Bible Commentaries
Song of Solomon 5

Verse 1

Son 5:1

Song of Solomon 5:1

Song of Solomon 5:1

"I am come into my garden, my sister, my bride:

I have gathered my myrrh with my spice;

I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;

I have drunk my wine with my milk.

Eat, O friends; Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved."

Balchin interpreted this thus: "The Shulamite maiden’s invitation is accepted by the Shepherd lover. He comes and eats with the bride. `Eat, O friends’ is either spoken by the Shepherd inviting others to celebrate their love, or by a chorus.” Note also that this celebration is not taking place in Jerusalem, but in Lebanon. Bunn read the passage as meaning that, "It relates a clandestine meeting between the lovers.” However, the invitation for the whole community (`friends’) to share the celebration denies that there was anything secretive about this.

In this writer’s allegorical understanding of the Song, this little paragraph corresponds exactly with Christ’s statement: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20). This is continually fulfilled in the Church’s observance of the Lord’s Supper.

Waddey understood the verse to mean, "That the marriage is now consummated (with the king).” We agree that this celebrates a marriage, all right; but it is the Shulamite’s marriage with the Shepherd, an allegory of the church’s marriage with Christ. Why? The scene here is Lebanon. Those celebrating the marriage are citizens of a different nation from that of Solomon. Otherwise, the marriage would have been in Jerusalem. We do not find any word in the whole passage that indicates the scene as being anywhere else except in Lebanon. Did not Solomon plead with the maiden to go with him "from Lebanon"? (Song of Solomon 4:8). Where does the text say that she went with Solomon?

Redford likewise read the passage as a marriage ceremony, and wisely compared it to the marriage of Christ and his Church; but he failed to see that no single one of a thousand consorts of Solomon could ever have symbolized that holy union between Christ and his Church, so he supposed the marriage to have been between Solomon and the maiden.

Delitzsch also commented that, "Solomon now triumphs in the final enjoyment which his ardent desire had found.” These are indeed great scholars who advocate this understanding of the verse; but this writer finds it absolutely impossible to find Solomon in the Holy Bible as a type of the holy and sinless Son of God, and that only one single member of his godless harem should be accepted as a type of the universal Church of God.

Balchin correctly understood the passage as, "An account of the marriage between the Shepherd and the maiden, the wedding feast here celebrating the joy of the Church’s union with Christ.”

Even the scholars who insist on finding Solomon as the bridegroom here agree that what is symbolized is the union between Christ and the Church. Redford noted that, "The wine and the milk mentioned here are what God offers to the people without money and without price (Isaiah 55:1).” These, of course, must be understood as symbols of the glorious gospel of salvation.

Verses 2-8

Son 5:2-8

Song of Solomon 5:2-8

THE MAIDEN’S SECOND TRAGIC DREAM

"I was asleep, but my heart waked:

It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying,

Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled;

For my head is filled with dew,

My locks with the drops of the night.

I have put off my garment; how shall I put it on?

I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door,

And my heart was moved for him.

I rose up to open for my beloved;

And my hands dropped with myrrh,

And my fingers with liquid myrrh,

Upon the handles of the bolt.

I opened to my beloved;

But my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone.

My soul had failed me when he spake:

I sought him, but I could not find him;

I called him, but he gave me no answer.

The watchmen that go about the city found me.

They smote me, they wounded me;

The keepers of the walls took away my mantle from me.

I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved,

Tell ye him, that I am sick from love."

Waddey thought that the lover in this dream was Solomon. However, the fact of his being wet with dew contradicts this idea. The words fit the Shepherd lover far better. He would indeed have slept out doors; but who can imagine Solomon’s sleeping out, even in a dream?

Not many of the scholars whom we have consulted have risked any guess as to the exact meaning of this dream. That it is a dream is generally accepted; and Robinson with several others agreed that the time indicated is subsequent to the marriage. Bunn pointed out that the situation indicated in the dream, "Is tragic.”

THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THE ALLEGORY

The Church is indeed married to Christ; but the Bridegroom has been taken away (Matthew 9:15); this is beautifully symbolized here by the absence of the Shepherd. The mistreatment of the maiden stands for the persecutions, hatred, and bitterness of the world against the Bride of Christ (His Church). Her being wounded speaks of the martyrdoms of the faithful. The maiden’s crying after her beloved speaks of the fidelity of the Church to the Christ in his absence. We hardly need to be reminded that, "We must with many tribulations enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22)."

