Bible Commentaries
Song of Solomon 6

Verses 1-10

Son 6:1-10

Song of Solomon 6:1-3

"Whither is thy beloved gone,

O thou fairest among women?

Whither hath thy beloved turned him,

That we may seek him with thee?

My beloved is gone down to his garden,

To the beds of spices,

To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine:

He feedeth his flock among the lilies."

What we have here is: (1) a question and (2) the answer. The question is from "the daughters of Jerusalem," whether understood as God’s people generally, or as the members of Solomon’s harem. The question:

Where is your lover that we also may seek him?

The lover described by the maiden was so glorious that the "daughters of Jerusalem" desired also to find him. This clearly denies any possibility that "the beloved" in this passage was Solomon. Nobody had to hunt him. The whole world knew exactly where he was.

Now, what is the answer to their question?

He has gone to his garden to gather lilies and to pasture his flock.

Can any stretch of imagination behold Solomon in this reply? Ridiculous! Solomon a gardener? Who could believe it? Or Solomon a shepherd pasturing his flock? A million times NO. The maiden’s lover is clearly a shepherd, the Shepherd.

The rest of the Song of Solomon carries the following message:

King Solomon Fails in His Pursuit of the Shulamite.

Song of Solomon 6:4-10

UNWAVERING FIDELITY OF THE BRIDE TO THE SHEPHERD
(Song of Solomon 6:4 to Song of Solomon 8:14)

THE KING ADMITS HIS DEFEAT

"Thou art fair, O my love, as Tirzah,

Comely as Jerusalem,

Terrible as an army with banners.

Turn away thine eyes from me,

For they have overcome me.

Thy hair is as a flock of goats,

That lie along the side of Gilead.

Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes,

Which are come up from washing;

Whereof every one hath twins,

And none is bereaved among them.

Thy temples are like a piece of pomegranate

Behind thy veil.

There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines,

And virgins without number.

My dove, my undefiled, is but one;

She is the only one of her mother;

She is the choice of the one that bare her.

The daughters saw her, and called her blessed;

Yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

Who is she that looketh forth as the morning,

Fair as the moon,

Clear as the sun,

Terrible as an army with banners?"

"Terrible as an army with banners" (Song of Solomon 6:4; Song of Solomon 6:10). "This refrain is the key to the passage. The purity and fidelity of the Shulamite have rebuked the king and his artificial flattery.

"Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me" (Song of Solomon 6:2). Solomon cannot bear to look this precious virtuous woman in the eyes; and he pleads with her not to look at him, admitting that she has overcome him. We are still looking for some commentator who is able to explain this scene as that of Solomon addressing a woman who is madly in love with him!

"Thy hair ... thy teeth ... thy temples" (Song of Solomon 6:5-7). Solomon continues his flattery, still unable to think of any suitable comparisons except those that see the maiden as an animal, especially as a female animal.

"Thy temples are like a piece of pomegranate" (Song of Solomon 6:7). Solomon looked upon her exactly as he might have looked upon a piece of bread, or fruit, something to eat, devour and to satisfy his desire.

"Threescore queens and fourscore concubines" (Song of Solomon 6:8). Delitzsch considered this an indication that the events covered by this Song took place early in Solomon’s reign, at a time when he had only threescore queens and fourscore concubines. Others have supposed that the author was some other than Solomon; and Carr also denied that this is actually a reference to Solomon. "No particular harem is being considered." Solomon is clearly meant; and one may find the balance of those 700 wives and 300 concubines in the adjacent phrase, "Virgins without number." What Solomon was saying here is that there were threescore queens and fourscore concubines of his who were, in one sense or another, special, and that even these praised the maiden (Song of Solomon 6:9).

"Yea, queens and concubines praised her" (Song of Solomon 6:9). The maiden was different in some very dramatic and sufficient sense from any of the women in Solomon’s seraglio; and it was undeniably that difference which was praised. What was it? She was the only one who would not submit to Solomon’s advances. She overcame him (Song of Solomon 6:5).

There are all kinds of interpretations suggested for these verses; but we have cited here the one that makes the most sense to this writer.

Exegesis Song of Solomon 6:1-10

We have been impressed and greatly helped by the comments of Walter F. Adeney in An Exposition of the Bible (p. 533, 34):

“The mocking ladies ask their victim where then has this paragon gone? She would have them understand that he has not been so cruel as really to desert her. It was only in her dream that he treated her with such unaccountable fickleness. The plain fact is that he is away at his work on his far-off farm, feeding his flock, and perhaps gathering a posy of flowers for his bride. He is far away—that sad truth cannot be denied; and yet he is not really lost, for love laughs at time and distance; the poor lonely girl can say still that she is her beloved’s and that he is hers. The reappearance of this phrase suggests that it is intended to serve as a sort of refrain.

