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Texts -- The Song of Songs 8:1-14 (NET)

Context
The Beloved’s Wish Song
8:1 The Beloved to Her Lover: Oh, how I wish you were my little brother , nursing at my mother’s breasts ; if I saw you outside , I could kiss you– surely no one would despise me! 8:2 I would lead you and bring you to my mother’s house , the one who taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink , the nectar of my pomegranates .
Double Refrain: Embracing and Adjuration
8:3 The Beloved about Her Lover: His left hand caresses my head , and his right hand stimulates me. 8:4 The Beloved to the Maidens: I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem : “Do not arouse or awaken love until it pleases !”
The Awakening of Love
8:5 The Maidens about His Beloved: Who is this coming up from the desert , leaning on her beloved? The Beloved to Her Lover: Under the apple tree I aroused you; there your mother conceived you, there she who bore you was in labor of childbirth .
The Nature of True Love
8:6 The Beloved to Her Lover: Set me like a cylinder seal over your heart , like a signet on your arm . For love is as strong as death , passion is as unrelenting as Sheol . Its flames burst forth , it is a blazing flame . 8:7 Surging waters cannot quench love ; floodwaters cannot overflow it. If someone were to offer all his possessions to buy love , the offer would be utterly despised .
The Brother’s Plan and the Sister’s Reward
8:8 The Beloved’s Brothers: We have a little sister , and as yet she has no breasts . What shall we do for our sister on the day when she is spoken for? 8:9 If she is a wall , we will build on her a battlement of silver ; but if she is a door , we will barricade her with boards of cedar . 8:10 The Beloved: I was a wall , and my breasts were like fortress towers . Then I found favor in his eyes .
Solomon’s Vineyard and the Beloved’s Vineyard
8:11 The Beloved to Her Lover: Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-Hamon ; he leased out the vineyard to those who maintained it. Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit . 8:12 My vineyard , which belongs to me, is at my disposal alone. The thousand shekels belong to you, O Solomon , and two hundred shekels belong to those who maintain it for its fruit .
Epilogue: The Lover’s Request and His Beloved’s Invitation
8:13 The Lover to His Beloved: O you who stay in the gardens , my companions are listening attentively for your voice ; let me be the one to hear it! 8:14 The Beloved to Her Lover: Make haste , my beloved ! Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices .

Pericope

NET
  • Sos 8:1-2 -- The Beloved's Wish Song
  • Sos 8:3-4 -- Double Refrain: Embracing and Adjuration
  • Sos 8:5 -- The Awakening of Love
  • Sos 8:6-7 -- The Nature of True Love
  • Sos 8:8-10 -- The Brother's Plan and the Sister's Reward
  • Sos 8:11-12 -- Solomon's Vineyard and the Beloved's Vineyard
  • Sos 8:13-14 -- Epilogue: The Lover's Request and His Beloved's Invitation

Bible Dictionary

  • 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...

  • 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 ...

  • LABAN

    [isbe] LABAN - la'-ban: The person named Laban, labhan; (Laban, possibly connected with the root meaning "to be white," from which in Hebrew the adjective meaning "white" has just this form) is first introduced to the reader of Gen...

  • KISS

    [isbe] KISS - (nashaq; phileo, kataphilo, philema): The kiss is common in eastern lands in salutation, etc., on the cheek, the forehead, the beard, the hands, the feet, but not (in Pal) the lips (Cheyne, E B, under the word "Saluta...
    [smith] Kissing the lips by way of affectionate salutation was customary among near relatives of both sexes, in both patriarchal and later times. (Genesis 29:11; Solomon 8:1) Between individuals of the same sex, and in a limited degr...

  • JUICE

    [isbe] JUICE - joos, jus: The word occurs once in Song 8:2 (translation of `acic, the Revised Version margin "sweet wine"), and once in the Revised Version margin of Job 6:6, where for "the white of an egg" margin reads, "the juice...

  • HAGGAI

    [isbe] HAGGAI - hag'-a-i, hag'-a-i (chaggay, an adjective formed from chagh, "feast"): 1. Name: The word "Haggai" may mean "festal," the prophet having been born perhaps on a festival day; compare the Roman name "Festus." Hebrew pr...

  • GAZELLE

    [isbe] GAZELLE - ga-zel' (tsebhi, and feminine tsebhiyah; compare Tabeitha (Acts 9:36), and Arabic zabi; also Arabic ghazal; Dorkas (Acts 9:36); modern Greek zarkadi): The word "gazelle" does not occur in the King James Version, wh...

  • 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...

  • 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:...