The function of this dream in the narrative is thus clear enough. It speaks of the absence of the bridegroom, and the certainty of his identity with the Shepherd. Did not Christ say, "I am the Good Shepherd." Any alleged absence of Solomon here is an absurdity. It is the Good Shepherd who is in heaven where He is absent from the Church, his earthly bride.

Cook mentioned the Jewish understanding of the dream as a symbol of, "Israel’s condition in the Babylonian captivity, when the glories and privileges of Solomon’s Temple were no more." Some Christian interpreters saw the bride’s sleep as the lethargy and indolence of the Church following the Great Persecutions." Pope also mentioned a scholar (Gordis) who took the whole passage from Song of Solomon 5:2 to Song of Solomon 6:3 as a dream song. That would classify the whole passage as a dream and also ease some of the difficulties of interpretation. "Any absurdity can happen in a dream"! Nevertheless, we go along with Cook on this. He said of verse 8, "The bride wakes up here.”

The following somewhat lengthy paragraph reaching through Song of Solomon 6:3 is interpreted by Jewish writers as, "An allegory of Israel in captivity praising God, `by the waters of Babylon.’ Christian interpreters apply it directly to the Incarnate Son of God."

Are we as anxious for our Lord to have access to our innermost thoughts and motivations as was the maiden in her marriage? It would be easy to give an easy agreement—but it could mean no more than many superficial marriages mean to those involved. We all have a tremendous capacity for ignoring what we do not like and of avoiding the unpleasant. Since our Lord lives in the same house with us (our bodies) I wonder if He shares this same capacity?

Exegesis Song of Solomon 5:2-7

We are back in the palace of the king—either at Jerusalem or his residence in the north nearer to Shunem.

It is morning in the chambers of Solomon—the maid from Shunem is recounting to the ladies of the court a vivid dream of the night. It is all so real she almost becomes again a participator as she tells it. “I was asleep but I was constantly aware of my beloved from whom I am separated. All at once he was at the gate! I heard his voice—he knocked—He called to me: “Open blood of my blood, love of my heart, my alert soft one, my purest one. I have been long in coming to you over many mountains. I have come—all through the night I have hastened to your side—my head is wet with dew. Let me in.” I turned on my bed—I hardly knew what was happening. So very foolishly I thought only of myself—“I cannot go to him—I have undressed and bathed for bed—I cannot go out in the courtyard to the gate I will soil my feet.” I looked toward the door—he had already entered the courtyard and was even now at the door of our house. His hand appeared through the hole near the door and attempted to unlock the door. When I saw his dear hand my heart almost stopped. I hardly knew what I was doing—I jumped out of bed and threw a mantle over myself—I thought “I must meet him with perfume”—I dipped my hands in myrrh—I hurried to the door, I could not move the lock or hold the handles of the door so full were my fingers with myrrh. When I did at least get the doors open, my beloved was gone! I was beside myself—Perhaps he came in another way—I looked in every room of these courts—he was nowhere to be found. I could yet hear his voice and his dear words of love—I called him, I called him again—there was no answer. I must find him. I will find him. I ran out the open door—across the courtyard and out into the streets of the city. I had no sooner entered the streets than the watchmen were all around me. One of them struck me. It was a heavy blow—I can yet feel the pain. One of the sentinels jerked my veil from me. I do not blame them, I must have appeared as a wanton woman wandering the streets at that hour. Was it only a dream—it was so real—was he really here?”

We have chosen this form of narrative to give a degree of the reality that must have been present when it was first told. In our narrative we have tried to include the meaning of the text.

Marriage Song of Solomon 5:2-7

These verses would make a fine section for an evaluation of the actions of the bride and groom—how did they respond to this circumstance? What does it reveal of their character? In this evaluation we can see ourselves. First we shall consider the groom:

He has come a long way at great danger—He openly gives expression of his heart. He is willing to consider the maid as his sister—i.e., he will treat her in the responsible manner of a brother. At the same time the term “sister” suggests the strongest blood relationships. He believes the very best of his bride—she is dove-like and pure.—A virgin. Even when she does not answer his call or knock, he will yet try to enter. When he is unsuccessful he leaves. We do not know why he left. We could conjecture but it would be futile. the bride:

Her consciousness and sub consciousness was always upon her love. Even when asleep she was yet with him. This being true, she yet responds subconsciously in a selfish manner. Perhaps we could excuse her on grounds of confusion or frustration. One often acts irrationally upon being suddenly awakened. But why should she care about her appearance?—or her feet?—isn’t his presence more important than her comfort? Why the excessive myrrh? We do appreciate her concern—but why so concerned? for her lover or for herself? Perhaps we are too critical of the bride. If we are, please correct our evaluation in a discussion on this subject.