In the first refrain the daughters of Jerusalem are besought not to attempt to awaken the Shulammite’s love for Solomon; this is well balanced by the refrain in which she declares the constancy of the mutual love that exists between herself and the shepherd.

Now Solomon reappears on the scene, and resumes his laudation of the Shulammite’s beauty. But there is a marked change in his manner. This most recent capture is quite unlike the sort of girls with whom his harem was stocked from time to time. He had no reverence for any of them; they all considered themselves to be highly honoured by his favour, all adored him with slavish admiration, like, that expressed by one of them in the first line of the poem. But he is positively afraid of the Shulammite. She is “terrible as an army with banners.” He cannot bear to look at her eyes; he begs her to turn them away from him, for they have overcome him. What is the meaning of this new attitude on the part of the mighty monarch? There is something awful in the simple peasant girl. The purity, the constancy, the cold scorn with which she regards the king, are as humiliating as they are novel in his experience. Yet it is well for him that he is susceptible to their influence. He is greatly injured and corrupted by the manners of a luxurious Oriental court. But he is not a seared profligate. The vision of goodness startles him; but there is a better nature in him, and its slumbering powers are partly roused by this unexpected apparition.

We have now reached a very important point in the poem. It is almost impossible to reconcile this with the theory that Solomon is the one and only lover referred to throughout. But on the “shepherd hypothesis” the position is most significant. The value of constancy in love is not only seen in the steadfast character of one who is sorely tempted to yield to other influences; it is also apparent in the effects on a spectator of so uncongenial a nature as King Solomon. Thus the poet brings out the great idea of his work most vividly. He could not have done so more forcibly than by choosing the court of Solomon for the scene of the trial, and showing the startling effect of the noble virtue of constancy on the king himself.

Here we are face to face with one of the rescuing influences of life, which may be met in various forms. A true woman, an innocent child, a pure man, coming across the path of one who has permitted himself to slide down towards murky depths, arrests his attention with a, painful shock of surprise. The result is a revelation to him, in the light of which he discovers, to his horror, how far he has fallen. It is a sort of incarnate conscience, warning him of the still lower degradation towards which he is sinking. Perhaps it strikes him as a beacon light, showing the path up to purity and peace; an angel from heaven sent to help him retrace his steps and return to his better self. Few men are so abandoned as never to be visited by some such gleam from higher regions. To many, alas, it comes but as the temporary rift in the clouds through which for one brief moment the blue sky becomes visible even on a wild and stormy day, soon to be lost in deeper darkness. Happy are they who obey its unexpected message.

The concluding words of the passage which opens with Solomon’s praises of the Shulammite present another of the many difficulties with which the poem abounds. Mention is made of Solomon’s sixty queens, his eighty concubines, his maidens without number; and then the Shulammite is contrasted with this vast seraglio as “My dove, my undefiled,” who is “but one”—“the only one of her mother.” Who is speaking here? If this is a continuation of Solomon’s speech, as the flow of the verses would suggest, it must mean that the king would set his newest acquisition quite apart from all the ladies of the harem, as his choices and treasured bride. Those who regard Solomon as the lover, think they see here what they call his conversion, that is to say his turning away from polygamy to monogamy. History knows of no such conversion; and it is hardly likely that a poet of the northern kingdom would go out of his way to whitewash the matrimonial reputation of a sovereign from whom the house of Judah was descended. Besides, the occurrence here represented bears a very dubious character when we consider that all the existing denizens of the harem were to be put aside in favour of a new beauty. It would have been more like a genuine conversion if Solomon had gone back to the love of his youth, and confined his affections to his neglected first wife.” (ibid. pp. 533–34)

From a reading of several commentaries we are well aware that the above quotation will not be met with unanimous approval. We only offer what seems to us a consistent position. We believe the interpretation we have suggested compliments the teachings of the rest of the scriptures. We are asking this inspired poem which has in itself no certain interpretation to agree with the plain teaching of the rest of the word and not visa versa.

Marriage Song of Solomon 6:1-10

Dear God, I want to be that pure man! I trust your heart has responded to the concept presented here as has mine. There is a beauty, a wonder, something awesome, and genuine in holiness. There is a motivation for living, suffering, working, yea, and dying in keeping myself for one woman.

