The women of Jerusalem have heard the young woman’s description of
Solomon. But they still do not realise why he is special. He seems to
them like any other man (5:9). They do not love him, as the young
woman does. But they are willing to help her. The man that she loves
seems to have gone away. And... [ Continue Reading ]
A WONDERFUL SONG ABOUT LOVE
SONG OF SONGS
_MARK KIRKPATRICK_
CHAPTER 6
THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM
V1 Where has your lover gone,
most beautiful among women?
Tell us which way your lover went.
Then we can help you to look for him.
THE WOMAN
V2 My lover has gone down to his garden,
to the places... [ Continue Reading ]
The woman knows where the man went. In fact, it was she who told him
to go there (4:16)!
He has gone to the garden where there are many plants with beautiful
smells. Those beautiful smells are a word picture for their love. She
has lost him, but he has found love! That is, he knows constant love
fo... [ Continue Reading ]
The man begins another wonderful description of the woman. She is like
the city called Jerusalem. Jerusalem was well-known for its beauty. Or
she is like the city called Tirzah. We do not know much about that
city. For several years, it was the capital city of the northern part
of Israel. Probably t... [ Continue Reading ]
Solomon was speaking to the young woman who had just sent him away.
But you would never guess this fact from his words. He speaks as if
she has always obeyed him. He has many kind words to say to her. He
repeats some phrases from chapter 4. He loves her as deeply as he used
to love her. They had bee... [ Continue Reading ]
For the second time, the man describes the woman’s body. On this
occasion, he only describes her face. It is interesting that she is
still wearing her *veil. So he still cannot see her face clearly. This
description is like the one in 4:1-3.... [ Continue Reading ]
In the end, Solomon would have 700 wives. And 300 other women lived
with him in the palace (1 Kings 11:3). So we can see that Solomon is
still a young man in this Song.
Solomon married these women for political reasons. They came from many
countries. Solomon married all these women so that his coun... [ Continue Reading ]
Some translations consider that verses 10-12 are the words of the man.
We cannot be sure.
But in our translation, the women in Jerusalem speak the words in
verse 10. As the man said in verse 9, they praise her. They compare
her with four different things that give light.
Previously the man has com... [ Continue Reading ]
Solomon wants to check whether it is spring again. The couple often
considered that spring would be the right time for their marriage
(2:7, 2:10-13). Solomon often used *pomegranates as a description of
the young woman’s face (4:3, 13; 6:7). Now he wants to see if she is
ready for love.
When the wo... [ Continue Reading ]
This is a difficult verse to understand. It seems to mean that, at
once, it was time for her to enter her husband’s *chariot. That may
be the carriage in 3:7. But she uses a different word for it in the
original language.
It was time for her to leave with her husband. Again, she uses royal
words to... [ Continue Reading ]
The other women do not want her to leave. They still want to enjoy her
beauty. They ask her to stay with them. But perhaps they are merely
pretending to ask her to stay. They know that she is now Solomon’s
bride. So they must expect her to go with him.
Solomon replies. She is his bride. So now, he... [ Continue Reading ]