Communion Song of Solomon 5:2-7

We now take the maiden’s place as we attempt to relate these verses to our Lord and His bride. Oh, that we were as constantly concerned about the presence of our Lord as was the maid in the text. Even when we sleep He is not out of our sub consciousness. How often do we dream of our Lord? We have heard so often Revelation 3:20 misapplied. In the context this verse relates to lukewarm Christians, it reads: “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: . . . Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:14; Revelation 3:19-20). He loves us and believes in us—we are His blood-relative. We are His brother, His sister—we do have the Holy Dove—by His blood and grace we are virgins—He has, at great danger and from a great distance, come to us. How do we react to His knock?—to His voice? We are about as mixed up as the maid. His call is never convenient—we are forever half asleep or busy with something or someone else. If He had just timed His coming on another day—or night or when I was better prepared—on and on we go—“I would get my feet dirty if I answered His knock”—we are sure you would! He got His feet dirty coming to call on you and me. But He is insistent—if we will not answer He will attempt to unlock the door—see His nail-pierced hand near the latch of your heart? We will get hurt looking for Him—the watchmen of the world will misunderstand our intentions and will tear aside all attempts of concealment—we will become totally vulnerable! They will wound us deeply! But unlike the dream of the maid—we will find Him—in the dark streets or deep needs of our world we shall find Him.

Song of Solomon 5:8. “All this (Song of Solomon 5:1-7) Shulamith dreamed; but the painful feeling of repentance, of separation and misapprehension which the dream left behind, entered as deeply into her soul as if it had been an actual external experience. Therefore her words to the daughters of Jerusalem are not out of place.” (Delitzsch)

In contrast with the watchmen—at least the daughters of Jerusalem will understand her need. They have had similar experiences. She carries a deep love-sorrow without him all of life is out of focus. I am love-sick.

Verse 9

Son 5:9

Song of Solomon 5:9

"What is thy beloved more than another beloved,

O thou fairest among women?

What is thy beloved more than another beloved,

Thou that dost so adjure us?"

This verse is an introduction to the paragraph that follows. It was prompted by the maiden’s extravagant praise of her absent shepherd lover in the previous lines and her urgent request for their aid in finding him. These words may be paraphrased, "Why don’t you tell us what is so special about your lover? If the maiden’s lover had been Solomon (which he certainly was not), then she would have said: "He is the richest man on earth; he is the all-powerful king; he has 40,000 horses; all nations pay him tribute; he has the most luxurious harem you ever saw, etc. etc." There’s not a word in the maiden’s song here that suggests any such things.

The question, asked by "The Daughters of Jerusalem" is apparently that of the women in Solomon’s harem (remember that in a dream anything is possible). Whoever they were, the question simply cannot refer to Solomon as the lover they invited the maiden to praise. THOSE WOMEN ALREADY KNEW ALL ABOUT SOLOMON! Here are the words of the bride:

Song of Solomon 5:9. Do these women ask because they want to know or only because they wish to needle their rival? We believe it is the latter reason.

Verses 10-16

Son 5:10-16

Song of Solomon 5:10-16

"My beloved is white and ruddy,

The chiefest among ten thousand.

His head is as the most fine gold;

His locks are bushy, and black as a raven.

His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks,

Washed with milk, and fitly set.

His cheeks are as a bed of spices,

As banks of sweet herbs: His lips are as lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.

His hands are as rings of gold set with beryl:

His body is as ivory work overlaid with sapphires.

His legs are as pillars of marble, set with sockets of fine gold:

His aspect is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

His mouth is most sweet;

Yea, he is altogether lovely.

This is my beloved, and this is my friend,

O daughters of Jerusalem."