There is nothing weak or unworthy about this look at marriage. It will not do to apply this to our wife and ask her if she is like the Shulammite—of course, we hope she is. But she will respond far more readily to our example of purity. If we are so in love with her that the offers of Satan do not tempt us then purity and oneness becomes a possibility. Let’s look very closely at Solomon’s description—it will help us much. (1) He does not mention the lips or speech of the maiden. She had said nothing that pleased him, indeed, she could have spoken against him. It is more important that the conversation of our wife please us than her physical person. (2) Her penetrating gaze profoundly disturbed him—it was because her gaze was pure or unadulterated. Contrast the response of the shepherd to her look—it repulsed Solomon and encouraged the shepherd. (Song of Solomon 4:9) (3) Even Solomon hesitated in pressing his attention on one whose virtuous behavior gave him no encouragement. The demeanor of our wives speaks far more eloquently than their lips. We need to separate selfishness from virtue. There is nothing virtuous about refusing the attentions of our wife or husband because such attention (particularly in the sexual realm) is not convenient. (Cf. 1 Corinthians 7:1 ff)

Communion Song of Solomon 6:1-10

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other such blemish, but holy and blameless” Ephesians 5:25-27. We are so very delighted and humbled to consider the fact that this is how our bridegroom looks at us, His Bride. But in the text before us we want to know how the world—or Solomon looks at us. Is the world non-plused by our transparent sincerity? A genuine consistent life is as “imposing as troops marching with their banners.” When Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for lying the result was as follows: “And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all that heard these things . . . But of the rest durst no man join himself to them: howbeit the people magnified them; and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women; (Acts 5:11; Acts 5:13-14).” It was the consistent lives of the Apostles and other Christians that led in this conquest. Have you ever been avoided because you were a Christian? Has someone refused to look you in the eye? We shouldn’t be surprised. If such persons could voice their reaction it could be in the words of our text—“Turn away thine eyes from me, for they are taking me by storm.” Paul obtained this response from the governor Felix and his female companion, Drusilla. “And as he reasoned of righteousness, and self-control, and judgment to come, Felix was terrified, and ‘answered, Go thy way for this time; and when I have a convenient season, I will call thee unto me” (Acts 24:25). The Christian should indeed be attractive as a person—but pure and undefiled in character and this is a shock to many people.

Verses 11-13

Son 6:11-13

Song of Solomon 6:11-12

"I went down into the garden of nuts,

To see the green plants of the valley,

To see whether the vine budded,

And the pomegranates were in flower.

Before I was aware, my soul set me among the chariots of my princely people."

Before attempting to interpret this, one should be aware that, "It is very difficult to explain the relation of these verses, either to the context, or to each other. They are possibly misplaced"; or they may be a fragment of another song. The meaning of some of the words is disputed. The margin reads, "desire" instead of "soul.”

She may be referring to the story of her capture. "Innocently and unsuspecting she had gone down to inspect her garden, when she was whisked away by the king’s men.” If this interpretation should be allowed, then we may paraphrase the verse: "I had gone down to the garden when desire (not her desire, but that of the king), `Set me in a chariot beside my prince.’”

Redford thought the passage means, "That she lost her heart immediately when she saw king Solomon.” Waddey understood it to say that, "She had taken a stroll in the royal park, and remembering the folks back home, she longed to leave the palace and journey back to see her family."^” Orr gave this ambiguous interpretation: "It is the bride’s reminiscence of the moment when she suddenly realized how much she loved the youth who was destined to be her prince; her imagination rushed ahead; she would his queen at his side.” At least, he left Solomon out of it! Obviously, there is hardly room for dogmatism on what this means; however, Balchin’s comment is in line with our interpretation of the allegory as a contest between two lovers, a king, and a shepherd, for the love of the Shulamite maiden, with Solomon standing for Satan in the analogy, and the shepherd standing for Jesus Christ our Lord. The maiden, of course, is the Church of our Lord.

Song of Solomon 6:13

"Return, return, O Shulamite;

Return, return, that we may look upon thee.

Why will ye look upon the Shulamite,

As upon the dance of Mahanaim?"

Cook read this as a call from the chorus for the bride to "come back," when "she was about to withdraw.” Delitzsch saw the passage as the words of the, "Daughters of Jerusalem.”

"Why should you look upon the Shulamite?" (Song of Solomon 6:13 b). This has been read as a query from Solomon regarding the Shulamite’s popularity in his harem, or as a modest protest by the Shulamite declining their admiration. We cannot find any connection at all with the rest of the Song. Bunn read the verse as an appeal, "By the shepherd and his companions for the return of the maiden (during the time when the king retained her in his harem), asking, "Why should she dance, and be looked upon by the monarch’s company like a camp follower who danced before the lascivious eyes of the troops"? The reader is invited to take his choice of interpretations. This is reasonable enough except for the chronological misplacement of it.