  • FLAME

    [isbe] FLAME - flam (lahabh, and other forms from same root; phlox): In Jdg 13:20 bis; Job 41:21; Isa 29:6; Joel 2:5, the word is lahabh. Various other words are translated "flame"; mas'eth, "a lifting or rising up" (Jdg 20:38,40 t...

  • FAVOR

    [isbe] FAVOR - fa'-ver (chen, ratson, with other Hebrew words; charis): Means generally good will, acceptance, and the benefits flowing from these; in older usage it meant also the countenance, hence, appearance. Alternating in Eng...

  • EMBRACE

    [isbe] EMBRACE - em-bras': The word has two distinct meanings in the Old Testament: (1) to clasp and hold fondly in the arms, pointing to a common custom (Gen 29:13; 33:4; 48:10; 2 Ki 4:16; Song 2:6; 8:3; compare Acts 20:10), and (...

  • DRINK, STRONG

    [isbe] DRINK, STRONG - (shekhar; sikera; from shakhar, "to be or become drunk"; probably from the same root as sugar, saccharine): With the exception of Nu 28:7, "strong drink" is always coupled with "wine." The two terms are commo...

  • COAL

    [isbe] COAL - kol (pecham, "charcoal"; compare Arabic fachm, "charcoal"; gacheleth, "burning coal" or "hot ember"; compare Arabic jacham, "to kindle"; shechor, "a black coal" (Lam 4:8); compare Arabic shachchar, "soot" or "dark-col...

  • CEDAR

    [isbe] CEDAR - se'-dar, se'-der ('erez, from Hebrew root meaning "to be firm"; kedros): The 'erez was in almost all the Old Testament references the true cedar, Cedrus libani, but the name may have been applied in a loose way to al...

  • BOARD

    [isbe] BOARD - bord (qeresh, "a slab or plank," "deck of a ship," "bench," "board"): This word is found in Ex 26:16-21; 36:21 ff; its plural occurs in Ex 26:15,17-29; 35:11; 36:20-34; 39:33; 40:18; Nu 3:36; 4:31. This word also is ...

  • BALAMON

    [isbe] BALAMON - bal'-a-mon Balamon; the King James Version, Balamo): In the field between Balamon and Dothaim Manasses, the husband of Judith, was buried (Judith 8:3). Compare Baal-hamon (Song 8:11).

  • BAAL (1)

    [isbe] BAAL (1) - ba'-al: (ba`al; or Baal): The Babylonian Belu or Bel, "Lord," was the title of the supreme god among the Canaanites. I. NAME AND CHARACTER OF BAAL II. ATTRIBUTES OF BAAL III. BAAL-WORSHIP IV. TEMPLES, ETC. V. USE ...

  • APPLE; APPLE-TREE

    [isbe] APPLE; APPLE-TREE - ap'-l ap'-l tre, (tappuach): A fruit tree and fruit mentioned chiefly in Cant, concerning the true nature of which there has been much dispute. Song 2:3 says: "As the apple-tree among the trees of the woo...

  • AMULET

    [isbe] AMULET - am'-u-let (qemia, lechashim, mezuzah, tephillin, tsitsith; phulakterion): Modern scholars are of opinion that our English word amulet comes from the Latin amuletum, used by Pliny (Naturalis Historia, xxviii, 28; xxx...

Arts

Hymns

(Note: In "active" or "on" condition, the hymns music will be played automatically when mouse hover on a hymns title)
  • [Sos 8:5] Who Is This Fair One In Distress?
  • [Sos 8:14] Fly, Ye Seasons

Questions

  • I've heard and read the same statement a number of times, but have never troubled myself to look up each passage. I'm not surprised that looking up "heaven" and "hell" in a concordance would give you contradictory results. T...
  • 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)

  • 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...
  • There have been three primary reasons that some scholars have thought this book does not deserve to be in the Bible. First, it does not contain the name of God. However, God's name may appear in 8:6. Furthermore, what makes a...
  • Contemporary culture has affected the interpretation of this book more than that of most other Bible books. For many years believers considered this book to be a revelation of God's love for the believer and the believer's lo...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • 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 ...
  • Verses 8-12 flash back to the Shulammite's life before meeting Solomon and their first encounter. Verses 13-14 reveal their final mature love....
  • 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 ...
  • These verses reflect the desire that Solomon and the Shulammite still felt for each other. Solomon seems to have spoken verse 13 and the Shulammite verse 14. The mountains probably refer to her breasts (cf. 2:17; 8:14).The na...
  • 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...
  • 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 ...
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