There is another description of Christ the Holy One in Revelation 1:12-16 which resembles this one in many ways, in spite of their differences. There is absolutely nothing in either of the descriptions that may be applied to things sensual, vulgar or sexual. The glory of them both is that they declare the supreme value and eternity of the lover. The mention of the lover’s being "white" suggests his purity and holiness, exactly the same as did "his hair white as snow" in the Revelation account. Another similarity occurs in the supreme emphasis of the lover’s words (his teaching), appearing here in the mention of "lips" and "mouth," and in the Apocalypse as "the sharp sword" in his mouth.

Any attempt to find a line by line reference in this passage to any human being would tend to eroticism, "And would do an injustice to the text." In their ultimate application, they cannot refer to a human being at all but to Him who has "Sat down upon the right hand of the Majesty on High."

The thought here is concluded in the first three verses of the following chapter (See Song of Solomon 6:1-3).

Song of Solomon 5:10. If Solomon is the author of this song (and we believe he is) the words that follow would be the most exaggerated of self-praise if they referred to himself—however, put in the mouth of the Shulammite concerning her shepherd lover, they become far more believable. She calls into use the kingdom of nature and art in her praise of this one who is altogether lovely. “Whatever is precious, lovely, and grand, is all combined in the living beauty of his person.” (Ibid) The rosy whiteness of his skin suggests perfect health. The term “chiefest among ten thousand” refers to the one who carries the banner in war. She is saying to the ladies of the court or harem “you could easily pick him out . . . It would be as easy as seeing the banner-bearer among ten thousand.”

Song of Solomon 5:11. To say that his head is “precious fine gold” is to immediately associate it with beauty-value and honor—perhaps the imposing nobility of bearing is the point in comparison. The locks of his hair appear as a terraced hillside—or a series of hills seen at a distance, hill upon hill. “Seen from his neck upwards, his hair forms in undulating lines, hill upon hill. In color, these locks of hair are black as a raven . . . the raven-blackness of the hair contrasts with the whiteness and redness of the countenance, which shines forth as from a black ground, from a black border.” (Delitzsch)

Song of Solomon 5:12. The eyes in their glancing moistness, and in the movement of their pupils, are like doves which sip at the water-brooks, and move to and fro beside them . . . That the eyes are like a precious stone in its casket, does not merely signify that they fill the sockets . . . but that they are not sunk like the eyes of one who is sick . . . they appear full and large as they pass forward from wide and open eyelids.” (ibid)

Song of Solomon 5:13. His cheeks are like a soft, raised flower bed, the impression received upon seeing them is like the fragrance which flows from such a flower bed, planted as it is with sweet-scented flowers. This latter allusion is probably to the practice of perfuming the beard. (Cf. Psalms 133:2) His lips are as blood-red as the scarlet anemone. His speech is as fragrant and sweet as the smell of myrrh.

Song of Solomon 5:14. “His hands—golden cylinders, filled with stones of Tarshish. The fingers, full, round, fleshy in mould are compared to rods or bars of gold formed like rollers garnished with stones from Tarshish, to which the nails are likened. The transparent horn-plates of the nails, with the white segment of a circle at their roots, are certainly, when they are beautiful, an ornament to the hand, and without any need of being stained are worthy to be compared to the gold-yellow of topaz. His body is an ivory work of art, covered with sapphires. The term “covered over” perhaps should be “with sapphires.” The well formed body over which are the branching blue veins under the white skin.

Song of Solomon 5:15. His legs are white marble columns, set on bases of fine gold. Strength and stability as well as beauty are here symbolized. His whole bearing is noble, the impression one gets upon looking at him is the same as when we stand at the base of a giant cedar tree and looks up.

Song of Solomon 5:16. His mouth (or speech) is most sweet, this is a reference to the manner by which he addresses others—with true sweetness. (Cf. Proverbs 16:21)

To sum up her evaluation she can say “he is altogether lovely.” The women of the court wanted to know—(or did they?) As she stands back before this full length portrait she can tell them—“This (emphatically) is my beloved, and this is my friend.”! She evidently had spent enough time with him in various circumstances so she could say she was describing not only his physical appearance, but his personality and character.

Marriage Song of Solomon 5:8-16

What a paragon of manhood! What hope is there for us poor, ordinary mortal husbands? Before we turn the page and look for more practical material—pause! Look again. The various parts of the body of the husband all relate to a quality of character we each can find in our lives as they relate to our wives—Consider:

(1) A pure mind—(refined gold)—What a valuable, honorable, beautiful quality this is. A slavery to King Jesus by which He brings every thought into captivity is the answer here. Surely there is no greater gift we could offer our wives.

