Song Of Solomon 2:5

Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I [am] sick of love.

Stay {H5564} me with flagons {H809}, comfort {H7502} me with apples {H8598}: for I am sick {H2470} of love {H160}.

Sustain me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love.

Sustain me with raisins; refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.

Stay ye me with raisins, refresh me with apples; For I am sick from love.

Song of Solomon 2:5 captures a moment of intense emotional longing and physical weakness experienced by the Shulamite woman, the beloved in this poetic book. Her plea for comfort and sustenance underscores the overwhelming nature of her affection.

Context

This verse is part of a larger soliloquy by the Shulamite, expressing her deep affection and yearning for her beloved. It immediately follows her desire to be near him and sets the stage for his imminent appearance. The Song of Solomon, also known as the Canticle of Canticles, is a unique book of the Bible, celebrating the beauty and intensity of romantic love between a man and a woman, often interpreted as an allegory for the love between Christ and His Church, or God and Israel.

Key Themes

  • Overwhelming Love and Passion: The phrase "sick of love" vividly portrays an intense, consuming affection that feels almost physically debilitating. It's not a negative sickness, but rather an overwhelming sensation of love so profound it leaves one weak and needing support.
  • Yearning and Dependence: Her request for "flagons" (wine or refreshing drinks) and "apples" (possibly fragrant quinces or other restorative fruits) highlights her need for sustenance and comfort, indicating a deep longing for her beloved's presence that affects her entire being.
  • Vulnerability in Love: The verse reveals a tender vulnerability, where profound love can lead to a state of emotional and physical exhaustion, requiring external comfort and support.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew phrase for "sick of love" is holat ahavah (חולת אהבה), which literally means "sick from love" or "lovesick." It conveys a profound emotional state, not necessarily illness, but an overwhelming, consuming passion that leaves one weak and longing. The "flagons" (ashishah) are often understood as "raisin cakes" or "cakes of pressed grapes," which were known for their restorative and invigorating properties in ancient Israel. Similarly, "apples" (tappuach) likely refer to sweet, fragrant fruits like quinces or apricots, valued for their comforting and refreshing scent and taste.

Related Scriptures

This intense expression of love finds echoes in other parts of the Song, such as when the beloved declares that love is strong as death. The yearning for the beloved's presence is a recurring motif throughout Scripture, similar to the psalmist's longing for God's presence, as seen in Psalm 42:1, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."

Practical Application

Song of Solomon 2:5 beautifully illustrates the depth and intensity of human romantic love, affirming its God-given nature within the bounds of marriage. It reminds us that such love can be all-consuming and deeply moving. Allegorically, this verse can speak to the soul's profound longing for God, a spiritual "lovesickness" for the divine presence that drives us to seek spiritual nourishment and comfort in His Word and fellowship. Just as the Shulamite sought physical sustenance, believers often need spiritual "flagons" and "apples" – the refreshing truths of the Bible and the comfort of the Holy Spirit – to sustain them in their spiritual walk and their longing for Christ.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Song Of Solomon 5:8

    I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I [am] sick of love.

  • Hosea 3:1

    ¶ Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of [her] friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.

  • 2 Samuel 6:19

    And he dealt among all the people, [even] among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece [of flesh], and a flagon [of wine]. So all the people departed every one to his house.

  • Song Of Solomon 7:8

    I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;

  • Philippians 1:23

    For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

  • Psalms 4:6

    ¶ [There be] many that say, Who will shew us [any] good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

  • Psalms 4:7

    Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time [that] their corn and their wine increased.

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