Exegesis Song of Solomon 6:11-13

In the most charming manner possible, the maiden recounts the circumstances of her being kidnapped; “It was in the early spring of the year, I had gone to the garden where the walnut and pomegranate trees grow, it was also in the valley where the vineyard is planted. I had come for two reasons—I did want to check on the budding of the grapevines and to stand beneath the flaming bloom of the pomegranate trees. But I had also come out here in the beauty of the valley because I had quarreled with my beloved and I needed to think and pray. (We assume this latter purpose.) “When quite unexpectedly this quest of mine led me into the midst of the chariots of my noble people.” (Clarke) “Or perhaps it was my confused state of mind, before I hardly knew what I was doing, my desire to visit the garden resulted in a place in one of the chariots of my Lord the king.”

The thirteenth verse poses real problems for interpreters. Her identity as a maid of Shunem or Shulem is established—this is the only place in the story where such designation is given. Cf. 1 Samuel 28:4; 1 Kings 1:3; 2 Kings 4:8. As to who is speaking in the first half and last half of the verses, we offer what appears to us as a reasonable explanation: “They cried” i.e., Solomon’s body guard who were running after the maiden, cried, “Return, return, O Shulammite, return, return, that we may look at thee.” She had been startled by the sudden appearance of this calvacade of chariots—she left the scene as rapidly as possible. Solomon, attracted by her beauty, commanded that she be brought to him. She remonstrates with her would-be captors. “Why would ‘we’ look upon the Shulammite, as if you were watching the Mahanaim dance?” Such a dance must have been well-known as a source of public amusement for Solomon. She is saying she does not want to become a play-thing for the King.

Marriage Song of Solomon 6:11-13

We have nothing but admiration for such a woman. She is willing to admit her own limitations. She placed herself in a dangerous position—perhaps it was her own petulance that led her there, or perhaps it wasn’t, for whatever cause she freely admits she was responsible for being there. She does not say a word against the King—was it because of her position in the court of Solomon? She tried to remove herself from the presence of all that was a threat to her and her love. She was an unwilling captive of the king. She refused to be a mere trinket for the amusement of the monarch. She was captive to her beloved—he had won her devotion. Her convictions were stronger than the environment. We are reminded of such a woman described in 1 Peter 3:1-16.

Communion Song of Solomon 6:11-13

What an example of the kind of commitment we can make to our Lord! We have indeed been taken captive while on our way to the garden of nuts! Before we hardly knew it our desire led us to a place in the chariot of Satan and we were whisked off to a place in his harem. We can be sure Satan has no personal interest beyond how he can use us. Are we ready to admit our need as the Shulammite? Flattery is a dangerous tool in the hand of Satan. It is possible that flattery was part of the reason the maiden was a captive. We, like the maiden, can recoup our losses—we can remain steadfast in our first love. We can return again to the One altogether lovely.

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?

Praising the Bride’s Beauty - Song of Solomon 6:4 to Song of Solomon 7:9

Open It

1. Why is it hard to say you’re sorry?

2. What is your favorite love story?

Explore It

3. How would you describe the events of these verses? (Song of Solomon 6:4 to Song of Solomon 7:9)

4. How did the Lover describe his wife? (Song of Solomon 6:4-9)

5. Why did the Lover tell his Beloved to turn her eyes from him? (Song of Solomon 6:5)

6. Where did the Lover go? (Song of Solomon 6:11)

7. How did the Lover describe his reconciliation with his Beloved? (Song of Solomon 6:11-13)

8. What did the Lover say about his Beloved’s feet and legs? (Song of Solomon 7:1)

9. What did the Lover say about his Beloved’s navel and waist? (Song of Solomon 7:2)

10. How did the Lover describe his Beloved’s breasts? (Song of Solomon 7:3; Song of Solomon 7:7)

11. What did the Lover say about his Beloved’s neck, eyes, and nose? (Song of Solomon 7:4)

12. How did the Lover describe his Beloved’s head and hair? (Song of Solomon 7:5)

13. What did the Lover find pleasing? (Song of Solomon 7:6)

14. What did the Lover say he would climb? (Song of Solomon 7:8-9)

Get It

15. Judging from the events of these verses (and the events that led up to them, 6:1-3), what are some essential elements in the process of reconciliation?

16. What does this story say about reconciliation?

17. Why is it sometimes hard to reconcile your differences with someone you love?

18. In what way do you find the somewhat sensual nature of these verses surprising, refreshing, or offensive?

19. How is the Lover’s praise of his wife’s beauty important to the reconciliation process?

20. How might the Beloved’s breasts be like clusters, her breath like apples, and her mouth like wine?

21. How have these verses impacted your view of marriage?

22. How have these verses impacted your view of human sexuality?

Apply It

23. What conflict in your relationship with your spouse will you work to resolve this week?

24. What broken relationship will you mend this week?