(2) A single eye—i.e., a healthy eye—The eye is the window of the soul. A single resolute purpose in life is so important to marriage. If our Lord cannot supply such a purpose we shall never have it.

(3) A pleasant face—it is possible to cultivate a happy cheerful expression on our face. An optimistic attitude in our general demeanor which is reflected on the face will be a very large help. Who can offer reason for such an expression? The fruit of His presence is joy.

(4) Words of fragrant sweetness can be said. Many a bride wishes she were married to Barnabus—i.e., “the son of encouragement.” One of the gifts of His presence is encouragement or exhortation.

(5) Beautiful hands—strong and helpful. There are so many little areas of need where we can help. Show me your love apart from your works and I by my works will show thee my love.

(6) A body like a work of art—A work of art is only produced by the most careful cooperation and practice of the skills of an artist. Our whole person should be fashioned by the Master artist until we become like Him. Until we become in truth His own body, indwelt by His Spirit.

(7) Strong legs by which and on which we stand.—Our foundation is solid gold. “Having done all to stand”—to do that requires strong legs. He who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation can cause us to stand today. We stand in a beautiful, valuable place every time we let Him direct our posture.

So we can see with Him and through Him and because of Him we are altogether lovely. What wife wouldn’t be delighted to share life with such a man?

Communion Song of Solomon 5:8-16

It is not at all difficult to see the application of this text to our heavenly husband—indeed, and in truth He is “altogether lovely”! We should like to attempt a paraphrase of the text as we relate it to our Lord: “My beloved is pure and strong. The leader among all men. He carries the banner of His own conquest. He is the head of His body, the church—such a head is of value beyond estimate. He is eternally youthful and strong. His beauty is such a contrast to the environment in which He lives. What a refreshment it is to look into His eyes! His eyes are full of love and alive with interest in my life in all of it, all the time. He looks at me tenderly—softly, ‘like doves beside the water brooks’—peaceful, restful, yet full of life. He always is able to see what no one else could. Everything moves into its proper place when I look long enough into His eyes. All the love and care of my Father is seen in the face of my Lord. To know that even now I have the fragrant words that came from His lips is startling! What beautiful strong hands does my Lord have. Today His hands are my hands. His help is my help in our world. The body of my Lord is indeed a work of art—not of men but of God. I stand in the strength of His might. His total bearing is one of the King of all Kings and the Lord of all Lords. This is my beloved and my nearest, dearest Friend.” How inadequately we have represented Him—He is more—much more than we were able to say.

A Troubling Dream - Song of Solomon 5:2 to Song of Solomon 6:3

Open It

1. How have your relationships with best friends or your spouse changed as time has passed?

2. What do you think causes feelings of love to fade in a relationship?

3. What couple do you know with a successful marriage, and what do you most admire about their relationship?

Explore It

4. What stage in the couple’s relationship is described in these verses? (Song of Solomon 5:2 to Song of Solomon 6:3)

5. What did the Beloved say she was doing? (Song of Solomon 5:2)

6. With what terms did the Lover address his Beloved? (Song of Solomon 5:2)

7. What events took place in the Beloved’s dream? (Song of Solomon 5:2-8)

8. How did the Beloved respond to her husband’s request to open the door? (Song of Solomon 5:3)

9. What happened once the Beloved opened the door? (Song of Solomon 5:6)

10. What did the Beloved say the watchmen did? (Song of Solomon 5:7)

11. How did the Beloved describe her attitude toward her husband? (Song of Solomon 5:8)

12. How did the Beloved describe her Lover? (Song of Solomon 5:10-16)

13. What question did the Friends ask the Beloved? (Song of Solomon 6:1)

14. Where did the Beloved say her Lover had gone? (Song of Solomon 6:2-3)

Get It

15. What clues are there in these verses that time has lapsed since the wedding?

16. In what ways had this marriage relationship changed or stayed the same since the wedding?

17. Why might the initial excitement that accompanies marriage begin to fade?

18. What is significant about the Beloved’s description of her Lover?

19. What makes a successful relationship last?

20. How can a couple keep the flame of love alive in their marriage?

Apply It

21. If you are married, what is one thing you can do today to show your spouse that you love him or her?

22. What lesson from these verses do you especially want to remember?

23. What fractured relationship do you want to work on mending?

24. What friends with a fractured relationship will you pray for today?