min'-a-dib (`amminadhibh): The name occurs in the King James Version and the Revised Version, margin only in one passage (Song 6:12, "the chariots of Amminadib"). In King James Version margin and the Revised Ve...
    [smith] Probably another form of Amminadab. He was noted for the swiftness of his chariot. (Solomon 6:12) It is uncertain whether we ought to read here AMMINADIB, with the Authorized Version, or my willing people , as in the margin. ...

  • NUTS

    [isbe] NUTS - nuts: (1) ('eghoz; karua; Arabic jauz, "the walnut" (Song 6:11)): This is certainly the walnut tree, Juglans regia, a native of Persia and the Himalayas which flourishes under favorable conditions in all parts of Pale...
    [smith] are mentioned among the good things of the things which the sons of Israel were to take as a present to Joseph in Egypt. (Genesis 43:11) There can scarcely be a doubt that the Hebrew word, here denotes the fruit of the pistac...

  • Tirzah

    [isbe] TIRZAH - tur'-za (tirtsah; Thersa): (1) A royal city of the Canaanites, the king of which was slain by Joshua (12:24). It superseded Shechem as capital of the Northern Kingdom (1 Ki 14:17, etc.), and itself gave place in tur...
    [nave] TIRZAH 1. A daughter of Zelophehad, Num. 26:33; 36:11; Josh. 17:3. Special legislation in regard to the inheritance of, Num. 27:1-11; 36; Josh. 17:3, 4. 2. A city of Canaan. Captured by Joshua, Josh. 12:24. Becomes the re...

  • 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...

  • LILY

    [isbe] LILY - lil'-i (shushan (1 Ki 7:19), shoshannah (2 Ch 4:5; Song 2:1 f; Hos 14:5); plural (Song 2:16; 4:5; 5:13; 6:2 f; 7:2; Ecclesiasticus 39:14; 50:8); krinon (Mt 6:28; Lk 12:27)): The Hebrew is probably a loan word from the...
    [smith] (Heb. shushan, shoshannah). Although there is little doubt that the Hebrew word denotes some plant of the lily species, it is by no means certain what individual of this class it specially designates. The plant must have been...

  • Standard

    [nave] STANDARD An ensign used by each of the tribes of Israel in camp and march, Num. 1:52; 2:2. Baers used as, Psa. 20:5; Song 6:4, 10. Used in war, Jer. 4:21. Used to direct the route to fortified cities, Jer. 4:6; to call at...

  • BAASHA

    [smith] (wicked), B.C. 953-931, third sovereign of the separate kingdom of Israel, and the founder of its second dynasty. He was son of Ahijah of the tribe of Issachar and conspired against King Nadab, (1 Kings 15:27) and killed h...

  • SHULAMITE, THE

    [smith] one of the personages in the poem of Solomon?s (Solomon 6:13) The name denotes a woman belonging to a place called Shulem, which is probably the same as Shunem. [SHUNEM] If, then, Shulamite and Shunammite are equivalent, we m...

  • 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...

  • 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 ...

  • Righteous

    [nave] RIGHTEOUS. Index of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Contrasted with the Wicked; Described; Promises to, Expressed or Implied. Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics Compared with: The sun, Judg. 5:31; Matt. 13:43; sta...

  • TEMPLES

    [isbe] TEMPLES - tem'-p'lz (raqqah, "thinness," "upper cheeks"): The original signifies the thinnest part of the skull (Jdg 4:21,22; 5:26). In Song 4:3; 6:7, the bride's cheeks are likened to pomegranates because of the rich colori...

  • Shulamite

    [nave] SHULAMITE Song 6:13
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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 6:10] Fairest Lord Jesus
  • [Sos 6:10] O Jesu, Thou The Beauty Art

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • It was customary in ancient times to warm an elderly person not only by covering him or her with blankets, but also by putting a healthy person in bed with him or her.16The body heat of the well person would keep the older pe...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • 6:1 The Shulammite convinced the daughters of Jerusalem that her love for her husband was deep and genuine. They agreed to search for Solomon with her.6:2-3 Having expressed her love for her husband, the Shulammite now knew w...
  • 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 exulted in her complete abandonment to her husband and in his complete satisfaction with her (cf. 2:16; 6:3). These joys increase through the years of a healthy marriage."Far from being the objectionable condit...
  • 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...
  • 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...
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